Phillies invitee J.P. Arencibia looks to shake off anxiety, make a difference on the field

J.P. Arencibia chats with some old friends prior to the Phillies – Blue Jays game in Dunedin (Photo: Frank Klose/Philliedelphia)

CLEARWATER, Fla —  In Tuesday's Grapefruit League opener at Bright House Field, designated hitter and non-roster invitee J.P. Arencibia turned some heads.  A line drive home run to center field was the offensive highlight of a Phillies loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.  But the former first round pick and once a Blue Jays top prospect is by no means a lock to have a spot in the Major Leagues again.   After spending two years with the Texas Rangers and part of last season with the Tampa Bay Rays, Arencibia looks to impress.  He does so with a renewed vision.

Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer spoke to Arencibia, who revealed he battled anxiety and it affected his play:

Arencibia played four seasons in the majors before he was dropped to the minors in May 2014. His performance started to spiral because of the anxiety from the pressure Arencibia applied to himself. The demotion, he said, caused him to "strip down" his career.

He was trying to prove too much. Baseball was no longer fun.

"I was driving to the ballpark filled with anxiety to not fail," Arencibia said. "I was on deck many times where I hoped that the guy in front of me gets it done so I'm not the one that fails."

Many with anxiety have trouble holding down jobs and struggle to work at all.

It did not help that to many Blue Jays fans, Arencibia is representative of failure.   Arencibia was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 2009 draft.   By 2010, Baseball America rated Arencibia the Blue Jays' second-best prospect behind outfielder Travis Snyder.   The scouting report showed some great promise:

Arencibia is a rarity as a catcher who is often described as athletic and toolsy. He has excellent hitting fundamentals with easy plus power, and he doesn't have to fully square up on the ball to get it out of the park. He moves well behind the plate, has a plus arm, and enjoys working with pitchers and coaches to come up with a game plan.

However, the "bad" listed about Arencibia include a lack of plate discipline.  

As a starting catcher with the Blue Jays for the first time in 2011, Arencibia hit 23 home runs and drove in 78.   However, Arencibia batted just .219.  In 2012, Arencibia played 27 fewer games and hit .233 with 18 home runs and 56 runs batted in.   His last shot with the Blue Jays was 2013, where he regressed to hitting just .194, hitting 21 home runs along the way.   That was the end of Arencibia's Blue Jays career.   The Blue Jays traded for Erik Kratz and signed Dioner Navarro instead.

Blue Jays fans remember his failures at the plate.  That is why Arencibia was booed by fans in Dunedin on Wednesday as he stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.   Arencibia seemed happy to reconnect with some Blue Jays employees and fans, spending plenty of time chatting happily with them.   But, for Arencibia to get a shot with the Phillies big club, plenty has to happen beyond his own Spring Training play.   In fact, Arencibia probably will not do a whole lot of catching if everyone is healthy, even in the minor leagues.

Prospect Jorge Alfaro is likely to start the season at AA Reading.   Andrew Knapp and Gabriel Lino are likely to be the primary catchers at AAA Lehigh Valley.   So where would Arencibia fit into this situation?  It appears that he would serve as a designated hitter, first baseman and potential catching depth in case of injury.   Last year the Phillies did not have Kratz until July.   Kratz played some in September, giving the regulars some rest.

The Phillies got extremely lucky in 2015: neither Cameron Rupp nor Carlos Ruiz  were injured even once.   Having no catchers on the disabled list is an anomaly and the Phillies walked a pretty tight line last season not having a veteran-type at AAA who could fill in.   Heading into 2016, neither Knapp or Lino would likely be ready enough for the big leagues.  Arencibia could serve as the IronPigs' designated hitter,  catching once a week to stay fresh, and be ready for a call.

Should something an injury or other occur to either Darin Ruf or Ryan Howard, Arencibia could be brought up as a first baseman.  

We are only a couple games into Spring Training, but Arencibia has caught the eyes of some Phillies fans.  There may be no clear role for Arencibia on the Major League roster, but he could help them down the line.    While we wait for some of the young Phillies prospects to get their shot, Arencibia may be fun for Phillies fans to watch.