Milwaukee Brewers: Why It’s Far Too Early To Judge Orlando Arcia

Some Milwaukee Brewers fans seem a bit concerned about Orlando Arcia’s struggles early on at the plate and have questioned if he’s been called up too soon.

When Orlando Arcia made his debut on August 2nd, Milwaukee Brewers fans were excited to finally see the #1 ranked prospect from the deep farm system that has been built over the last few years. As he was expected to be ready for his defense at shortstop, his .267/.320/.403 batting line in AAA showed he might need some time to work at the plate (especially when in Colorado Springs).

While no predictions can be made early on with prospects in their debuts, some fans were surprised by his .176/.256/.486 batting line in 74 ABs so far and have been showing some concern. It’s difficult to judge any player with so few ABs, but with so much hype, fans expect more.

And they expressed it on Twitter:

But, looking just at former Milwaukee Brewers hitters, a 2014 article from CBSSports.com pointed out how many historical players struggled in their rookie year. Names like Ty Cobb, Rickey Henderson, Kirby Puckett, along with historical Brewers players Paul Molitor and Robin Yount.

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The article made sure to point out not just the hitter’s batting line, but their OPS+ being at least 10% (90 or lower) below the average. In 556 ABs, Molitor was just below 90 with an 89 when he was 21-years old and in 364 ABs, Yount had a 79 OPS+ being much younger at age 18. With 350+ ABs, Milwaukee Brewers fans may have some logical concern with Arcia if he still is playing this poorly.

While any time we put the “#1 prospect” label to any player, we expect big numbers right away, it simply takes time. This also doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed Arcia is going to be a great player, but some might have judged Molitor and Yount and regretted it.

Next: Isan Diaz as Brewers MiLB Player of the Year

In the CBSSports.com article, they mention expecting big things from players like Xander Bogarts, Kolten Wong, Nick Castellanos, and Byron Buxton. Just like any group of top prospects, so far some have been great, while others have been head-scratching. Most importantly, just have to wait and give all Milwaukee Brewers prospects time over the upcoming years.