Orlando Arcia will play key role for Brewers offensively

If the Milwaukee Brewers hope to make another World Series push in 2019, they are going to need a productive Orlando Arcia at the bottom of the order.

As explosive as this Milwaukee Brewers offense could be in 2018, they equally struggled to advance base runners and produce runs at times.

A large portion of the Milwaukee Brewers offensive production came from just the first two spots in the batting order, which a majority of the time belonged to Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain.

The one and two spots in the lineup accounted for 49.5 percent of all runs, 33 percent of RBIs and 37.5 percent of home runs according to Baseball Reference.

Often times it was the bottom of the order that would kill potential rallies or fail to put runners on base for Yelich and Cain. The seven through nine hitters in the Milwaukee Brewers batting order (excluding pitcher) posted a slash line of just .241/.297/.366 in 2018.

If the Milwaukee Brewers hope to make another World Series push in 2019, they will need more production from the rest of the lineup, specifically Orlando Arcia in the bottom half.

Arcia’s 2018 season

This past season was really a tale of two halves for Arcia who had an abysmal start to the year but finished it very strong.

Before the All-Star break, Arcia had already been sent to Triple-A Colorado Springs two different times due to his struggles at the plate. Arcia recorded a slash line of just .197/.231/.251 before the break.

If it wasn’t for the Milwaukee Brewers lack of depth at the shortstop position, he most likely would have spent more time in Triple-A than he did.

More from Dairyland Express

• Packers Week 14 Rooting Guide: Best Outcomes for Playoff Odds
• What to Know: Packers reportedly sign RB Kenyan Drake
• Packers Rookie Ladder After Massive Win Over Chiefs
• What to Know: Packers claim CB David Long off waivers
• Bucks Film Room Podcast: 3 Positive Takeaways

However, the second half of the season was an entirely different story. Arcia bounced back with a .290/.320/.386 slash line and was a big contributor to the Milwaukee Brewers fantastic September run where they were able to go 19-7 and win the NL Central.

Once the postseason rolled around Arcia’s bat stayed hot, posting .333/.353/.606 at the plate and he was able to pick up the top half of the order that was struggling.

Arcia’s  importance offensively

When taking a look at the Milwaukee Brewers wins and losses last season there was a huge discrepancy in Orlando Arcia’s production. When he was playing well at the bottom of the order, this was a much better offense.

In games that the Brewers won in 2018, Arcia recorded a slash line of .270/.298/.353. On the other hand in Brewers losses, Arcia was batting just .159 at the plate, had an OPS of .613 and struck out 33 percent of the time.

Arcia had one of the biggest drop-offs in terms of production on the team when it came to wins and losses. His play at the plate in the second half was a huge reason the Brewers were able to catch the Chicago Cubs and make it to game seven of the NLCS.

Everyone is hoping that Arcia will be able to build off of his strong finish in 2018 and in the Venezuelan Winter League he has been able to do so. In 58 plate appearances, Arcia had a batting average of .333 with an OPS of .889 and just one strikeout.

It is going to be a tough road back to the NLCS and if the Milwaukee Brewers hope to make it, they’ll need Orlando Arcia to continue playing well.