With John Buck being placed on the DL, the Toronto Blue Jays called up hot hitting prospect J.P. Arencibia. Here is a little background information on the prospect and advice on how you should handle his call up if you're in need of a catcher.Arencibia, born on January 5th, 1986 in Miami Florida, was drafted 21st overall in the 2007 Amatuer Draft out of the University of Tennessee. Before becoming a Volunteer, Arencibia attended the same High School that Alex Rodriguez hails from, Westminster Christian High School in Florida. Arencibia is tied for the most career home runs at Westminster Christian, with none other than A-Rod himself.
After four years at Tennessee, Arencibia had performed well enough to earn his high draft pick. He entered the minors with Auburn in Low-A ball. There was some debate as whether to move him to first base, or keep him as a catcher. The Blue Jays decided to leave him at catcher and work on his defense, which more than likely meant a longer road to the major leagues. Through 63 games with Auburn, he batted a mediocre .254, with only 3 home runs. His numbers weren't great, however it was his first exposure to professional baseball, and he was only 21 years old.
Entering 2008, Arencibia was promoted to High-A ball with Dunedin. He played in 59 games, and absolutely raked, smashing 13 homeruns, recording 62 RBI's and posting a .315 average. A call up was in order and Arencibia was shipped to AA New Hampshire. His strong season continued, with another 14 homeruns, 43 RBI's and a .282 average in only 67 games. His combine 2008 stat line was .298/.322/.527 with 27 HR, 105 RBI, 70 R in 126 games.
After the way the 2008 season went, Arencibia seemed a year or less away from a big league call up, and was considered one of the top prospects in baseball (Pre-2009 #43 according to Baseball America). His defense was making strides, and he projected to be an above-average catcher in the bigs. There seemed to be a bright future ahead for Arencibia.
Then 2009 came. Arencibia was promoted yet again to AAA Las Vegas. Arencibia labored through the season, posting marks of .236/.284/.444. He still managed to hit 21 HR's, so the power was still there, but it seemed as though he had taken a step back at the plate. While all this is happening, Arencibia still is making progress with his defense, so the Blue Jays are still commited to him as their catcher of the future, however that future is possibly a few years farther away than originally thought.
Entering 2010 still on the AAA Las Vegas roster, Arencibia had something to prove for the first time in his career. Up until his August 4th call up, Arencibia was torching AAA pitching to the tune of .303/.360/.639 with 31 HR and 79 RBI in 95 games. The prospect is back, and with a little help from John Buck, he's on the Blue Jays roster. With any success, he'll be there to stay.
Even with Arencibia's success in AAA, he's only the 3rd best catching prospect to be called up to the big leagues this year. By many scouts judgment, Carlos Santana and Buster Posey both trump his talent. If you just lost Santana, Arencibia is probably looking pretty good right now.
Below are Arencibia's career minor league stats.
| Season | Team | G | PA | H | HR | R | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 2007 | Auburn | 63 | 249 | 58 | 3 | 31 | 25 | 0 | .254 | .309 | .377 |
| 2008 | Dunedin/New Hampshire | 126 | 510 | 152 | 27 | 70 | 105 | 0 | .298 | .322 | .527 |
| 2009 | Las Vegas | 116 | 500 | 110 | 21 | 67 | 75 | 0 | .236 | .284 | .444 |
| 2010 | Las Vegas | 95 | 420 | 115 | 31 | 71 | 79 | 0 | .303 | .360 | .639 |
It's hard to say what you can expect from him. Don't pay much attention to his batting average, as Mike Stanton can attest to the adjustment period it takes when playing in the big leagues. You can realistically expect some decent power and an average (at best) batting average. Depending on where he hits in the lineup, don't expect many runs out of him. If your desperate for power, he could be a good pickup, especially the way the Blue Jays are hitting balls out of the park this season.
