Travis D' Arnaud
Encyclopedia
Travis d'Arnaud is an American professional baseball
catcher
in the Toronto Blue Jays
organization. He was acquired in 2010 as part of the deal which sent pitching ace Roy Halladay
to the Philadelphia Phillies
. Travis' older brother Chase
is a shortstop
in the Pittsburgh Pirates
organization.
. A fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers
growing up, his favorite player was Mike Piazza
. His competitive older brother Chase
, who grew up as an Angels
fan, is also a professional baseball player, currently in the Pittsburgh Pirates
organization.
After graduating from high school d'Arnaud was committed to playing for the Pepperdine Waves
of Pepperdine University
. In the 2007 first year player draft, d'Arnaud was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the supplemental first round with the 37th overall pick. He chose to void his college commitment and signed a minor league contract for $832,500.
, at the age of 18, with the Philadelphia Phillies'
Rookie League affiliate, the Gulf Coast League Phillies. He played 41 games in the GCL
and put together a .241 batting average
and a .626 OPS
.
d'Arnaud moved up the ladder, beginning the 2008
season with the Phillies' Class-A Short Season
affiliate, the Williamsport Crosscutters
of the New York-Penn League. He played 48 games in the NYPL, hitting .309 with an OPS of .833 and was selected for the mid-season All-Star game. From there he was promoted to Class-A Lakewood where he played 16 games for the BlueClaws
.
Travis stayed with the BlueClaws to start the 2009
season where he remained all year, playing in 126 games. His overall numbers plummeted, as he hit .255 with an OPS of .738, though he saw his first spike in power, hitting 13 home runs
. d'Arnaud was once again selected for the All-Star game, this time in the South Atlantic League
, playing for the Northern Division alongside five other BlueClaws. d'Arnaud and the BlueClaws went on to win the 2009 South Atlantic League championship.
To begin 2010
, d'Arnaud saw yet another promotion, this time with a new team. After the 2009 season concluded, d'Arnaud was sent from the Phillies to the Toronto Blue Jays
organization as part of a massive trade that saw ten players change uniforms. The Phillies received the centerpiece of the trade, Roy Halladay
, along with $6,000,000 from the Blue Jays. Toronto received d'Arnaud, Kyle Drabek
and Michael Taylor
who they later flipped to the Oakland Athletics
for Brett Wallace
. Wallace was then traded to the Houston Astros for center-field
prospect Anthony Gose.
d'Arnaud played the entire 2010 season in Dunedin
, with the Blue Jays High-A affiliate in the Florida State League
. Despite suffering from back problems and playing in a higher league, d'Arnaud put up comparable numbers to his 2009 campaign, hitting .259, an OPS of .726 and 6 home runs in 71 games. d'Arnaud made many achievements in his first year as a Blue Jay. He was named FSL Player of the Week for the week of April 19, was selected to participate in the midsummer Home Run Derby
and he played in both the Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star games.
2011
saw d'Arnaud's greatest season thus far. Met with yet another promotion, he played the entire 2011 season in the Eastern League
, with the Blue Jays Double-A affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats
. Over his first three seasons in the minors, d'Arnaud had steadily improved his defense, but 2011 was the year in which he made vast improvements to all aspects of his offensive ability. He finished the season with a .311 batting average and an OBP of .371 in 114 games. He saw another great spike in power, hitting 21 home runs with a slugging percentage of .542 and 33 doubles
. He also saw his most decorated season to date, despite having racked up a hefty sum of achievements the previous year in the Florida State League.
On July 13, d'Arnaud was named to the Eastern League's Mid-Season All-Star team. He also made the post-season team on August 25, going to his sixth All-Star game in total. The following day, on August 26, d'Arnaud was named the EL's Most Valuable Player
.
On September 16, the Toronto Blue Jays named Travis d'Arnaud as one of the recipients of the R. Howard Webster award, an award given to the best player at each level of the Blue Jays minor league farm system. The next day, d'Arnaud went on to win his second minor league championship ring, as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats defeated the Reading Phillies
3 games to 1 in the semi-finals and then defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels
3 games to 1 in the final series of the Eastern League championship.
Baseball America
, a popular magazine that covers baseball extensively at every level and well-renowned for rating and observing baseball prospects, named Travis d'Arnaud as the Best Defensive Catcher in the Eastern League for the 2011 season. They also named him the #2 prospect in the EL, behind highly-touted outfield
prospect Bryce Harper
and in front of fellow teammate Anthony Gose. d'Arnaud was also named the starting catcher for the Double-A level in Baseball America's honorary "classifications" All-Star team.
On September 15, USA Baseball announced that Travis d'Arnaud was one of two catchers (the other being Tuffy Gosewich of the Philadelphia Phillies organization) that had been selected for its 25-man roster to play in the IBAF's
2011 Baseball World Cup
. d'Arnaud was the only Blue Jay on the team, though two other prospects in the Jays organization participated in the competition, as Michael Crouse and Marcus Knecht were selected to play for the Canadian team.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
in the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
organization. He was acquired in 2010 as part of the deal which sent pitching ace Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Travis' older brother Chase
Chase d'Arnaud
Chase Jonathan d'Arnaud is an American professional baseball infielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.D'Arnaud was called up to the majors for the first time on June 24, 2011...
is a shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
in the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
organization.
Personal Life
Travis d'Arnaud was born and raised in Lakewood, California, where he attended Lakewood HighLakewood High School (California)
Lakewood High School is a public secondary school located in the Southern California city of Lakewood. Founded in 1957, it is part of the Long Beach Unified School District...
. A fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
growing up, his favorite player was Mike Piazza
Mike Piazza
Michael Joseph "Mike" Piazza ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. He played in his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics....
. His competitive older brother Chase
Chase d'Arnaud
Chase Jonathan d'Arnaud is an American professional baseball infielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.D'Arnaud was called up to the majors for the first time on June 24, 2011...
, who grew up as an Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
fan, is also a professional baseball player, currently in the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
organization.
After graduating from high school d'Arnaud was committed to playing for the Pepperdine Waves
Pepperdine Waves
Pepperdine Waves is the name given to the sports teams of the Pepperdine University.-See also:* Pepperdine Waves alumni* 2011-12 Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team...
of Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
. In the 2007 first year player draft, d'Arnaud was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the supplemental first round with the 37th overall pick. He chose to void his college commitment and signed a minor league contract for $832,500.
Early Career
Travis d'Arnaud started his professional career in 20072007 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champion – [Boston Red Sox]*Postseason – October 2 to October 28Click on any series score to link to that series' page....
, at the age of 18, with the Philadelphia Phillies'
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
Rookie League affiliate, the Gulf Coast League Phillies. He played 41 games in the GCL
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...
and put together a .241 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and a .626 OPS
On-base plus slugging
On-base plus slugging is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player to both get on base and to hit for power, two important hitting skills, are represented. An OPS of .900 or higher in Major League...
.
d'Arnaud moved up the ladder, beginning the 2008
2008 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:* Regular Season Champions* World Series Champions – Philadelphia Phillies** American League Champions – Tampa Bay Rays** National League Champions – Philadelphia Phillies* Postseason – October 1 to October 29...
season with the Phillies' Class-A Short Season
Short season
Short season refers to a form of class A minor league baseball in which only about 75 games are played each season, as opposed to the typical 140 games for an affiliated minor league team at a higher level...
affiliate, the Williamsport Crosscutters
Williamsport Crosscutters
The Williamsport Crosscutters are a Short-Season A classification minor league baseball team based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
of the New York-Penn League. He played 48 games in the NYPL, hitting .309 with an OPS of .833 and was selected for the mid-season All-Star game. From there he was promoted to Class-A Lakewood where he played 16 games for the BlueClaws
Lakewood BlueClaws
The Lakewood BlueClaws are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the South Atlantic League, a Class Single-A baseball league. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Park located in Lakewood Township, New Jersey...
.
Travis stayed with the BlueClaws to start the 2009
2009 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champions – New York Yankees**American League Champions – New York Yankees**National League Champions – Philadelphia Phillies*Postseason – October 7 to November 4...
season where he remained all year, playing in 126 games. His overall numbers plummeted, as he hit .255 with an OPS of .738, though he saw his first spike in power, hitting 13 home runs
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
. d'Arnaud was once again selected for the All-Star game, this time in the South Atlantic League
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
, playing for the Northern Division alongside five other BlueClaws. d'Arnaud and the BlueClaws went on to win the 2009 South Atlantic League championship.
To begin 2010
2010 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*Regular Season Champions*World Series Champions - San Francisco Giants**American League Champions - Texas Rangers**National League Champions - San Francisco Giants*Postseason - October 7 to November 4...
, d'Arnaud saw yet another promotion, this time with a new team. After the 2009 season concluded, d'Arnaud was sent from the Phillies to the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
organization as part of a massive trade that saw ten players change uniforms. The Phillies received the centerpiece of the trade, Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay
Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III , nicknamed "Doc", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies...
, along with $6,000,000 from the Blue Jays. Toronto received d'Arnaud, Kyle Drabek
Kyle Drabek
Kyle Jordan Drabek is an American Major League Baseball pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his first major league start on September 15, 2010 against the Baltimore Orioles....
and Michael Taylor
Michael Taylor (baseball)
Michael D. Taylor is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Oakland Athletics.-Baseball career:...
who they later flipped to the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
for Brett Wallace
Brett Wallace
Brett Alexander Wallace is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball.-High school:...
. Wallace was then traded to the Houston Astros for center-field
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
prospect Anthony Gose.
d'Arnaud played the entire 2010 season in Dunedin
Dunedin Blue Jays
The Dunedin Blue Jays are a minor league baseball team based in Dunedin, Florida. They play in the Florida State League, and are the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club...
, with the Blue Jays High-A affiliate in the Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
. Despite suffering from back problems and playing in a higher league, d'Arnaud put up comparable numbers to his 2009 campaign, hitting .259, an OPS of .726 and 6 home runs in 71 games. d'Arnaud made many achievements in his first year as a Blue Jay. He was named FSL Player of the Week for the week of April 19, was selected to participate in the midsummer Home Run Derby
Home Run Derby
The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...
and he played in both the Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star games.
2011
2011 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:December*December 5: Last time to outright a player prior to the Rule 5 Draft – 5 p.m. ET.*December 7: Last date for player who declared free agency to accept an arbitration offer from former club...
saw d'Arnaud's greatest season thus far. Met with yet another promotion, he played the entire 2011 season in the Eastern League
Eastern League
Eastern League may refer to:*Eastern League , a professional baseball minor league in the United States*International League, a baseball minor league known as the Eastern League from 1884 to 1912...
, with the Blue Jays Double-A affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a minor league baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major-league club....
. Over his first three seasons in the minors, d'Arnaud had steadily improved his defense, but 2011 was the year in which he made vast improvements to all aspects of his offensive ability. He finished the season with a .311 batting average and an OBP of .371 in 114 games. He saw another great spike in power, hitting 21 home runs with a slugging percentage of .542 and 33 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. He also saw his most decorated season to date, despite having racked up a hefty sum of achievements the previous year in the Florida State League.
On July 13, d'Arnaud was named to the Eastern League's Mid-Season All-Star team. He also made the post-season team on August 25, going to his sixth All-Star game in total. The following day, on August 26, d'Arnaud was named the EL's Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
.
On September 16, the Toronto Blue Jays named Travis d'Arnaud as one of the recipients of the R. Howard Webster award, an award given to the best player at each level of the Blue Jays minor league farm system. The next day, d'Arnaud went on to win his second minor league championship ring, as the New Hampshire Fisher Cats defeated the Reading Phillies
Reading Phillies
The Reading Phillies are a minor league baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League. Since the 1967 season, they have been the AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies....
3 games to 1 in the semi-finals and then defeated the Richmond Flying Squirrels
Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a minor league baseball team in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond...
3 games to 1 in the final series of the Eastern League championship.
Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
, a popular magazine that covers baseball extensively at every level and well-renowned for rating and observing baseball prospects, named Travis d'Arnaud as the Best Defensive Catcher in the Eastern League for the 2011 season. They also named him the #2 prospect in the EL, behind highly-touted outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
prospect Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper
Bryce Aron Max Harper is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Washington Nationals organization. Harper was selected by the Nationals with the first overall pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft...
and in front of fellow teammate Anthony Gose. d'Arnaud was also named the starting catcher for the Double-A level in Baseball America's honorary "classifications" All-Star team.
On September 15, USA Baseball announced that Travis d'Arnaud was one of two catchers (the other being Tuffy Gosewich of the Philadelphia Phillies organization) that had been selected for its 25-man roster to play in the IBAF's
International Baseball Federation
The International Baseball Federation is the worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as overseeing, deciding and executing the policy of the bat-and-ball sport of baseball at the international level...
2011 Baseball World Cup
2011 Baseball World Cup
The 2011 Baseball World Cup was an international baseball tournament held from October 1 to October 15, 2011. It was the 39th Baseball World Cup. The International Baseball Federation selected Panama to host the tournament, turning down bids from Chinese Taipei and Venezuela...
. d'Arnaud was the only Blue Jay on the team, though two other prospects in the Jays organization participated in the competition, as Michael Crouse and Marcus Knecht were selected to play for the Canadian team.
Minor League Accomplishments
- 2011 Team USA - Baseball World Cup2011 Baseball World CupThe 2011 Baseball World Cup was an international baseball tournament held from October 1 to October 15, 2011. It was the 39th Baseball World Cup. The International Baseball Federation selected Panama to host the tournament, turning down bids from Chinese Taipei and Venezuela...
- 2011 Baseball AmericaBaseball AmericaBaseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
Classification All-Star - 2011 Baseball AmericaBaseball AmericaBaseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
#2 Prospect - Eastern League - 2011 Baseball AmericaBaseball AmericaBaseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
Best Defensive Catcher - Eastern League - 2011 R. Howard Webster Award
- 2011 Eastern League Champion
- 2011 Eastern League MVP
- 2011 Eastern League All-Star
- 2011 Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star
- 2010 Florida State LeagueFlorida State LeagueThe Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
All-Star - 2010 Florida State LeagueFlorida State LeagueThe Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
Mid-Season All-Star - 2010 Florida State LeagueFlorida State LeagueThe Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
Home Run Derby Participant - 2010 Florida State LeagueFlorida State LeagueThe Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
Player of the Week (4/19) - 2009 South Atlantic League Champion
- 2009 South Atlantic LeagueSouth Atlantic LeagueThe South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
Mid-Season All-Star - 2008 New York-Penn League Mid-Season All-Star