Atlanta Braves hoping Orlando Arcia can play left field add punch to lineup

Will Orlando Arcia’s bat hold up?

Arcia is athletic and should have little trouble learning the outfield if he can judge a fly ball… but let’s face it: Atlanta Braves’ left-field defense hasn’t been stellar.

I expect Arcia to have a problem with routes and picking up the flight of the ball in a three-deck ballpark, but barring a severe case of “what do I do?” with a ball in the air, he should at least become a passable defensive left fielder. The only question is whether his bat will play.

Arcia’s been ripping AAA/East pitchers apart, but that’s not new; he’s always done well against AAA pitching. What is new is his consistent power.

As a Brewer in 2017, Arcia hit 15 homers and batted .277/.324/.407/.731.  The homers dropped to three in 348 PA in 2018, and as Major League pitchers learned more about him, his line declined as well; he finished 2018 batting .236/.268/.307/.576.

The 2019 season saw his power re-emerge; he once again hit 15 homers in 494 PA but ended the year batting .223/.283/.350/.633.  He managed a .260/.317/.416/.734 line and smacked five homers in 189 PA during the chaos of 2020, but the Brewers called him up early this year for only 11 PA before designating him for assignment.

Parallel paths?

In many ways, Arcia’s career so far resembles that of Johan Camargo. Initially, Camargo was a better hitter, but both had a peak year then tailed off.  Both players suffer a BAbip consistently struggling to touch the .300 mark and have similar batted ball profiles.

The notable difference is Arcia’s power stroke improved as he got older, while somewhere along the way, Camargo stopped hitting at the Major League level altogether