Orlando Arcia looks to stay hot

LOS ANGELES – After emerging as a solid threat in the order for the Brewers last year, Orlando Arcia took a step back offensively this season. He struggled at times, and Milwaukee’s front office added Jonathan Schoop to give manager Craig Counsell another option in his deep middle infield down the stretch.

But Counsell has shown faith in Arcia in the postseason, and the young shortstop has rewarded his manager with a strong stretch of play that resembles the player fans were excited about in 2017.

A Tough Year

Arcia, who turned 24 in August, appeared in 153 games last season and posted a respectable .731 OPS with 15 home runs and 2.5 WAR (according to Baseball Reference). He also stole 14 bases and scored 56 times.

When the calendar rolled over to the new year, Arcia’s production didn’t stay. He appeared in only 119 games this season as his on-base percentage fell by 56 points to .268 while his OPS dipped by more than 150 points.

Arcia became a negative WAR player. He hit only three home runs in 348 at bats in the regular season. It was tough for him to stay in the lineup.

Arcia started to show signs of coming out of his slump down the pennant stretch After posting an OPS of only .477 in July, he rebounded with .673 OPS in August and .733 in September. His eight runs batted in in September matched his total production from the previous three months combined.

There were signs of hope. Nonetheless, the infield depth the Brewers had with Travis Shaw, Hernán Pérez and in-season additions Schoop and Mike Moustakas meant that Arcia wasn’t necessarily assured a spot on the postseason roster.

Bouncing Back

The Brewers needed to win game 163 to claim the National League Central Division title. Arcia batted eighth in the bonus game and surprised everyone with four hits and two of the Brewers’ three runs.

When Colorado bounced the Cubs in the wild-card game, the Brewers knew they would face a potent offense. Yet Counsell remained confident in Arcia.

Arcia started two of the Division Series games in the Brewers’ three-game sweep, going 2-for-8. He scored a run as a pinch-hitter in Game 2. He ran for Jesús Aguilar in the eighth inning. He then homered in Game 3 in Denver.

“Most important I think has been keeping my head strong, having a strong head, staying positive at all times and just working on everything day-to-day,” Arcia told the media after the Brewers’ Game 3 win in the Division Series. “Even if things didn’t go right, you’ve still got to keep working on it and get better every day, and then take whatever all the other guys are telling you, take all their advice that you gain from the guys and be very thankful that all the guys have been on my back and been supporting me from the beginning.”

He has continued his improved offensive showing against the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, which is tied at 1 heading into Game 3 Monday night at Dodger Stadium. He has a hit and a run in each of the first two games of the best-of-seven series.

Arcia started the scoring for Milwaukee with his second home run of the postseason in Game 2 on Saturday. He now has two home runs in 16 postseason at-bats after hitting three in 348 at-bats in the regular season.

Arcia has scored in four straight postseason games and has a hit in all four games he’s started.

Milwaukee will need continued production from him in the bottom third of their lineup to advance to the World Series. If he continues to keep his head strong, the Brewers should have renewed confidence in their young shortstop.

Featured Image: Stacy Revere / Getty Images Sport