Atlanta Braves: 3 reasons why Orlando Arcia should be an All-Star
There are many players on the 2023 Atlanta Braves roster who are worthy of being selected for the All-Star Game. That's a very good problem for any team to have and something Braves fans have come to expect each year.
When Dansby Swanson signed with the Chicago Cubs, there was a lot of speculation on who would man the shortstop position in 2023 for Atlanta. Would Vaughn Grissom get a chance to prove himself? Would the Braves go out and sign Trea Turner?
The answer at the end of the day was... neither. Alex Anthopoulos made the decision to hand the reins to Orlando Arcia. The shortstop was signed to a three-year $7.3 million extension just before the season began. Arcia had been decent for the Braves in 2022 when he took over for Ozzie Albies at second due to injury. He showed flashes of the great player many expected him to be but couldn't sustain that and that is most of the reason why many doubted he could be an everyday starter for the Braves.
However, he now finds himself as a very important piece of the Atlanta lineup and one of their best so far in 2023. He's come through in many clutch situations offensively and is showing off his well above average defensive ability. That has led to an All-Star worthy campaign and there's plenty of reason to believe he should be selected.
1. Outstanding Offensive Output
At the beginning of the season, there weren't many expectations for Arcia to perform at a high level offensively. Everyone knows he's a good defender but there were questions of him being able to provide reliable offensive output
Things started off on the right foot for Orlando as he carried a line of .333/.400/.511 with two doubles and two home runs across 13 games. Unfortunately, he was hit with a 98 mph fastball on the wrist by Reds pitcher Hunter Greene back on April 12th. This resulted in Arcia being placed on the 10-day IL with a microfracture in his left wrist.
Atlanta decided to give Vaughn Grissom a chance in his absence and while the offensive output wasn't lacking from Grissom, his defense wasn't nearly close to the level that Arcia provides. Fortunately, Arcia was able to return in less than a month as he was activated from the IL on May 7th.
Usually when that happens, a player takes time to get back on track and find their groove again. That was not the case for Orlando who picked right back up from where he'd started. He remained one of the best hitters in the Atlanta lineup. Arcia's longest hitless streak has been just two games and that is still the case as the writing of this.
Despite missing 21 games, Orlando Arcia has the 3rd-best fWAR among Braves position players at 1.5.
— Min Sub (Mitchell) (@MinSub4) June 11, 2023
This is better than Austin Riley, Matt Olson, and Ozzie Albies, who are all above-average hitters and have played in all 64 games.
Arcia currently carries an fWAR of 1.5 (6th best in the NL and 8th best in all of MLB) and has the best average amongst all MLB SS with at least 150 plate appearances at a .325 average. He also leads all of Major League shortstops with a .381 on-base percentage and is third best in slugging percentage with a .474 average. His current OPS is .855 with a .374 wOBA and 133 wRC+ in 44 games played.
Since returning to the lineup on May 7th, Arcia is batting .311/.360/.453 with a .812 OPS. He's gotten 33 hits including 3 homers and 12 RBI over 30 games played. This is far and above what many fans expected from Arcia but it's been so much fun to watch him consistently come through when the team needs him to.
2. Defensive Skill
While Arcia may not be the top defender amongst all MLB shortstops, his defensive skill is not to be overlooked. Arcia is ranked as the 11th-best defender in all of the majors but is ranked 6th among National League shortstops. Arcia currently holds an OAA of 3 according to Baseball Savant which has him as 9th-best in all of baseball.
He currently carries a DRS of 4 and his UZR/150 sits at 3.1 on the season. Those are slightly above average numbers when it comes to defense and having watched Arcia in every game he's played in so far this year, I have to agree. His range is impressive and he's turned some really tough plays with ease.
Those are impressive numbers and are very high for Orlando who had struggled the last few season with defense and it's possible he may not be able to sustain such a great performance. However, it's also possible working with Ron Washington has unlocked something for Arcia and this becomes his new normal.
He has proven that he belongs in this league and can provide the Braves with great defense which is a major calling card and requirement of this Atlanta Braves organization. While they are a powerful lineup, they know championships depend on defense being executed at the highest level.
It was tough to see the Braves lose a defender like Dansby Swanson but Orlando Arcia has eased those concerns so far and has proven Alex Anthopoulos right as his choice to man the shortstop position in 2023. I'm sure he couldn't have expected Orlando to perform this well but it's a welcome surprise.
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.