Former Brewers Shortstop Orlando Arcia Finds Himself At Center Of Playoff Controversy

It's been a wild year for former Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia. He went from being a failed prospect traded away from Milwaukee for a couple of fringe-MLB pitchers two years ago to an All Star starter this year for the Atlanta Braves.

Even though the Brewers are eliminated, the MLB playoffs roll on and there's a contentious NLDS between Arcia's Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. Things have recently gotten even more contentious between the two NL East rivals.

After a 5-4 win in Game 2, the Braves clubhouse was feeling good. During the celebration, the typically mild-mannered Arcia was reportedly telling his teammates "Ha ha, atta boy Harper", mocking him not coming up in big moments. Trash talking the opponent within the walls of the clubhouse is quite common, but it's not common for those words to get out.

Reporters were inside the clubhouse at the time, but none were speaking directly to Arcia when he made those comments, and typically those types of comments are left off the record and nobody reports them. Yet one reporter did put those comments on the record and reported them, which gave extra motivation to Harper.

Harper came back in Game 3 and slugged two home runs en route to a Phillies win, and Harper stared down Arcia as he rounded the bases both times. Arcia and the Braves were upset that word got out that Arcia made those comments. They didn't intend for those comments to be public and now the clubhouse doesn't have trust with the media covering their playoff series.

Whether you put blame on Arcia or on the reporter for these comments being made public, the simple fact is that there is now an extra layer in this rivalry in the playoffs. It's a best of five series and the Phillies now lead it two games to one. One more Phillies win and Arcia's Braves are eliminated after an incredible regular season.

When Arcia was with the Brewers, he was more likely to steal a fan's ice cream than he was to taunt the opposing team. Publicly, he was about as mild-mannered as it got. He had fun, yes, but taunting and mocking was not something he outwardly did. Obviously players will act differently within the confines of their clubhouse surrounded by their teammates, but now Arcia may hide back in his shell with his comments when the media is around.