J.P. Arencibia

2013

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2012

Arencibia displayed plus-power from a catcher with 23 homers and a .438 slugging percentage but really suffered with his batting average, hitting .219, thanks in large part to 133 strikeouts in just 486 plate appearances. He really suffered against righties (.206 average) and at home (.201 average), both of which figure to improve. He'll be back as the team's regular behind the plate and figures to provide above average power and counting stats from the catching position, especially if he can cut down on his strikeouts and put a few more balls in play.

2011

Arencibia enjoyed a huge season at Triple-A Las Vegas last year, hitting .301 with 32 homers before earning a short call-up with the Blue Jays, homering twice in his debut. The Jays wisely let John Buck leave via free agency, opening the door for Arencibia. It should be noted that Arencibia's command of the strike zone is only adequate (38 walks and 85 strikeouts in 459 plate appearances at Triple-A), but he's been advanced pretty aggressively for a catcher. He'll enter the season with the inside track on the starting job behind the plate, but the Jays have a veteran option in Jose Molina if Arencibia struggles. Expect some growing pains at the plate, however.

2010

Arencibia took a step back in 2009, hitting just .236 with 114 strikeouts in 500 plate appearances at Triple-A Las Vegas. The only somewhat encouraging sign is that his power remained intact despite his lack of control of the strike zone, though 21 homers in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League isn't anything to get overly excited about. The Jays had hoped he'd at least be ready to push for a job this spring, but that's simply not going to happen even with the departure of Rod Barajas. He'll need to work on controlling the strike zone and should get that chance as he'll spend most of the season at Triple-A.

2009

Arencibia has been advanced aggressively so far in his pro career, spending half the season at Double-A New Hampshire in just his second season. He has plus-power potential, evidenced by his 36 doubles and 27 homers between High-A and Double-A this past season. He'll need to learn to command the strike zone however, as he drew just 18 walks and struck out 101 times 510 at-bats. He'll likely begin the year at Double-A and bears watching to see if his power can hold up against advanced competition.

2008

Arencibia, taken in the first round of the 2007 draft, signed quickly and made his pro debut in the short-season New York-Penn League. He hit a poor .254/.309/.377, though he did manage a nice 17 doubles in just 228 at-bats. The knock on him coming out of the draft was his defense, which could result in a position switch from behind the plate as he advances. He hit better as the year progresed, including a nice .308/.357/.440 line in August, but his batting eye needs a lot of work before we can start projecting the power going forward.