Brewers: 3 Things To Watch As Spring Training Gets Underway

3. How Does Orlando Arcia Perform?

This offseason, the Brewers acquired an even younger shortstop prodigy in Luis Urias. A solid defender, Urias is known as a great hitter as well and was set to challenge incumbent Orlando Arcia for the starting shortstop job on Opening Day. Unfortunately, Urias needed surgery on his hand/wrist a few weeks ago and will miss most of spring training and the start of the season.

That lets Arcia off the hook, for now. But the battle drums are still beating in the distance. Once Urias comes back, there will be a battle between the two for the starting job, but it’ll have to play out over the regular season now instead.

But that doesn’t mean Arcia can slack off until his competition returns, however. With him getting the bulk of the opportunities in spring training then, Arcia’s performance will be even more scrutinized.

If Arcia struggles to hit during spring training, then Urias could be handed the job as soon as he returns to the club. If Arcia starts swinging a hot bat during camp and to start the season, Urias would face an uphill climb to unseat Arcia. It would be a true battle for the job then, but with Urias being the newcomer, he starts at a disadvantage. The Brewers want Arcia to be successful. He’s a homegrown player that they signed when he was just 16 years old. He was the most hyped position prospect to come through the system since Ryan Braun. They would finally have a stud, homegrown shortstop.

But Arcia’s offense has struggled to gain traction over the past three years and the Crew’s patience is running out. If he can’t get it going this year, and Urias starts to hit like his track record shows he will, it could be the end of the line for Arcia in Milwaukee.

The Brewers are looking to make 2020 their third-straight postseason appearance, and that journey starts today. There’s a lot of questions about this team, but if the right answers show up, they’re in a good position.