Armando Araiza

Jesús Armando Araiza Romero

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 205 lb.

• Born June 19, 1993 in Magdalena de Kino, Sonora Mexico

BR register page

Biographical Information

Armando Araiza has played in AAA and for the Mexican national team.

Araiza was signed by Tampa Bay Rays scouts Carlos Alfonso and Eddie Diaz in 2010. He hit .230/.376/.336 with 36 walks in 50 games for the DSL Rays that summer, splitting time between catcher and first base. He was 2 for 4 with a walk for the Yaquis de Obregón in his Mexican Pacific League debut. He improved to .256/.371/.420 with the '11 DSL Rays, with a team-high six homers, while also throwing out an impressive 54% of those who tried to steal. His second brief glimpse with the Yaquis was not as good - 1 for 10, 7 K.

In 2012, he came stateside with the GCL Rays and produced at a .284/.347/.349 clip as their main catcher with 35% thrown out stealing. He hit .277/.361/.322 for the '13 Princeton Rays and caught 37% of base-thieves. He led Appalachian League backstops with 344 putouts and 46 assists. He hit .152/.200/.152 for the 2013-2014 Obregón club, backing up Said Gutierrez and Iker Franco.

The Sonora native hit only .214/.292/.316 for the 2014 Bowling Green Hot Rods but gunned down 58% on the bases. Baseball America rated him as the best defensive catcher in the Midwest League. He hit .270/.270/.432 that winter, mostly as a defensive sub for Gutierrez. With the '15 Charlotte Stone Crabs, he batted .203/.259/.275 and threw out 45%. He led Florida State League catchers in assists (94) and double plays (9, tied with Chris Hoo). In the winter, he was at .235/.328/.431 and 43% CS, backing up Franco and ahead of Gutierrez on the depth chart.

Araiza split the summer of 2016 between Charlotte (.288/.364/.424 in 18 G), the Montgomery Biscuits (.296/.406/.370 in 9 G) and the the Tigres de Quintana Roo (3 for 18, 4 BB). In the winter, he had his best caught stealing rate yet at an amazing 64% while hitting .127/.209/.206. The Atlanta Braves signed him for 2017 and he hit .143/.167/.286 in 11 games for the Mississippi Braves. He was then dealt to the Baltimore Orioles for cash. He split the rest of the year between the Frederick Keys (.238/.316/.396 in 71 G, 42% CS), Bowie Baysox (4 for 15, 2B, 3 BB) and Norfolk Tides (6 for 17, 2 2B, BB). In winter ball, he was at .244/.333/.333 in 17 games.

He was with Bowie (.127/.200/.200 in 22 G) and Norfolk (.139/.200/278 in 13 G). With the Yaquis, he hit .130/.200/.209, his arm (52% CS) keeping him in regular action as he started ahead of Jose Felix and Franco. He had his first full summer in the Mexican League after nine primarily or entirely in the US. He showed better hitting than in a while - .261/.341/.385 for the Diablos Rojos del México and gunning down 58%. He had a strong winter at .279/.377/.465 and 42% CS.

Playing for Mexico in the 2019 Premier 12, he saw little action as the backup to Alí Solís. He only played one game, against the Netherlands, going 1 for 3 with a single off Shairon Martis to score Efren Navarro. Ray-Patrick Didder stole on him but he gunned down Roger Bernadina. Mexico would win the event for a spot in the 2020 Olympics (though the Olympics were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

He was involved in a car accident and injured his hand, endangering his 2020 season, though that season would be shortened (or canceled) by the pandemic.