Milwaukee Brewers: Orlando Arcia’s Impact on Crew’s Playoff Hopes

With a little over a month and a half left in the regular season, the Milwaukee Brewers find themselves in the thick of the playoff race. They would be a Wild Card team if the season ended today and are still close to the Cubs in the chase for the NL Central crown.

Up until this point in the season the Brewers offensive production has been mainly from the top half of the lineup, particularly Lorenzo Cain, Christian Yelich, and Jesus Aguilar. In order for the Milwaukee Brewers to make the playoffs, they will need the bottom half of the lineup to play well. In particular, the player that can have the most impact is Orlando Arcia.

Orlando Arcia’s Potential Impact

If Arcia can perform consistently well, like he’s shown recently, he will be able to provide stability to the bottom half of the lineup. At this point in the season, the sixth spot in the order is batting .209, the seventh spot is at .255, and the eighth position sits at .220. If we count the pitchers spot, they have a cumulative average of .182. There is definite room for improvement that will increase the team’s offensive production.

By having an effective player in the bottom half of the lineup, it will increase the number of opportunities to drive in runs for players like Cain and Yelich that consistently find their way on base. It will also lead to more potential big inning rallies when that part of the lineup can get on base and give more RBI opportunities to the big bats at the front of the batting order.

Arcia’s Success

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When we take a look at games where Arcia has appeared for Milwaukee, there is a strong correlation between a good day at the plate for Arcia and a Brewers victory. In 81 appearances this year for Orlando, the Brewers have a 48-33 record in those games. Over the 48 victories, Arcia has a batting average of .247 with 17 RBIs. Also, during this span of games, he has a batting average of .314 on 35 at bats when there are two outs and runners in scoring position.

However, during the losses, his batting average drastically dips down to .140 and he only has 2 RBIs in those games. When the Brewers have a productive Orlando Arcia at the bottom of the order, it gives the Crew a much better chance of winning the game.

Over the course of the season, the Brewers have had seven different players play shortstop and, unfortunately, none have stepped up as the go-to guy. The Brewers shortstop position has a cumulative average of .218 this season and a .272 OBP. Both categories are the lowest of all other positions on the team, excluding pitcher.

In addition to help on the offensive end, Arcia can help bring stability to the middle infield defensively. If he stays in the day-to-day lineup, the defense up the middle drastically improves. Arcia is a speedster with tremendous range, and if the ball is in his vicinity, there’s a good chance he’s going to make the play. Arcia has a lot of talent and the Milwaukee Brewers are a better team when he is in the lineup playing the way they know he can.

Over the course of the last eleven games he has appeared in, Orlando has been swinging the bat well and has an average of .269 on 26 at bats. This is the Orlando Arcia that the Brewers are going to need starting consistently if the Brewers hope to make the playoffs and have success there.

Arcia has shown to be a significant part of the Crew’s victories by providing solid defense and a good bat in the bottom portion of the lineup.