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DUNEDIN — Four years ago, he was a beast. The Most Valuable Player in the Double-A Southern League with a league-high .325 batting average.
Three years ago, he took it to another level. The Most Valuable Player in the Triple-A International League, at a time when Gunnar Henderson, Brent Rooker, Jarren Duran, Vinnie Pasquantino and Josh Lowe were all passing through with various Triple-A ballclubs.
And since then?
While some of his contemporaries have heard cheers and produced big numbers in the majors, Jonathan Aranda is still waiting for his coming-out party. There have been callups and demotions. Injuries and frustrations. Increasingly, there have been questions regarding whether his minor-league numbers will ever translate to the big leagues.
If he’s concerned, Aranda hides it well. He’s a week away from his first opening day in the major leagues, a couple of months away from his 27th birthday and seemingly miles away from tension or fear.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for my whole career,” Aranda said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “I’m ready for it.”
He’s got a point. While Aranda was never identified as a can’t-miss phenom — he cracked Baseball America’s preseason top 100 prospects list only one time since signing with the Rays as a 17-year-old out of Mexico in 2015 — his bat-to-ball skills have never been in question.
It’s always been everything else that has gotten in his way. He’s a subpar fielder who has been shifted around the infield in search of a position. He didn’t have tremendous bat speed and only limited power in his first five seasons of pro ball. He was blocked by Brandon Lowe at second base and Yandy Diaz at first base.
Aranda has had more than 1,000 plate appearances in Triple A with a .316 batting average and a .959 OPS. To put that in perspective, Junior Caminero had only 236 plate appearances in Triple A with a .277 batting average before the Rays called him up.
After all the work, all the growth, all the patience, it finally seemed as if Aranda’s time had arrived last spring. He was hitting .371 in spring training when manager Kevin Cash pulled him aside and told Aranda he had made the big-league ballclub.
Later that day, Aranda fractured a finger while fielding a ground ball and ended up in surgery.
He missed almost two months, and struggled to find his groove when he returned. He was sent back to Triple A less than three weeks later, and then suffered an oblique injury that wiped out another two months.
About a week ago, Cash again told Aranda that he was a lock for the big-league roster. The idea was to relieve any pressure and to allow him to get ready for the season without worrying about spring results.
The Rays, Cash said, are convinced that Aranda can have similar success as a major-league hitter if he just gets consistent at-bats.
“Our hitting coaches and the player development people that have been around him when he’s been at his best, feel that way,” Cash said. “Last year stunk because you finally saw a guy showing confidence, having a great spring and then he breaks his finger. Then, it was trying to play catchup and it took him a little longer to get his timing and get honed in at the plate.”
The plan for now is for Aranda to play first base with Diaz spending more time at designated hitter. There are still concerns about Aranda’s range as an infielder and the reliability of his glove, a criticism he’s learned to live with.
“I pretty much worked on everything defensive-wise during the winter. I did a lot of work at second base and first base because I knew that was going to be part of my job,” Aranda said. “I know there’s been a little bit of a difference between my hitting and my defense and that’s why I’ve been working so much on defense. The hitting is always going to be up and down, but the defense needs to be there every day.”
At this point, it’s hard to get a grasp on what Aranda can do as a big-league hitter. He’s got a .222 average with a .382 slugging percentage in 293 at-bats with the Rays over parts of three seasons, but hit .257 with a .514 slugging percentage in his final 23 games last year.
Through his first five seasons in pro ball, he averaged a home run every 148.8 at-bats. Since then, he’s hit a home run every 20.5 at-bats.
Aranda says it hasn’t been any major adjustment, just a growing confidence that he could turn on pitches.
And now, his chance to prove it has finally arrived.
“This is my opportunity,” he said. “I’ve waited a long time for this.”
John Romano can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
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Three years ago, he took it to another level. The Most Valuable Player in the Triple-A International League, at a time when Gunnar Henderson, Brent Rooker, Jarren Duran, Vinnie Pasquantino and Josh Lowe were all passing through with various Triple-A ballclubs.
And since then?
While some of his contemporaries have heard cheers and produced big numbers in the majors, Jonathan Aranda is still waiting for his coming-out party. There have been callups and demotions. Injuries and frustrations. Increasingly, there have been questions regarding whether his minor-league numbers will ever translate to the big leagues.
If he’s concerned, Aranda hides it well. He’s a week away from his first opening day in the major leagues, a couple of months away from his 27th birthday and seemingly miles away from tension or fear.
“I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for my whole career,” Aranda said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “I’m ready for it.”
He’s got a point. While Aranda was never identified as a can’t-miss phenom — he cracked Baseball America’s preseason top 100 prospects list only one time since signing with the Rays as a 17-year-old out of Mexico in 2015 — his bat-to-ball skills have never been in question.
It’s always been everything else that has gotten in his way. He’s a subpar fielder who has been shifted around the infield in search of a position. He didn’t have tremendous bat speed and only limited power in his first five seasons of pro ball. He was blocked by Brandon Lowe at second base and Yandy Diaz at first base.
Aranda has had more than 1,000 plate appearances in Triple A with a .316 batting average and a .959 OPS. To put that in perspective, Junior Caminero had only 236 plate appearances in Triple A with a .277 batting average before the Rays called him up.
After all the work, all the growth, all the patience, it finally seemed as if Aranda’s time had arrived last spring. He was hitting .371 in spring training when manager Kevin Cash pulled him aside and told Aranda he had made the big-league ballclub.
Later that day, Aranda fractured a finger while fielding a ground ball and ended up in surgery.
He missed almost two months, and struggled to find his groove when he returned. He was sent back to Triple A less than three weeks later, and then suffered an oblique injury that wiped out another two months.
About a week ago, Cash again told Aranda that he was a lock for the big-league roster. The idea was to relieve any pressure and to allow him to get ready for the season without worrying about spring results.
The Rays, Cash said, are convinced that Aranda can have similar success as a major-league hitter if he just gets consistent at-bats.
“Our hitting coaches and the player development people that have been around him when he’s been at his best, feel that way,” Cash said. “Last year stunk because you finally saw a guy showing confidence, having a great spring and then he breaks his finger. Then, it was trying to play catchup and it took him a little longer to get his timing and get honed in at the plate.”
The plan for now is for Aranda to play first base with Diaz spending more time at designated hitter. There are still concerns about Aranda’s range as an infielder and the reliability of his glove, a criticism he’s learned to live with.
“I pretty much worked on everything defensive-wise during the winter. I did a lot of work at second base and first base because I knew that was going to be part of my job,” Aranda said. “I know there’s been a little bit of a difference between my hitting and my defense and that’s why I’ve been working so much on defense. The hitting is always going to be up and down, but the defense needs to be there every day.”
At this point, it’s hard to get a grasp on what Aranda can do as a big-league hitter. He’s got a .222 average with a .382 slugging percentage in 293 at-bats with the Rays over parts of three seasons, but hit .257 with a .514 slugging percentage in his final 23 games last year.
Through his first five seasons in pro ball, he averaged a home run every 148.8 at-bats. Since then, he’s hit a home run every 20.5 at-bats.
Aranda says it hasn’t been any major adjustment, just a growing confidence that he could turn on pitches.
And now, his chance to prove it has finally arrived.
“This is my opportunity,” he said. “I’ve waited a long time for this.”
John Romano can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
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vs. Braves, 1:05 Friday, Port Charlotte TV: FanDuel Sports Sun
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Continue reading...
