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Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia gets his power back
Though he went 0-for-6 in his first at bats of the 2012 Toronto Blue Jays season, opening day couldn't have ended better for J.P Arencibia. In the 16th inning, and on his seventh at bat of the game, Arencibia hit a three-run home run helping push the Jays past the Cleveland Indians 7-4.
His ability to hit homeruns is what Arencibia became known for in his first full season with the Jays in 2011 setting a franchise record for home runs by a catcher with 23.
However, his power at the plate seemingly shutdown after his opening-day heroics; he recorded just one hit in his next 25 at bats and his batting average dropped to a measly 0.67 by the middle of April.
If his frustration wasn't showing on the field, it seemed to when he responded to New York based media personality Eric Mirlis who on April 19th tweeted about Arencibia's "scary bad stat-line" to start the season.
Arencibia responded to the criticism-filled characters with a tweet of his own to Mirlis:
Arencibia later played off the tweet as a joke.
And whether or not Mirlis's words motivated Arencibia, May has been a turnaround month for the Jays' catcher. The 26-year-old has hit .278 this month bumping his season batting average up to .240 and he has eight home runs. His combined nine HR's this season puts him in a tie for first amongst catchers in the majors with Texas Rangers catcher Mike Napoli and Boston Red Sox masked-man Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
He has also made a noticeable improvement on defence. He's shown the ability to throw out batters from his knees and looks more comfortable blocking balls behind the plate.
Jays manager John Farrell talked about Arencibia's improvement after the Jays opener.
"He's made such strides from a year ago. It's remarkable how far he's come. He throws out [Shin-Soo] Choo from his knees, he blocked numerous two-strike pitches in the dirt."
But it hasn't been all positives this month for Arencibia. With runners on the corners and the Jays in the top of the ninth of a tie game with the Oakland A's on May 8, Farrell opted to have Omar Vizquel pinch hit for Arencibia.
Arencibia admitted he was thrown off by the decision.
"I didn't know what to feel in that situation, it's never happened to me in my career and I never thought it would happen. It was a shock for me," he told Sportsnet.ca.
Since then Arencibia has hit seven home runs and has seen his slugging percentage jump from .375 to .461.
But even with the turnaround he's had in May, Arencibia's time as the Jays number one catcher could be fading. Fox Sports columnist Jon Paul Morosi believes the Jays are still short a power-hitting left fielder, a No. 2 starting pitcher and at least one late inning reliever.
Though trading Arencibia may come to the dismay of some Jays fans as the catcher has become a fan favourite for his outgoing off-field personality, Morosi feels the 26-year-old could bring a big return for the Jays' organization.
And with 23-year-old catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud knocking on the door of the Jays clubhouse — he's hit .328 with 12 homers with the Jays AAA affiliate in Las Vegas this season — and ostensibly looks ready to take the next step in his career meaning moving Arencibia could be a realistic option.
