Jonathan Paul Arencibia had a decent career during his time in the show. In his six seasons in the Major Leagues, the Cuban-American catcher hit 80 home runs and drove in 245 runs.
The Miami native was the first rookie in Toronto Blue Jays history to shoot four hits in a game when he did so in his first professional game of the 2010 season against the Tampa Bay Rays. In that game he also deposited two balls in the stands and drove in four runs.
JP then he had several years below average and when he was having some of his best seasons in the batter’s box he decided to retire, something that the Miami slugger ex,plained to us during the following interview.
Ex-big league catcher @jparencibia9 talks to me about his baseball career, his lineage and broadcasting, plus he speaks about a topic that has been very ignored in this country for decades, mental health. #pelotacubana #MakeItMiami pic.twitter.com/YVUY8SXUY2
— Yusseff305 🇨🇺🇺🇲 (@yusseff305) May 6, 2022
JP you had a decent career in the majors. What was the biggest moment? In your opinion?
I think my debut was a historic debut. On the first pitch I ever saw in the major leagues for a home run, I hit another home run that game and had four hits. It was the best debut for a rookie in Toronto history, hitting two home runs, a double and a single and driving in four, but after that it was all downhill. So he shouldn’t have set the bar so high.
What was the hardest pitcher to hit for you?
Justin Verlander and Felix Hernandez. They were both the toughest guys I’ve ever faced. They were never easy. Always good pitchers, always tough. And if they missed and you missed, you’re in trouble.
You were interviewed once and asked and tell us something about yourself that you don’t know that we don’t know. And you said you were Cuban. Why did you say that?
Because that’s what I am. I am Cuban, I am proud of my family and my family roots. And a lot of people see me as a white boy, but they don’t know it. Oh, and like I said, my parents were born there. And that’s where my blood is from.
The 2016 season was your last year in the Majors but it was one of your best years at the plate. Why did you retire after that year?
I was mentally finished, had dealt with some mental issues. And I just wanted to get away from the game and see what other things I can do in life because the game hit me for a long time. And like I said, I’m a big guy who talks about his mental health. Fight. And that’s really what led me to not wanting to play anymore.
What are you doing today?
Well, I do TV and radio for the Marlins. So this is my first year on the main stream. I’ve been doing radio for a couple of years. And that’s more or less it. I make my living talking about baseball and I just tried to teach the game that I love.
Do you have any advice for someone struggling with mental health issues?
Get help. I think as boys and as men, we try to handle everything on our own. But everyone struggles with problems and once you start talking about them you realize you’re not alone, that’s what really helps.