After two years in the Domincan Summer League where he teased with his tools but generally struggled Aristides Aquino broke out for the Arizona League Reds squad in the 2013 season. After hitting .278/.325/.479 in 46 games he moved up to Billings to the final two weeks of the season. Things didn’t go well as he struggled against more advanced pitching and hit just .212/.219/.394.
The now 20-year-old outfielder headed back to Billings for the start of the 2014 year. Things couldn’t have started out much better as he singled in his first at bat of the season, doubled in his second at bat and hit a 2-run homer in the third at bat. It was a sign of things to come over the first week as he hit .379/.400/.793 in the first seven games o the year. He would slow down and slump over the final week of June though, going just 2-23 and finished the month (13 games) with a .250/.286/.481 line. After walking just twice and striking out 22 times in 15 games with the Mustangs last year Aquion had three walks and just seven strikeouts in the first 13 games this season.
When July rolled around his slump continued for the first game as he went 0-4, but he went on a tear for the week after that. From the 2nd through the 9th the Mustangs outfielder hit .433/.469/.767 with six extra-base hits and four steals. Things would slow down for the week after that before he went crazy over a three game stretch. On the 18th he would go 3-5 against Idaho Falls to finish that series. The next day in Ogden Aquino would go 2-5 with two homers and three RBI. He followed that up with a 4-5 day where he doubled, hit two more homers, walked and drove in seven runs. It would be tough to be hotter in July than he was as he finished with a .348/.400/.713 line to go with 10 doubles, a triple and 10 homers.
After such a hot month of July things didn’t start well in August. On the first day of the month he would go 0-6 and would hit .196 through the 14thof the month with just one walk and 12 strikeouts. Over the final three weeks of the season he would turn things around though as he hit .296/.351/.577 with seven steals in nine attempts. His plate discipline was still an issue though as he walked three times and had 19 strikeouts in that span.
The Mustangs went on to the playoffs and swept their way through two best-of-three series to claim the Pioneer League Championship. Aquino would go 4-17 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch in the four games.
Overview
If the 2013 breakout wasn’t enough, then the 2014 follow up that was even better probably did it for you. The Reds showed patience with a very toolsy player despite big time struggles as a teenager in the Dominican Summer League and Aquino has really put together two very strong seasons. He will need to continue making strides in his plate discipline and pitch recognition skills, but they have improved over the past few years. The power should play just fine as he moves up and his defense is good in the corners. He showed good improvements in 2014 but did battle with consistency at times, going from insanely hot to cold rather quickly. Overall he had an outstanding season and was likely in contention for the league MVP award as he was among the league leaders in nearly all offensive categories.
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Season Stats
| PA | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 307 | 23 | 5 | 16 | 64 | 21 | 5 | 15 | 66 | .292 | .342 | .577 |