MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Brewers by position: Shortstop Orlando Arcia learning from tough early lessons

Tom Haudricourt
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia takes ground balls during infield practice at spring training.

PHOENIX – A player’s first foray into major-league baseball can be an eye-opening experience, and that certainly was the case for Orlando Arcia, his status as the Milwaukee Brewers’ No. 1 prospect notwithstanding.

“He learned some things about the challenges he’s going to have,” manager Craig Counsell said.

What the 22-year-old shortstop learned, first and foremost, in 2016 was that major-league pitchers don’t much care about your prospect ranking. Come ready to play or face the consequences.

Summoned in August as Jonathan Villar moved to third base, Arcia handled the defensive work for the most part but never got comfortable at the plate. In 55 games, he batted .219 with a .273 on-base percentage, four home runs, 17 runs batted in and eight stolen bases in eight attempts.

That offensive showing left everyone wanting more — Arcia, the front office and Brewers fans. But sometimes the best lessons come from failure, and Counsell was quick to note it was anything but wasted time.

“It was two months that will help him this year. That was the takeaway for me,” Counsell said. “(He learned) how he has to play and his persona out there. What he has to commit to as far as preparation. Those are going to be important things for him and the challenges we need to put in front of him.”

Arcia’s offensive challenges were not limited to his first major-league experience, however. After an impressive 2015 season at Class AA Biloxi (.800 OPS, 52 extra-base hits, 25 stolen bases, 232 total bases), the slightly built Venezuelan scuffled at Class AAA Colorado Springs, normally a hitter’s paradise.

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In 100 games with the Sky Sox, Arcia batted only .267 with .723 OPS, 33 extra-base hits and 15 stolen bases. He chafed over not being called up sooner by the Brewers and likely lost some focus because of it.

“He didn’t have a good offensive season, period,” Counsell said. “He didn’t have a great Triple-A offensive season, and it carried over a little bit here. So getting off on the right foot, offensively, for him will be a focus (this year).

“Like a lot of players, the thing with young hitters that you’re (teaching) is their decision-making at the plate. The ball-strike decision-making is the thing you’re trying to help move forward. Most of that happens through experience. That’s where that two months is valuable for him.”

All young players need some early success to bolster their confidence, but if Arcia’s was harmed in any way, you would not know it. Asked if he considered himself a major-league shortstop, he did not waver.

“I feel like I’m the shortstop,” Arcia said through translator Carlos Brizuela. “You just have to keep working hard and keep doing what you do.”

Arcia was the first of a deep crop of highly touted prospects to make it to the majors as the Brewers move forward with a large-scale rebuilding plan, and a lot is riding on his future success. The Brewers have stockpiled an impressive group of shortstops in the system, including Mauricio Dubon and Isan Diaz, but the expectation is that Arcia will hold down the position for years to come.

Arcia certainly has the skill set to do it and is still quite young, leaving plenty of room for growth. With Villar now moving to second base, Arcia will be given a long leash to show he should be the everyday shortstop and expects to be a better player after his tough-love debut.

“It really helped me a lot,” he said. “It’s the highest level there is, and I was able to experience facing pitchers and learn from that and make adjustments.”

And adjustments were needed. Arcia reported to Milwaukee with a swing that needed some fine tuning, and he and hitting coach Darnell Coles immediately went to work. Those sessions will continue in earnest this spring.

“I’m trying to improve my two-strike approach,” said Arcia, who struck out 47 times in 201 at-bats with the Brewers. “I was trying to do that at the end of last year. I just need to keep working with the coaches and learn as much as I can, and keep improving.”

So, Major League Baseball 101 continues for Arcia, a daunting course that stretches far longer than two months. Everyone believes the best is yet to come, and the Brewers are counting on it.

“Defensively, the defender we thought (he was) showed up, after we got across a two- or three-week period,” Counsell said. “Offensively, that’s where the learning is going to take place.

“As these players transition (to the major leagues), there are going to be challenges. We’ll find out (how he adjusts). But experience, applied the right way, we’ll all take it, right?”

BY THE NUMBERS

1 Error by Orlando Arcia in his last 39 games last season.

17 Errors in 108 games at shortstop by Jonathan Villar in 2016.

4 Runs scored in one game by Arcia on Aug. 6 at Arizona.

104 Stolen bases in 540 minor-league games for Arcia.

21 Years old when Arcia first arrived at the Class AAA level.