Latest news with #Aranda
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Best friends, All-Stars for life: Alejandro Kirk, Jonathan Aranda put on for Mexico
ATLANTA – In the lifelong friendship between Jonathan Aranda and Alejandro Kirk, it is Aranda who's theoretically the big brother. Born on May 23, 1998, Aranda came into this world nearly six months before Kirk followed. And they've been besties since Aranda, he says, 'knew how to speak,' while growing up in Tijuana. Yet in the winding path from the hardball fields of Mexico to Major League Baseball, it was Kirk who arrived first in the big leagues, Kirk who stuck as a regular, won a Silver Slugger, made the All-Star team. So it was no small thing when Kirk and Alejandro reported to Truist Park as teammates, two dreamers who all at once could claim the same honor: American League All-Star. They are putting on for their ballclubs, their families and perhaps most notably for Mexico, a land that gets overlooked when the Dominican Republic and Venezuela are so prolific at sending their sons onward to the big leagues. In this Midsummer Classic, though, there are four Mexican natives on the rosters: Aranda and Kirk, along with injured Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes and Seattle Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz. Additionally, Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena earned Mexican citizenship in 2022, seven years after defecting from Cuba. It is no small thing, says Kirk. 'Mucho. Mucho para el pais, para Mexico,' he says, confirming how important it is for the country. And yet no two connections in this game come close to Kirk and Aranda, whose families have converged on Atlanta for the game. 'I'm very happy to be here with him, my family, his family,' says Kirk via Blue Jays translator Hector Lebron. 'The year he's having right now is very special. I'm very happy for him.' It's a nice bit of timing that both are peaking for clubs in the throes of the American League East race. Kirk, a catcher, was an All-Star in 2022, when he batted .285 with a .372 OBP and was worth 4.0 WAR, yet tailed off the next two seasons. In the meantime, Aranda failed in his first three bids to stick with Tampa Bay, never playing in more than 34 games before this season. Yet at 27, it has all clicked. Aranda has posted a .324/.399/.492 line, his .892 OPS good for a 151 adjusted OPS. He has 31 extra-base hits. Despite his modest 11 home runs, he's the best-performing first baseman in the AL. And it's even better joining a pal in the festivities. 'It means a lot. He's my best friend since I was a kid,' says Aranda through Rays translator Eddie Rodriguez. 'It is something really amazing to share the diamond and playing with him here. 'He was a great example. I know and I saw from up close, his path to make it to the major leagues.' Aranda's journey has similarly inspired the Rays, whose plug-and-play ethos sometimes doesn't breed everyday players but rather platoon-oriented parts to a bigger machine. But Aranda has seized his role, his 358 plate appearances trailing only fellow All-Star Junior Caminero and veteran DH Yandy Diaz. His 2.9 WAR leads a team now 50-47 and 1 ½ games out of a wild card berth. 'It's all the recognition that he deserves. He's finally up there on the national stage for what he's able to do,' says Rays All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe. 'As consistent as he's been all year, it's fantastic to really kind of show him off a bit – this is our guy.' And for the more veteran Rays, Aranda's capabilities were probably more evident than the guy trying to stick for good. 'Just the confidence in himself, man,' says Lowe. 'We all knew what he had; we've all seen it before. The big leagues is harder than the minors, believe it or not. It just took him a little bit to get going. 'The biggest thing is him understanding and not faltering and stuck to who he was.' He'll reap the benefits this week. Aranda will be joined in Atlanta by his parents, sisters, brother, brother-in-law and nieces. And above all, will represent his country. Aranda says it will be something 'really good and amazing' to know he and Kirk's exploits will be beamed back home for a new generation. His buddy agrees. 'First of all, you've got to be proud,' says Kirk. 'Proud to represent my country, Mexico, and a bunch of Mexican players in the All-Star Game. 'We should all be proud of that.' The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jonathan Aranda Player Props: July 11, Rays vs. Red Sox
Jonathan Aranda's Tampa Bay Rays play the Boston Red Sox on July 11 at 7:10 p.m. ET, and will see starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins on the mound. Aranda recorded one hit in his most recent game, going 1-for-4. Find odds, stats, and more below to make your Jonathan Aranda player prop bets. Aranda leads the Rays with a team-best batting average of .326. He has 11 home runs and 49 RBI. Aranda has safely hit in six games in a row. In his last outings he is batting .333 with three doubles, a home run, two walks and five RBIs. Watch tonight's Rays game on Fubo! Jonathan Aranda Prop Bets and Odds How to Watch Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox Jonathan Aranda prop bet insights MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Friday at 6:27 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Jonathan Aranda stats against the Red Sox Red Sox starter: Hunter Dobbins
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jonathan Aranda should be starting the All Star Game
I know this is 'old man yelling at clouds,' but it still annoys me that the honor of starting an All Star Game often goes to less deserving players because they have name recognition or play for big market teams. Case in point: Jonathan Aranda. Advertisement If this were based on merit, he'd be the American League's starting first baseman. He's had a standout first half across many baseball metrics. Quality of contact Aranda's been great, and it's not just luck. All his expected numbers indicate he has earned this success. The Mexican-born player has hit .320/.398/.481; his expected slash line stands at .307 AVG, .537 SLG, and he ranks in the 94th percentile in xOBP. This means you can take out factors such as luck and unforced errors from his success. The difference between his xSLG and SLG is -0.064, which ranks 50th in the majors (minimum 200 PA). On top of that, he is hitting the balls as hard as anybody in the league with an average exit velocity of 93.2 MPH, good for the 94th percentile, ahead of names like Fernando Tatis Jr, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Corbin Carrol, and Cal Raleigh. Advertisement Consistency, consistency, consistency... One of Aranda's biggest assets is that he's a player you can pencil into the lineup every day because he does a great job against righties and lefties. Against righties, Aranda is hitting .323/.397/.518 with a 159 wRC+. Meanwhile, against left-handed pitching, Aranda is .308/.400/.354 slugging with a 124 wRC+. This consistency helps the team get a certain amount of versatility against righties and lefties. For a long time, the Rays have lacked left-handed batters who can hit left-handed pitchers, and it seems they have finally found one. Also, another measure of consistency is that every single month, he has a wRC+ over 153 (besides July, in which he has less than 20 PA) and an SLG over .480. This consistency has helped Aranda cement himself in the 4th spot in the Rays lineup. Areas of improvement. As good as Aranda has been, there is still a tiny hole in his swing that is being exposed by opposing pitchers. Aranda is struggling against pitches in the upper third of the zone. His strikeout rate is over 39% when pitched in the upper third of the zone. On the other hand, 34% of his total WHIFFS comes when he swings the upper third of the zone. Advertisement In the following chart, we can get a deeper look at Aranda's struggles in the upper part of the zone. The most impressive part is that he is still generating consistent hard contact when he gets pitches at the top of the zone. The xwOBA is not as attractive as in other zones; however, we can see that there is a clear WHIFF and strikeout problem. When Aranda fixes his problems at the top of the zone, he could turn out to be one of the most complete hitters in the game. Jonathan Aranda's journey is an incredible story. After a couple of seasons of hovering between a role player and Triple-A, he has finally put it all together in 2025. Hopefully, he can replicate his success in the second half of the season because if he continues playing at this level, he has the potential to be a long-term cornerstone for the franchise. Advertisement More from
San Francisco Chronicle
25-06-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Jansen has HR and 3 RBIs, Bradley pitches 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Rays beat Royals 5-1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Danny Jansen hit a two-run home run and finished with three RBIs, Taj Bradley pitched two-hit ball for 6 2/3 scoreless innings and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Tuesday night. Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda had three hits apiece for the Rays. José Caballero hit a two-out single in the second inning, and two pitches later Jansen followed with a homer that gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead. Aranda led off the fourth with a single, advanced to third on throwing error when Jake Mangum reached on a fielder's choice, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jansen to make it 3-0. Díaz and Curtis Mead hit back-to-back singles and Díaz scored when Aranda, with two out in the fifth, reached on a throwing error by starter Kris Bubic (6-5). Junior Camerino doubled and later scored on a ground ball by Mangum in the seventh. Kansas City's Maikel Garcia hit a two-out double and scored on a single by Vinnie Pasquantino to cap the scoring in the ninth. Tampa Bay, in second place in the AL East behind the New York Yankees, has won three in a row and eight of 10. Key moment Bradley (5-5) didn't allow a base runner until John Rave drew a one-out walk in the sixth. After Kyle Isbel flied out, Jonathan India hit a ground rule double to break up the no-hit bid before Bradley got Bobby Witt Jr. to line out and end the threat. Key stat The Royals have lost eight straight and 12 of their last 15 at Kaufmann Stadium after starting the season 16-5 at home. ___
Fox Sports
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Jansen has HR and 3 RBIs, Bradley pitches 6 2/3 scoreless innings as the Rays beat Royals 5-1
Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Danny Jansen hit a two-run home run and finished with three RBIs, Taj Bradley pitched two-hit ball for 6 2/3 scoreless innings and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 5-1 on Tuesday night. Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda had three hits apiece for the Rays. Jose Caballero hit a two-out single in the second inning, and two pitches later Jansen followed with a homer that gave Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead. Aranda led off the fourth with a single, advanced to third on throwing error when Jake Mangum reached on a fielder's choice, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jansen to make it 3-0. Díaz and Curtis Mead hit back-to-back singles and Díaz scored when Aranda, with two out in the fifth, reached on a throwing error by starter Kris Bubic (6-5). Junior Camerino doubled and later scored on a ground ball by Mangum in the seventh. Kansas City's Maikel Garcia hit a two-out double and scored on a single by Vinnie Pasquantino to cap the scoring in the ninth. Tampa Bay, in second place in the AL East behind the New York Yankees, has won three in a row and eight of 10. Key moment Bradley (5-5) didn't allow a base runner until John Rave drew a one-out walk in the sixth. After Kyle Isbel flied out, Jonathan India hit a ground rule double to break up the no-hit bid before Bradley got Bobby Witt Jr. to line out and end the threat. Key stat The Royals have lost eight straight and 12 of their last 15 at Kaufmann Stadium after starting the season 16-5 at home. Up next The series continues Wednesday when Tampa Bay's Drew Rasmussen (6-5, 2.61 ERA) takes on Michael Wacha (4-6, 3.24). ___ AP MLB: recommended
