Toronto Blue Jays Prospects: Is It Time to Call Up Travis D'Arnaud?

Coming into the 2012 baseball season, there wasn't a team around that was in as enviable a situation as the Toronto Blue Jays.

Everyone knew that the Jays had one of the top farm systems in all of baseball.

What some didn't know is that the Jays aren't just deep, they're deep at the most premium positions on the field (pitchers and catchers).

With a young, talented, power-hitting catcher already at the major league level in J.P. Arencibia, one of the top catching prospects around the league at Triple-A in Travis D'Arnaud and other promising young catchers Yan Gomes, A.J. Jimenez and Carlos Perez, Toronto should have an incredible "problem" on their hands for the next few years.

Right now, though, the stellar play of D'Arnaud with the Las Vegas 51s has some Jays fans wondering if his time has come.

In his first 60 games of the season, D'Arnaud has posted an average of .335, and has 15 home runs and 48 RBI in just 251 at-bats.

With an OPS of nearly 1.000 for the year, the time has come to ask if there is much more for D'Arnaud to learn at the minor-league level.

While there is no debating Arencibia's talent, D'Arnaud has always projected to be a step ahead of him, and has been nothing short of spectacular with the 51s.

Despite his troubles throwing runners out (just 26 percent at Triple-A, while Arencibia has thrown at 32 percent at the major-league level with the Jays), D'Arnaud has done everything necessary, and more, to earn his shot with Toronto.

At 23, he'd only be a year younger than Arencibia was when he made his debut in Toronto, and his numbers have surpassed the numbers Arencibia put up at the age of 24.

With the Jays having just lost three starters to the disabled list and D'Arnaud continuing to dominate the minor leagues, now is as good a time as any to bring up one of the best prospects in the baseball world.

It should also be said that this does not, in any way, mean that I am pro-D'Arnaud and don't like Arencibia.

Blue Jays fans seem to have developed a mentality that it is either Arencibia or D'Arnaud.

There is no reason to believe that they can't both be contributors in Toronto.

Arencibia could easily move up to first base, filling a major roster void, and providing some power from a position that the Jays haven't seen much out of this season.

Being shifted from the catcher's role also means that Arencibia would also have much more time to focus on the offensive side of his game, which could lead to a jump in the 26-year-old's average as well.

Giving D'Arnaud a shot to prove himself on baseball's biggest stage could not only do wonders for his career, but could also help the Blue Jays become a more complete team now, and in the future.

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