Switch-hitting, switch-throwing second-rounder Arroyo finalizes deal with Mariners
Even at a young age, an injured right arm couldn’t keep Edwin Arroyo off the field.
When a childhood injury in his native Puerto Rico prohibited the shortstop from throwing with his right arm for a considerable amount of time, Arroyo adjusted. Every day, he’d play catch with his father with his left hand. When Arroyo realized the lack of players that shared his newfound ambidexterity, he continued on with his training, even after his right arm had healed.
Soon after, Arroyo’s father noticed the potential in his son’s ability to hit from either side of the plate, too. Arroyo pushed back on the suggestion, but after encouragement from family, changed his mind.
“I think that was just a skill that my Dad saw in me, and we were just hitting (from) both sides,” Arroyo said. “I didn’t want to hit lefty in games, because I was a righty when I was really young. In Puerto Rico, we’d play two games Saturday, so I’d hit one game righty, doesn’t matter the pitcher, and one game lefty.
“And then I got better… and I was like, I’m going to keep switching. And here I am.”
On July 12, the Mariners drafted Arroyo with the 48th pick in this year’s MLB Draft. On Thursday, the 17-year-old put pen to paper, signing a contract with a $1,650,000 bonus. With his parents by his side, the shortstop made it official at T-Mobile Park.
“I was waiting for that moment,” Arroyo said in the minutes after signing his deal. “I had a deal with them, but it was not official, so I wanted to make it official so I could feel good and ready. That was a really exciting moment. Inside me, I was like, ‘finally, I got this.’ … Now, I have all of the goals I want to achieve, so let’s just get working.”
Considered an athletic shortstop with arm strength and solid footing, Arroyo is known for his raw contact ability at the plate. There’s still room to grow in the power department, but Seattle has plenty of time to develop the young Arroyo into a dual-threat, contact-power hitter.
There was no better player in the entire draft from Puerto Rico, according to rankings by Perfect Game, and MLB.com ranked him as the 83rd best prospect overall.
The Arroyo family had to make quite the move to help expose Edwin’s talents to the major-league world. Midway through his senior year in Puerto Rico, Arroyo’s family planned a move to Orlando, Florida. His parents found work, and Arroyo found a school hoping for more looks from scouts as the draft neared.
Arroyo’s play at Central Pointe Christian Academy in Kissimmee earned him a workout with the Mariners before the draft, and the front office liked what they saw. Seattle coordinated hitting work, fielding work and plenty of conversation with the infielder.
“It was a great experience,” Arroyo said. “They treated me really well, and I’m happy to be here.”
On draft day, Arroyo awaited the call that would change his life. He was so anxious, he said, that his family had to reassure him that the phone would ring.
“They were like, ‘Chill,’” Arroyo said with a laugh. “’Whatever happens, happens. You will be good.’ They told me that, and it got more chilling because I was too anxious. But I’m just glad to be here.”
Arroyo is excited to represent Puerto Rico in the Mariners organization, with a certain Hall-of-Famer in mind.
“It makes me so proud,” Arroyo said. “And here in Seattle, you guys (have) got Edgar Martinez. … I think being Puerto Rican is something that makes me very proud because not everybody’s Puerto Rican. My family is Puerto Rican, everybody… I’m just super proud.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM.