About J.P. Arencibia

Jonathan Paul Arencibia (born January 5, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He is serving as the bench coach for the Syracuse Mets. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, and Tampa Bay Rays from 2010 through 2015.

Amateur career
Arencibia attended Westminster Christian School in Miami. He played football and basketball in high school, but excelled in baseball. He later played for the Under-18 Florida Bombers alongside future major leaguers Mat Latos, Gaby Sánchez, Yonder Alonso, and Jon Jay.

Arencibia attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and played college baseball for the Tennessee Volunteers. He won the USA Baseball Richard W. "Dick" Case Player of the Year Award in 2006. Prior to the 2007 draft, questions were raised about Arencibia's defensive abilities as a catcher. After drafting him, however, the Blue Jays decided to keep him as a catcher, rather than convert him to another position such as first base. Arencibia's teammates at Tennessee included Chase Headley, Luke Hochevar, and Julio Borbon. In the summer of 2006, Arencibia played baseball in Cuba with David Price, and was drafted 20 positions behind Price in 2007.