Milwaukee Brewers: Orlando Arcia is the Future of the Team
By Ben Hertel
Orlando Arcia, the 22-year-old shortstop, is struggling at the plate so far this season. He is the key to the Milwaukee Brewers and their future playoff aspirations and should be given his time to grow as a player.
Orlando Arcia is a special player for the Milwaukee Brewers, and he showed that against the Blue Jays last night. To begin the game he made a spinning throw to first, and in the 7th he made an unreal flip to Villar at second to get the lead runner out.
Both plays were amazing and reminded Brewers fans again how special Arcia can be. Along with the two great defensive plays came three strikeouts and a 0-4 line for the night.
On the season Arcia is batting .136, with eight strikeouts. He struggled at the plate to end 2016 as well.
Some are blaming Arcia’s struggles on his mechanics. A kink in your mechanics can completely throw a player off, as Brewer fans saw with Keon Broxton last year.
Despite his struggles, the Brewers and Brewers fan can’t give up on Arcia. He’s a 22-year-old kid who was a top ten prospect as recent as early last year.
As of February 2016, BaseballAmerica had Arcia ranked as the number 8 prospect in all of baseball. They graded him out as a plus hitter and fielder.
Arcia is a great player, and he’s one of the highest rated prospects in recent Brewers history. He is a possible cornerstone for this organization for the next 10+ years.
He’s hope for Brewers fans. Think back to the last time a top Brewers prospect was this highly ranked. Or think about the last time a top Brewers prospect turned into a star or even an excellent major league player for the Brewers.
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Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy are probably the last top prospects that turned into something. Matt Gamel had all the potential in the world, but a freak injury kept him from turning into anything.
Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi, and Brett Lawrie all top prospects traded for playoff runs. Brewers fans never saw much or anything from these top guys. Cain and Escobar also have a championship under their belt.
The Brewers also have the luxury of having a stacked minor league system. Mauricio Dubon, Isan Diaz, Gilbert Lara, and Wendell Rijo are all high rated middle infielders in the Brewers system.
All four guys have the potential to be good players someday, but none of them have the ceiling that Arcia does. Arcia can be a star.
It will be interesting to see what the Brewers decide to do with Arcia. It’s possible that they could send him down to AAA to work on his swing. It’s also possible that the Brewers let him work it out in the Majors.
At the end of the day, the Brewers need to do what’s best for Arcia. What’s best for Arcia is time. There’s no way the Brewers or the fanbase can give up on his talent.
If Arcia continues to grow and reaches his potential, he can be a star player on what could be many Brewers playoff teams.
Arcia batting leadoff with Lewis Brinson, Lucas Erceg, Isan Diaz, Mauricio Dubon, Corey Ray, and Brett Phillips in the lineup is something that should get Brewers fans very excited.