It's the All-Star Break, and between now and the end of the month the Jays should be looking to obtain value on the trade market by moving certain players. John Buck is one of those players. But regardless of whether or not AA can find a deal that gives the Jays better value than they can reasonably expect from the draft pick compensation Buck may bring, I think J.P. Arencibia should be brought up as soon as possible.
Look, it's clear that from an offensive standpoint JPA doesn't have anything left to learn in the minors. I'm sure you know the stats already, but I'll highlight a few just to drive the point home: 25 homers, 26 doubles, a 1.030 OPS. He's even hitting better away from the friendly confines of Las Vegas.
Service time should not be an issue here. If the Jays want to delay Arencibia's free agency by a year, they would have to wait until a couple months into next season, and that is just way too long when he's ready now.
Defense should also not be an issue. Teams often cite defensive development as a reason for holding prospects back, but the Jays' recent slide has all but dashed their playoff hopes. They are not in a pennant race, so if JPA is going to struggle defensively, there's no reason not to do it at the major league level. Plus, various reports I've seen this year have his defense at various levels, none of which are "terrible"... usually somewhere between average and slightly below. Apologies for the lack of a citation - perhaps Marc or Gerry can weigh in.
Of course, the most important reason to promote Arencibia (since the above justifications are more "why not" than "why") is for his own development. JPA doesn't come without his weaknesses; notably, his K/BB ratio has never been great, and at the moment his defense is probably average at best. Nothing is so bad that he needs more minor league seasoning, though, so the combination of his readiness with the Jays' position in the standings make this the right time for a promotion. The sooner he's promoted, the sooner he'll start learning on the steepest curve that exists, and the farther along he'll be when the time comes for this team to compete. And if John Buck doesn't get moved, well, I don't really care, because John Buck is not part of the future, and JPA should be getting most of the at bats from here on in.
FREE ARENCIBIA!
P.S. Anyone watch the home run derby?
Look, it's clear that from an offensive standpoint JPA doesn't have anything left to learn in the minors. I'm sure you know the stats already, but I'll highlight a few just to drive the point home: 25 homers, 26 doubles, a 1.030 OPS. He's even hitting better away from the friendly confines of Las Vegas.
Service time should not be an issue here. If the Jays want to delay Arencibia's free agency by a year, they would have to wait until a couple months into next season, and that is just way too long when he's ready now.
Defense should also not be an issue. Teams often cite defensive development as a reason for holding prospects back, but the Jays' recent slide has all but dashed their playoff hopes. They are not in a pennant race, so if JPA is going to struggle defensively, there's no reason not to do it at the major league level. Plus, various reports I've seen this year have his defense at various levels, none of which are "terrible"... usually somewhere between average and slightly below. Apologies for the lack of a citation - perhaps Marc or Gerry can weigh in.
Of course, the most important reason to promote Arencibia (since the above justifications are more "why not" than "why") is for his own development. JPA doesn't come without his weaknesses; notably, his K/BB ratio has never been great, and at the moment his defense is probably average at best. Nothing is so bad that he needs more minor league seasoning, though, so the combination of his readiness with the Jays' position in the standings make this the right time for a promotion. The sooner he's promoted, the sooner he'll start learning on the steepest curve that exists, and the farther along he'll be when the time comes for this team to compete. And if John Buck doesn't get moved, well, I don't really care, because John Buck is not part of the future, and JPA should be getting most of the at bats from here on in.
FREE ARENCIBIA!
P.S. Anyone watch the home run derby?
