For years, Orlando Arcia prospect status in Milwaukee continued to grow. While he continued to climb the ladder in Milwaukee, expectations grew as well. They hit the high point prior to the 2016. That year, MLB.com ranked him as the 6th rated prospect all of baseball.
Strong Rookie Season
In 2017, his first full season, Arcia looked to be one the verge of becoming the best all-around shortstops. Arcia always had showed off his tremendous glove skills on a consistent basis getting to balls no one else could. In 2017 his bat also made great improvements. He finished the season batting .277 with 14 home runs and 14 steals. At only 22-years old he looked to be a superstar in the making heading into 2018.
Roller Coaster 2018 Season
Simply put however, the 2018 season was a roller-coaster for Arcia. On Opening Day, he had the game winning RBI in a wild-victory over the San Diego Padres. He followed it up a week later with a walk-off single vs. the Cubs.
But while he was coming through in the clutch several times throughout the first few months, he was struggled at the plate all to often in many other situations. By the end of June, Arcia was batting only .197. Instead of being the future, he lost his starting job to journeyman, Tyler Saladino. Unable to get regular at-bats, the young shortstop was sent back to AAA to work to figure things out.
After earning his way back in late July after hitting .341 in AAA, Arcia’s bat stayed awake in the majors. He pushed to get back into the everyday lineup on a daily basis. Though his end of the year numbers look bleak, batting just .236 with only two home runs, Arcia batted .283 in August. His final month was outstanding, finishing September with a .329/.360/.443 line.
“October Arcia” Gives Hope for the Future
The biggest moments of the year for Arcia came in October. Playing in every postseason game, Arcia “owned October.” Already know for his spectacular defense, Arcia’s bat shined throughout the month. Though he only hit three home runs during the regular season, Arica homered in the final game of the National League Divisional Series, and then homered two more times in the National League Championship Series.
The spotlight was on him for the first time, the shortstop continued to deliver, batting .333 in his 10 post season games. While other bats struggled with consistency in the final games, Arcia came through time and time again when it mattered most.
Incoming Breakout Season?
Still the youngest player in the everyday lineup at age 24, Arcia is primed to build off of the confidence that he was able to gain during the second-half and in the playoffs. His skill set makes him fully capable of becoming one of the game’s best all-around shortstops.
Baseball is filled with players who have started slow and then become stars. Arcia appears to be on track to be one of those players. The lineup is already loaded in Milwaukee and it was recently improved with the addition of catcher, Yasmani Grandal. Talent is all around him and expect Arcia to take-off in 2019. He will fully live up to that top prospect status that he earned years ago.
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