The New York Mets have just made a bold move, promoting former Toronto Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia to their big-league staff as the team’s new catching coach. Alongside him, Dan McKinney and Gilbert Gomez were also elevated from the minors to major-league roles.
Arencibia, 39, is the biggest name of the group. A former first-round pick by Toronto in 2004 (#21 overall), he quickly rose to become the franchise’s top prospect and even earned a #43 spot on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list before 2009.
He made a splashy MLB debut on August 7, 2010, going 4-for-5 with two homers and a double, immediately making fans believe the Blue Jays had found their catcher of the future. But his success at the plate was fleeting. Across four seasons with Toronto, Arencibia hit .212/.258/.408 in 380 games.
In December 2013, after a season batting .194 with 21 home runs and 55 RBIs, the Blue Jays non-tendered him following the signing of Dioner Navarro. Arencibia spent subsequent years with Texas and Tampa Bay before officially retiring from professional baseball in 2017.
After retirement, he explored media work, including a podcast with Yahoo! Sports Canada and pre/postgame analyst duties for Marlins broadcasts on Fox Sports Florida. In 2023, he returned to baseball as a Triple-A bench coach for the Syracuse Mets. After three seasons in the minors, the Mets promoted him to catching coach in the majors.
Arencibia’s journey—from a celebrated rookie to media personality and now major-league coach—proves that even if playing success doesn’t last, baseball careers can take unexpected and rewarding turns.
