Milwaukee Brewers need more from Orlando Arcia
The Milwaukee Brewers are legitimate contenders in the National League this season, but they need far more from Orlando Arcia.
One player that the Milwaukee Brewers will need more production from down the stretch is Orlando Arcia. The glove-first shortstop was lauded as an Andrelton Simmons-esque defender while making his way through the Minors.
However, Arcia has yet to flash his otherworldly defensive abilities consistently. He’s also not doing enough with the glove to make up for his lack of production with the bat during this season. Arcia has been woefully awful for The Crew offensively, and if this team is going to make a deep run, Arcia will need to get things going.
The 24-year-old (Happy belated Birthday by the way) has been up and down between Milwaukee and Triple-A Colorado Springs a few times during this season. Although he does look like he’s swinging the bat better, there are still too many holes in his swing right now.
Expectations were never for Arcia to be a .270 hitter like he was during the 2017 season, but this is just brutal. The Brewers are among the worst teams statistically in most offensive categories at the shortstop position and Arcia is the main culprit.
Looking at his numbers
The Anaco, Venezuela native is struggling to even maintain a .200 batting average during this season. He’s currently hitting just .201 with only 18 runs batted in and a meager nine extra-base hits. Not to keep piling on but, Arcia has a mediocre .240 on-base percentage to go along with an even worse .496 on-base plus slugging percentage.
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Arcia has provided next to nothing for the Milwaukee Brewers offensively and somehow this team is one of the best in the National League. That’s what makes Arcia’s offensive turnaround so critical for the Brewers to have success down the stretch.
This is a player who hit .277 with 15 home runs and 53 runs batted in just last season. He also carried a more respectable .324 on-base percentage along with a .731 on-base plus slugging percentage. He proved during last season that he’s more than just a defensive dynamo and can do damage offensively.
Speaking of defense, Arcia has been solidly unspectacular throughout his career with the Brewers. He has a .974 career fielding percentage which is far below expectations. However, he has a ton of range and helps save runs because he can make plays most shortstops can’t.
This season, Arcia has already committed nine errors in just 287 chances at short. After committing 20 errors during the 2017 season, it looks like he’ll be approaching that number again this year. Although he’s not playing at the level we Brewers fans expect, Arcia is a big piece in the Milwaukee Brewers puzzle.
Arcia’s value lies off of the diamond and in the dugout/clubhouse. The energy that he brings to this team is undeniable and his absence was noticeable when he was with Triple-A during this season. He’s the type of player that you can’t tell if he’s having a good or bad game by looking at him because he’s always smiling.
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As a fan, Arcia is the type of player we all can rally around and truly support. The Crew will need his energy down the stretch and Arcia will need his bat to heat up in order for this team to stay in contention.