As the Atlanta Braves have struggled to score runs with runners in scoring position, there is one player who clearly out-dims his teammates (or whatever the opposite of outshine is).
This season, Orlando Arcia has had the third-most plate appearances on the Braves with runners in scoring position, but has three fewer hits than Travis d'Arnaud, who has 42 fewer plate appearances.
But the Braves starting shortstop hasn't just been horrible in the context of the 2024 Braves, who have been underwhelming as a whole, he's been historically bad. So bad in fact, that if the Braves miss the playoffs, his inability to score runners when it mattered the most could be one of the top reasons why.
Orlando Arcia's historically bad 2024
On the whole, the 30 year-old former All-Star has had an underwhelming season, but is far from the the worst in the baseball history books. His .218/.271/.359 has resulted in a paltry 73 wRC+ that still easily clears the 19 wRC+ that Drew Buetra put up as recently as 2011.
However, when you drill into Arcia's situational hitting, a different story appears. When the bases are empty, the shortstop has hit a slightly more respectable .225/.272/.394, good for an 83 wRC+.
Where Arcia truly falters is when there are runners in scoring position.
Somehow, Arcia has come up to the plate 131 times when there is at least one runner in scoring position. In those plate appearances, he's knocked in 23 runs and has two doubles, his only two extra-base hits. He's slashed .162/.237/.180 (.417 OPS) which comes out to a 17 wRC+.
That's right, Arcia is 82% worse than a league average hitter when he comes up with runners in scoring position.
If that sounds really bad, it's because it is. In fact, since 1901, there have only been 20 MLB players who have had at least 100 plate appearances with runners in scoring position who have performed worse by OPS.
There have been 44 instances this season of Arcia coming up to the plate with runners in scoring position with the Braves either tied or trailing by one or two runs.
But somehow, things get even worse for the Braves. This season, Arcia has come to the plate 48 times in high-leverage situations. In those situations, he has slashed .162/.186/.189 and only brought in 11 runs.
Of course, not all of these moments mattered. Some of these were in the early innings of a scoreless game. But others were hugely consequential, and when the margin for error is so thin for the Braves, Arcia continues to flop. Here are just the late-inning examples.
On August 16, with a chance to break a 2-2 tie and the bases loaded, Arcia flew out to end the inning. The Braves lost 3-2.
On September 1, Arcia had a chance to break a 2-2 tie with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the ninth. He hit into an infield fly. The Braves did not score and lost 3-2.
On September 15, he yet again came up with a 2-2 tie in the 8th with one out and runners on the second and third. He struck out. The Braves lost 9-2.
Arcia, obviously, does not carry the blame for where the Braves sit in the standings. However, as the season winds down, Brian Snitker would be wise to pinch-hit for the shortstop in high leverage situations, and Alex Anthopoulos would be wise to look elsewhere to fill the starting position for 2025.