Brewers: A Fond Farewell To Orlando Arcia After His Time In Milwaukee

Brewers Shortstop. Clutch Playoff Performer. Ice Cream Stealer.

Orlando Arcia was traded to the Atlanta Braves today. In return the Brewers received pitchers Chad Sobotka and Patrick Weigel.

There was talk of Arcia being a trade candidate this season. It was rumored that the Brewers have been trying to trade him since the trade deadline last year. With players like Luis Urias, Daniel Robertson, and top prospect Brice Turang providing depth for Milwaukee, a trade this early in the season was surprising but the move was also inevitable.

Orlando Arcia will be remembered for his smile, clubhouse presence and being an overall fun player for the Brewers.

The Venezuela native has been a Milwaukee Brewer his entire career. He was the top prospect in the Brewers farm system before coming to the Major Leagues. He was seen as a top shortstop defender, with hope that he could be a productive hitter as well. He debuted in 2016 and played in 55 games that season.

Arcia was a .244 career hitter with Milwaukee. He leaves the Brewers with 42 home runs, 180 RBIs and a .658 OPS. Although he was never seen as an explosive hitter, Orlando always seemed to have clutch hits and be part of memorable moments for the Crew.

During the 2018 season, the Brewers and Cubs had to go to a Game 163 to determine the winner of the NL Central. On October 1st, 2018, Arcia went 4-4 and scored two of three runs the Brewers had in that game. He was a huge part of the victory and the 2018 playoff run.

In Game 3 of the NLDS against the Colorado Rockies, Arcia had a home run and helped the Brewers win 6-0 for the series sweep. He then hit home runs in Game 2 and Game 3 against the Dodgers in the NLCS. His home run scored two runs and led to a 4-0 victory in Game 3.

During the 2020 playoffs, he was one of the only bright spots for Milwaukee. In Game 1, once again against the Dodgers, he hit a home run and scored the only two runs for the Brewers that game. His ending playoff batting average for the ball club was .295 and an OPS of .879.

He will leave Milwaukee on a high note as well. His high-bouncing infield hit in extra innings just last week helped lead to a Brewers 2021 Opening Day win.

No matter how the Brewers were playing, you always saw a smile on the face of Orlando Arcia. You can tell he loves playing the game, and he has always been a fan favorite because of that.

It will be hard to find another group of guys having more fun together than when Arcia, Jonathan Villar, Jesus Aguilar, and Hernan Perez were all on the Milwaukee roster. Watching every game brought a smile to your face. You could tell their friendship was real, and it turned into results on the field.

Having a positive clubhouse does wonders for a team. When Villar was traded and Perez and Aguilar left a season or so later, you could tell the dugout had a lost a little bit of magic.

And who can forget the time Arcia interrupted a Brandon Woodruff interview? Or when he would walk around with a tray of drinks or snacks while other players were being interviewed on live TV. No one else did a dab dance move with former third base coach Ed Sedar after every home run. Moments like those make the Brewers and baseball great.

El Niño will be remembered for his spectacular defensive ability, love of the game and being a fan favorite for years. Any team is lucky to have a player like Arcia on their roster, even for one season. The Milwaukee Brewers got to have him for almost six.

Here are a few fun moments that hit Twitter right after the trade. Enjoy.

Who doesn’t love ice cream?

Few players could get out of that rundown, but Arcia was able to do it, and do it with style.

https://twitter.com/RodgersPackMVP/status/1379496605594873857

Farewell for now, Orlando Arcia. We’ll see you again soon.

The Milwaukee Brewers will press forward with Luis Urias as the starting shortstop.