Scouting Report: Orlando Arcia
Background
Orlando Arcia was 13 when the Minnesota Twins signed his 17-year-old older brother Oswaldo as an international free agent.
In 2010, the Brewers inked Orlando Arcia from Venezuela. The right-handed hitting middle-infielder has performed extremely well in parts of four seasons in the Milwaukee system.
The Arcia brothers are extremely close. Oswaldo has influenced Orlando and provided advice to his younger sibling.
Despite missing the entire 2012 season due to a broken ankle, Orlando has compiled a .285 batting average in 1,670 at-bats. He has struck out only 198 times and has shown good patience at the plate, walking 137 times in his four years of Minor League play.
Given his outstanding upside, Arcia is the top rated prospect in the Brewers system. He is also the No. 12 prospect in baseball and is ranked No. 6 among all shortstop prospects.
Hitting
Arcia's hitting continues to improve with personal maturity and developmental repetition.
A solid contact hitter, Arcia has very good reflexes and an advanced knowledge of the strike zone. His eye-hand coordination is above average and he recognizes pitches quickly and responds accordingly using patience and selectivity. He centers the ball well, too.
Arcia has quick hands and a short, measured stroke. He knows his strength is in hitting the gaps as opposed to trying to power the ball over the fence. Eventually, however, I think he will hit his share of home runs.
Defense
Arcia impressed in the 2015 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. He is very smooth at shortstop, gliding to the ball with quickness. His baseball instincts and coordination lead to excellent range to both sides and will reach many balls that would normally go for base hits.
Arcia has a strong and accurate arm. After the ball disappears in his glove, he plants his feet and routinely throws to first base with accuracy and strength.
Strengths
At one point, scouts may have viewed Arcia as a defense-first shortstop. His good hitting experience in the 2014 Venezuelan Winter League provided the first clues of his evident offensive maturation.
At Double-A Biloxi this past year, Arcia hit .307, the best average of his career. He notched 37 doubles and eight home runs. Both were career bests. Arcia should be viewed as a complete player capable of providing offense as well as stellar defense at shortstop.
His on-base percentage and his ability to consistently "make things happen" have positioned Arcia as a promising top prospect.
Arcia completes his multiple-tool offerings with good speed. He is capable of stealing 20 or more bases annually. In addition, he is able to score runs by taking an extra base when appropriate.
Weaknesses
Extremely athletic, but not very big at 6-feet, 165 pounds, Arcia will have to guard against slowing down in hot, humid summers. He could stand to add strength to his thin frame.
Arcia will not be known for his power, but his other tools will be plentiful. His complete skill set projects to carry him to stardom.
I find this interesting
Although they are close as brothers, Oswaldo and Orlando are very different players. Oswaldo is a left-handed hitting outfielder with a large 6-foot, 225-pound frame. Orlando hits right-handed and is the same height but weighs 60 pounds less.
The future for Arcia
Arcia's development as a dazzling defensive shortstop is probably complete. He is already capable of competing defensively at the Major League level. Even with all the fantastic big league shortstops in the game today, Arcia has the defensive upside to eventually be in the conversation for a Gold Glove. If needed, he can also play second base with equal competency.
Offensively, Arcia may still need a bit of time to finish his development. However, depending upon what the Brewers do with the middle-infield positions over the winter, he may have enough offense to begin the season as Milwaukee's starting shortstop or second baseman. He's that good.
Arcia in a word
Star