Biography
Orlando Jesús Arcia (born August 4, 1994) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Milwaukee Brewers signed Arcia as an international free agent in 2010. He made his MLB debut in 2016 with the Brewers, and was traded to the Braves during the 2021 season.
Career
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers signed Arcia as an international free agent in October 2010. He made his professional debut in 2011 with the Dominican Summer League Brewers. He missed the 2012 season due to a broken ankle he suffered during spring training. Arcia returned in 2013 to play for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Class A Midwest League and played for the Brevard County Manatees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League in 2014. He spent the 2015 season with the Biloxi Shuckers of the Class AA Southern League. In July, he played in the 2015 All-Star Futures Game. After hitting .307/.347/.453 with eight home runs, Arcia was named the Brewers Minor League Player of the Year for 2015. The Brewers added him to their 40-man roster after the season. He also spent 2014 and 2015 playing for the Caribes de Anzoategui of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League, a winter league held during MLB's offseason.
Arcia began the 2016 season with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. He made his major league debut on August 2. In 55 games for the Brewers, he hit .219/.273/.358 with 4 home runs and 17 RBIs.
The following season, he played in 153 games, he hit .277/.324/.407 with 15 home runs and 14 stolen bases.
On July 1, 2018, he was demoted to AAA for the second time in the season. He was hitting .197 before the demotion. He was recalled on July 26 and rebounded to finish the season hitting .236/.268/.307 with 3 homers and 30 RBIs, including two walk-off singles. In Game 3 of the 2018 NLDS against the Colorado Rockies, he homered off of Wade Davis to extend the Brewers' lead in their eventual series-clinching 6-0 victory. In Game 2 of the NLCS, he homered off of Hyun-jin Ryu to start the scoring, but the Brewers would lose that game to Los Angeles 4-3.
In 2019, Arcia batted .223/.283/.350 with 15 home runs, and 59 RBIs. After the season, the Brewers acquired shortstop Luis Urías and had Arcia and Urías platoon at shortstop in 2020. He appeared in 59 games in the COVID-shortened season, batting .260/.317/.416 with 5 home runs and 20 RBI in 173 at-bats.
Atlanta Braves
On April 6, 2021, the Brewers traded Arcia to the Atlanta Braves for Patrick Weigel and Chad Sobotka. The Braves assigned Arcia to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. On July 3, he was recalled from Gwinnett. Arcia and Sean Newcomb were optioned to Gwinnett on July 31, as trade acquisitions Jorge Soler and Richard Rodríguez joined the team. When rosters expanded in September 2021, Arcia rejoined the Atlanta Braves. In 2021 in the majors, between the two teams he batted .198/.258/.309 with 2 home runs and 14 RBIs in 81 at bats. The Braves finished with an 88–73 record, clinching the NL East, and eventually won the 2021 World Series, giving the Braves their first title since 1995.
On November 30, 2021, Arcia and the Braves agreed to a two-year contract worth $3 million. In 2022, Following an injury to Ozzie Albies, Arcia became the Braves' starting second baseman. During a game against the Boston Red Sox on August 9, 2022, Arcia injured his hamstring while running the bases.
In spring training in 2023, Arcia competed against Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake for the starting shortstop job. Though Grissom entered the spring as the favorite, Arcia won the position on the strength of his glove; Grissom and Shewmake were optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on March 20, 2023. On Opening Day, Arcia and the Braves agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $7.3 million. The contract also included a team option for the 2026 season for $2 million, or a $1 million buyout. Arcia was hit by a pitch from Hunter Greene on April 12, and remained on the injured list through May 6. At the midseason, Arcia for the first time was named a starting shortstop for the National League in the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
In 139 games for the Braves in 2023, Arcia batted .264/.321/.420 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI.
In 2024, Arcia played in 157 games for Atlanta, batting .218/.271/.354 with 17 home runs and 46 RBI.
Personal life
He has an older brother, Oswaldo Arcia, who has also played in MLB.