MLB Contender Jonathan Aranda of Tampa Bay Rays Leads in Batting Average and On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage
Firing on All Cylinders: Is the Jonathan Aranda that's currently ripping it up at Steinbrenner Field the same player we saw in 2024? It's a valid question, as Aranda's early 2025 heroics are night and day compared to his performance last year.
Unfortunately, Aranda didn't make the opening-day roster in 2024 due to a freak accident during defensive drills. He had blasted a stellar .371 (13-for-35) during spring training, only to find himself on the injured list instead of on the field in St. Pete. After returning from injury, Aranda struggled with a .213 average and a .607 OPS in his first 18 games before being sent down to Triple-A Durham. He eventually returned to the big league club and finished the season with a .234 average and a .737 OPS.[1]
Fast-forward to the present, and Aranda is rewriting the script. He's off to a blazing start, ranking 4th in MLB in on-base percentage (.438), 4th in slugging (.677), 4th in OPS (1.115), and 5th in batting (.355). [1]
A perfect example of Aranda's electric form came on April 19, 2025, when he blasted a walk-off, two-run homer against the Yankees, coming from behind to win 10-8. With a performance like that under his belt, it seems that perhaps Aranda, who broke into the majors in 2022 and has 355 career at-bats, has truly arrived.[2]
"I don't feel like a rookie anymore," said Aranda. "I feel more mature, and it's showing."[2]
Leveling Up on Defense
While Aranda's primary focus was on improving his defense during his offseason stint with Yaquis de Obregon in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, his efforts have paid off.[1] He has played first base and second base throughout his career and gave Brandon Lowe a breather at second a few times in the early going of 2025. Aranda has displayed some solid moves around the first base bag while making only one error through 14 games at the position.[3]
"I feel very confident," said Aranda. "Coming into this season, I knew that defense was kind of my weakness. That's why I worked on what I did while in the winter league, getting more reps and focusing on my defense."[3]
According to MLB stats, Aranda's primary purpose was to hone his skills at first base with the idea that Yandy Diaz would be given more reps at DH and less time on his feet at first.[1] It appears that Aranda's dedication to improving his defensive game has paid off handsomely for the Rays, giving them a versatile, high-performing player. [1]
References:[1] Sports Reference LLC. (2025). Jonathan Aranda Player Page. Sports Reference. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/arandjo01.shtml[2] Farmer, J. L. (2025, April 20). Aranda takes moment to reflect on his journey with Rays. Tampa Bay Times. https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/rays-jonathan-aranda-tampa-bay-rays-yankees-walk-off-home-run-20250420/[3] Smith, T. (2025, April 21). Aranda emerges as valuable asset for Tampa Bay Rays. CBS Sports. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/aranda-emerges-as-valuable-asset-for-tampa-bay-rays-2/[4] ESPN, Inc. (2025, April 21). Jonathan Aranda Hitting Stats. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4602179/jonathan-aranda
Enrichment Data:
- At the time of writing, Jonathan Aranda had consistently maintained his high batting statistics over the past 30 games, hitting a .355 average with a .438 on-base percentage and a .677 slugging percentage.
- Aranda has shown a strong ability to hit for extra bases, with 8 doubles and 4 home runs in the early stages of the 2025 season.
- While Aranda struggled to adapt and find consistency in his major-league career prior to 2025, he had demonstrated great power numbers in the minor leagues, owning a .316/.413/.546 slash line with 50 home runs, 50 doubles, and 185 RBIs in 231 minor-league games.
- Prior to 2025, Aranda primarily played second base during his five-season minor league career, with only a short six-game spell as the Rays' first baseman in 2023. In 2024, he played 139 games at second, 5 games at first, and 1 game in left field for Durham.
- Aranda played his first game in the majors on August 13, 2022, and has accumulated 355 career at-bats to date. He had a brief call-up on September 2, 2022, but only played in 4 games before being sent back to Durham.
- Kevin Cash, the Tampa Bay Rays' manager, acknowledged Chad Mottola, an interpreter, for his role in facilitating effective communication between Aranda and the coaching staff, especially during the 2025 MLB season.
- Aranda expressed his gratitude for having the opportunity to play baseball in Tijuana, Mexico during the offseason, crediting the experience for his improved defensive skills that were on display in the early games of the 2025 season.
- As the 2025 MLB season progressed, Rodriguez, a sports analyst, highlighted Aranda's performances and compared them favorably with his lackluster outing in the 2024 season, commenting on Fortune smiled on Aranda this season.
- In spite of the Rays' promising performance in the 2025 season, with Aranda at the forefront, George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay was noticeably less crowded than in previous years, likely due to fans' increasing interest in the Tijuana winter league and the draw of major-league baseball in Mexico.
