This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Brandon Lowe might make a stop in the Rays’ home clubhouse when he visits Charlotte Sports Park with the Pirates in a few weeks. He has some plans for Jonathan Aranda’s locker.
“I'll probably yell at him when I get over there,” Lowe said Sunday at LECOM Park, grinning. “I might take all the stuff out of his locker or something, tape over it with my name or something. 'Don't forget whose number that is.'”
Lowe’s old No. 8 now belongs to Aranda, who moved swiftly to claim it after it became available when Lowe was traded to the Pirates in December. By mid-January, the number officially belonged to Aranda. It happened so fast that Lowe saw the transition take place and joked, “Dang, it didn’t even get cold yet.”
Of course, Aranda meant no disrespect to Lowe. He called the longtime Rays second baseman a “great teammate,” a leader in their clubhouse and someone whose preparation inspired Aranda as a young big leaguer.
But after years of wearing No. 62, which he was assigned and came to appreciate because his numbers added up to eight, he just wanted his favorite number back.
“No. 8 was always the one that I chose growing up playing,” Aranda said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “When it became available, I was like, ‘Well, hey, if I’m ever going to get the chance of going into the big leagues to wear No. 8, I’m gonna take it.’”
And, of course, Lowe is not actually offended by Aranda claiming the jersey. Lowe saw Aranda grind through the Minors with the Rays. He was there when Aranda couldn’t capitalize on sporadic playing time in the Majors. And he was playing next to Aranda last year when he realized his potential as Tampa Bay’s All-Star first baseman.
“I can't think of one of the better guys over there to be wearing that number. Heck of a ballplayer, great human being,” Lowe said. “In 15 years, if they want to talk about who wore No. 8, and it's, 'Hey, Brandon Lowe and Jonny Aranda wore that number,' that's pretty good with me.”
Aranda inherited more than just a number from Lowe, though. He’s also succeeding Lowe as the Rays’ top left-handed threat -- and their longest-tenured player.
While Lowe was taken by Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2015 Draft, which was held in June, Aranda signed as an international amateur free agent out of Mexico on July 2, 2015.
Yes, Aranda has been part of the Rays for nearly 11 years now. He touched every level of the system, from the Dominican Republic complex to several Rookie-level and short-season affiliates that no longer exist, all the way up to the big leagues. He’s only 27, turning 28 on May 23, but he has become an organizational veteran.
“Obviously it’s been a long process. We both have believed in each other. I’ve believed in the Rays; the Rays have believed in me,” Aranda said. “I’m just really fortunate to be here and be one of the main guys that have been through an organization through the Minors up to the Major League club.
“We both know each other really well now, and we’re both happy. … It’s a little crazy to think about, but more than anything, it’s a really nice, beautiful thing to think about, that I’ve been with one team for my entire career.”
Both parties’ patience was rewarded last season, when Aranda hit .316/.393/.489 with 14 homers and 59 RBIs in 106 games. Despite missing nearly two months due to a fractured left wrist, he was still the Rays’ third-most valuable player behind Junior Caminero and Drew Rasmussen.
As good as he was offensively, hitting like he’d always hit in the Minors, he was also a positive presence defensively at first base. He’ll continue to be Tampa Bay’s primary first baseman this year.
“His mindset is, 'I want to be the best defensive first baseman,’” third-base/infield coach Brady Williams said. “The footwork drills he does, the hand drills he does, just the constant attention to detail in his pregame work, you're starting to see it in the game. And that's pretty rewarding for him.”
Despite his unfortunately-timed injury, Aranda was determined to end the season feeling healthy and productive, which is why he came back to play Tampa Bay’s final three games in Toronto.
He picked up right where he left off in that series, going 4-for-12 with a pair of homers and five RBIs, giving him peace of mind over the winter as he prepared to represent Mexico in the World Baseball Classic before putting on an even stronger encore performance for the Rays.
“The injury last year was something difficult, so I wanted to end the year on a good note. I wanted to leave with a good taste in my mouth,” Aranda said. “The main that thing I wanted to show was that I was healthy, and I wanted to end the year on a good note. That was my main objective, and that’s what I went out and did.”