3. Clutch Hitting and Clubhouse Presence
Orlando Arcia has also been one of the best when hitting in clutch situations for Atlanta. According to Baseball Reference, in high-leverage situations, Arcia is batting ..345/.406/.552 with 10 hits including 2 homers, 10 RBI, and an OPS+ of 155.
With runners in scoring position and two outs, Arcia is batting .360 with 9 hits and 8 RBI. He's also very good when the game is tied and carries a .355 batting average with 11 hits including 1 homer and 7 RBI. Arcia is also at his best when batting with two outs in the inning with 20 hits, a .377 average, .421 on-base percentage, and .491 slugging percentage.
Arcia had a walk-off hit in the Braves home opener back in April against the Padres and he's continued to provide big hits in the late-innings all season long. Two game changing hits have come recently for Arcia beginning with a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the eight with two outs on June 9th against the Nationals.
The next one came the night before against the Mets as the Braves were down 10-9 in the bottom of the ninth. Arcia hit a game-tying home run on a 3-2 count against David Robertson that ultimately led to a three-run walk-off homer from Ozzie Albies.
The Orlando Arcia story is unbelievable.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) June 9, 2023
He blasts a game-tying home run with one out in the ninth.
The Braves have come back from four runs down. pic.twitter.com/m7Ej8JquaD
Arcia clearly wants to be in those situations and has the confidence necessary to deliver. He clearly enjoys being a part of this team and every time I see him in the dugout, he's talking with someone or cheering on his teammates when they succeed. That's exactly what you want out of a player. Great on the field performance and great presence in the clubhouse.
The ultimate pump up man: Orlando Arcia. Dancing for Olson’s 2 run pop. @BravesOnBally pic.twitter.com/LmhXb8z9NL
— Lauren Jbara (@laurenjbara) June 11, 2023
Those are perfect qualities for an All-Star caliber player and Orlando Arcia is checking every box so far in 2023. He may not get the starting nod and that's ultimately out of his control but he has made a strong case for being considered for that honor. However, he undoubtedly deserves to be selected as an All-Star to represent the National League.
Will he continue at this rate for the remainder of the season? It's hard to say. He's performing at such a high level and has been doing so to this point. He may come back down to earth but it's also entirely possible he's figured things out and this is going to be the new normal for Arcia.