51s All-Stars finally find paths to majors

Former first-round draft picks J.P. Arencibia and Brett Wallace have had stellar seasons for the 51s, earning Pacific Coast League All-Star honors while batting better than .300 and combining for 49 home runs and 140 RBIs.

Despite their success, neither player had received a much-anticipated call to the big leagues.

That changed Saturday when Wallace, a first baseman who was traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Astros on July 29, made his major league debut for Houston.

On Wednesday, Toronto selected Arencibia's contract after placing All-Star catcher John Buck on the 15-day disabled list with a lacerated right thumb.

Buck took a foul tip off his thumb in the Blue Jays' 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees, paving the way for Arencibia, a catcher who is hitting .303 with a PCL-leading 31 homers and 79 RBIs for Las Vegas (54-58).

"He's ready to go up to the next level," said Charlie Wilson, Toronto's director of minor league operations. "He's had a very good year, and we're very confident he's going to be able to perform behind the plate and from an offensive standpoint."

Arencibia, 24, sat out the 51s' 14-5 loss to the Memphis Redbirds on Wednesday at Cashman Field. He will fly to Toronto today and could play Friday when the Blue Jays host Tampa Bay.

"It's a dream come true," said Arencibia, who shed a few tears with his mother when he told her the news. "There's a lot of hard work that's gone into it, and it's cool that it's finally here."

Las Vegas manager Dan Rohn relayed the good news to Arencibia over the phone early Wednesday afternoon.

"It was fun to be able to tell him," Rohn said. "I think he was a little stunned.

"Hopefully he goes up and makes a great impression and does well. Hopefully we'll never see him at this level again."

After the Astros traded ace Roy Oswalt to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher J.A. Happ and two prospects July 29, they sent one of the prospects -- 19-year-old outfielder Anthony Gose -- to Toronto for Wallace.

Wallace, who was previously involved in trades for Matt Holliday and Roy Halladay, hit .301 with 18 homers and 61 RBIs for the 51s this season.

Houston manager Brad Mills, the PCL Manager of the Year for Las Vegas in 2002, has made the 23-year-old Wallace his everyday first baseman. He is batting .308 (4-for-13) with two RBIs in five games for the Astros.

"(The trade's) good for him. He gets a chance to play in the big leagues right now," Rohn said. "Hopefully the kid we got back is going to pan out and be our center fielder in the big leagues for 10 years."

Gose, a second-round draft pick of the Phillies in 2008, led the minors in stolen bases with 76 last season and hit .263 this year with 11 triples and 36 stolen bases for Class-A Clearwater.

"He's a true center fielder and a leadoff hitter and he has great tools," Wilson said of Gose, who has seven homers and 77 RBIs in 250 minor league games. "We hope he plays outfield for the Blue Jays for a very long time."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.