PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.—Barry senior catcher Luis Arrizurieta became the second member of the 2013 Buccaneers to sign a professional contract, signing as an undrafted free agent with the New York Mets organization.
Arrizurieta enjoyed a career-year as a senior, batting .332 with 17 doubles, two homers and 34 RBI, while scoring 46 runs, all numbers representing career-best marks. One of the top defensive catchers in the Sunshine State Conference, he also threw out 25.5 percent of attempted base stealers and led the league’s catchers with seven pickoffs. For his career, he is tops among catchers and tied for the school record with pitcher Oscar Farach with 18 pick offs.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Arrizurieta said. “It’s been a dream of mine ever since I started playing, pretty much the reason why I play. It’s good to see that all the hard work has paid off. This is the first step and I’ll see where it takes me.”
The call, when it came was a little unexpected, despite the outstanding senior year. Arrizurieta was on vacation when it came.
“I was at a fishing tournament in the Bahamas when Coach (Marc) Pavao called me and said there was a contract waiting for me with the Mets,” Arrizurieta said. “I had been up for a workout with them a few weeks ago, but they didn’t really indicate an interest.”
Arrizurieta will report to the Mets’ rookie affiliate in the Gulf Coast League, the GCL Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla.