Article: What Happened To Oswaldo Arcia?

[Nick Nelson]

Oswaldo Arcia debuted in the majors in 2013 at the age of 22, and last year he played in 103 games as a sophomore. Between the two campaigns he hit .241/.302/.441, and while his .743 OPS over that span may not seem terribly impressive, it was above average and that's a rare achievement for such a young hitter. Additionally, his 34 home runs were the third-most of any under-24 player in the big leagues, trailing only Mike Trout and Yasiel Puig.

 

While he certainly had his warts, it was clear that Arcia had the makings of an imposing offensive threat, as his monster numbers in the minor leagues had foretold. The natural assumption was that the slugger would slot into the middle of the Minnesota lineup for many years to come.

 

Opening the season as the regular right fielder, Arcia was off to a decent start this season, batting .276/.338/.379 through 19 games, but he landed on the disabled list in early May and since then things have deteriorated to the point where his future with the Twins looks extremely murky.Arcia's hip injury healed up within a few weeks and he was ready to return to the field in late May. He reported to Rochester for a rehab assignment and went 0-for-11 in his first four games, so the Twins -- pleased with the impact of Eddie Rosario in the outfield -- elected to option Arcia and keep him in Triple-A. At the time, that seemed like a temporary move, but two-and-a-half months later, Arcia remains stuck in the minors, and he's doing very little to help his case.

 

Following a torrid stretch in early July in which he smashed eight home runs in 13 games, pushing himself to the brink of a recall, Arcia has fallen in the tank worse than ever. Since the International League All-Star break ended on July 16th, Arcia is hitting .125/.220/.225 in 24 games, with strikeouts in 30 percent of his plate appearances.

 

His overall .221/.286/.407 line with the Red Wings would look bad for any 24-year-old corner outfielder, but is almost unfathomable from a guy who has been a successful big-league hitter for two years and had previously torched Triple-A to the tune of .312/.388/.595.

 

Something's going on here. I can surmise three possibilities:

 

1) He's hurt. It would hardly be the first time. Injuries have plagued Arcia in recent years, causing him to miss significant time in both 2013 and 2014. Maybe his hip issue from earlier this season has reemerged, or maybe something new is affecting him. Whatever the case, there have been no specific reports of any ongoing health problems for Arcia in Triple-A (although he did leave Thursday's game after getting hit in the knee with a pitch).

 

2) He's sulking. Arcia is a pretty emotional guy. He pumps his fists enthusiastically after big hits and slams his bat down after strikeouts. Could it be that his frustration with being mired in Triple-A after establishing himself as a big-league hitter is hampering his performance? I tend to doubt it but wouldn't rule it out.

 

3) He has gotten fundamentally worse as a hitter. Or maybe he's just slumping. He has been a pretty streaky hitter in the past. But this slump is dragging on and on, against pitchers that Arcia should be feasting against, and has in the past. Have opponents figured out new ways to take advantage of Arcia's lacking discipline? Has he gotten in his own head too much or screwed up his mechanics? Whatever the issues, he and Rochester hitting coach Tim Doherty have thus far been unable to solve them.

 

Given that the Twins are almost completely focused on building toward contention over the next couple years, having a key young piece like Arcia play his way out of their plans is painful. The silver lining here is that Eddie Rosario and Aaron Hicks are doing enough for the Twins right now to position themselves as quality options for entrenchment alongside Byron Buxton in the outfield going forward, while Max Kepler's marvelous season at Chattanooga adds to the encouraging youthful depth.

 

Still, one has to wonder just what has happened to Arcia's once-promising bat, and what the Twins will do with him this offseason now that his minor-league options have dried up.

 

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[Parker Hageman]

4) Terrible approach vs lefties.

 

.183/.250/.282 in 80 PAs this year. One of the things Brunansky stressed this spring was fixing Arcia so that he would be able to hit against same-sided pitching. Getting him to take better at bats vs lefties. Rosario isn't great vs LHP but he sames to have a clue in the batter's box. 

[Nick Nelson]

Good point Parker. Although you'd certainly like to see him producing more than a 750 OPS against righties in AAA.  

[DaveW]

 

Good point Parker. Although you'd certainly like to see him producing more than a 750 OPS against righties in AAA.  

I think you need to change your twitter handle on your profile...

[Nick Nelson]

Good call, DW. Thx

[DaveW]

If I had to guess anything it would be injury. Hip injuries seem to "stick" around for long periods of time, hell A-Rod basically vanished for over a year due to one, and even when he was "healthy-ish" he was playing poorly.

 

Hopefully he can perform well in ST next year and win a spot as at least a platoon DH type out of ST.

[Shane Wahl]

It almost has to be an injury that he is trying to play through.

[tobi0040]

In addition to Parker's #4, he is also by far the worst defensive OF on the roster.

 

I would say that he lost his spot in the lineup due to his defense and continued struggle against lefties.   He also was hot dogging it a bit, which is not what you expect from a guy on thin ice.

 

He was sent down and other stepped up, like Hicks and Rosario.  Then Sano came up and took the DH spot.  Not overly complicated.

 

Moving forward we have a few options options:

 

1) Give him another shot in a corner OF spot.  The issue is how can you take out Rosario or Hicks at this point? 

 

2) Give him a shot at DH.  This would involve a Plouffe trade and moving Sano to 3B. 

 

3) Platoon.  He has always been in the upper .700's in OPS against righties.  Last I checked that means about 80% of the games.

 

4) Trade him. 

 

5) Hold on too long and DFA him or trade him for a bag of peanuts.

 

Sorry guys, but methinks it will end up being #5.  #3 would be ideal but I don't think the Twins will ever devote a roster spot for a platoon player.

[Winston Smith]

Check see if he needs glasses! If that isn't it trade him to the Red Sox, he can take the dh spot from Ortiz when he retires.

[JaleelWhite FanClub]

 

In addition to Parker's #4, he is also by far the worst defensive OF on the roster.

 

I would say that he lost his spot in the lineup due to his defense and continued struggle against lefties.   He also was hot dogging it a bit, which is not what you expect from a guy on thin ice.

 

He was sent down and other stepped up, like Hicks and Rosario.  Then Sano came up and took the DH spot.  Not overly complicated.

 

Moving forward we have a few options options:

 

1) Give him another shot in a corner OF spot.  The issue is how can you take out Rosario or Hicks at this point? 

 

2) Give him a shot at DH.  This would involve a Plouffe trade and moving Sano to 3B. 

 

3) Platoon.  He has always been in the upper .700's in OPS against righties.  Last I checked that means about 80% of the games.

 

4) Trade him. 

 

5) Hold on too long and DFA him or trade him for a bag of peanuts.

 

Sorry guys, but methinks it will end up being #5.  #3 would be ideal but I don't think the Twins will ever devote a roster spot for a platoon player.

 

The outfield train may have left the station. The defensive potential of the Hicks, Buxton, Rosario trio is too great.

 

A combo of #2 & 3 would be ideal. Trade Plouffe to SD for catcher Austin Hedges. Arcia makes the Twins as a DH next spring. Then, by the middle of next season, we could see a DH platoon of Arcia & ABW in Minnesota. WHOA!!! MATCHUP MASHING!!!

[Monkeypaws]

Who would be the better DH candidate going forward, Arcia or Vargas?

[HitInAPinch]

Nick, I've gotta believe it's all 3, exactly in that order. 

 

I haven't seen video of Arcia plate appearances lately, but the recurrence of the hip injury certainly would explain the good July and sudden failures again.  I don't know anyone how wouldn't sulk, at least a little bit.  And probably lead to #3.

 

I'm not 100% up on his contact, but believe his options are up and Twins lose him.  I'd be tempted to try to sign him on the cheap and see what plays out next year.

[Thegrin]

He's young. He may be distracted by booze and women.  How many times have we seen that happen ? 

[Willihammer]

If his instagram feed is any indication, its not booze/women/lifestyle. Pretty much 90% of the photos are of his kids.

 

I would guess nagging hip injury. Maybe a stubborness about being coached, or a failure of coaching at some level.

[sane]

"What Happened To Oswaldo Arcia?"

 

To paraphrase comedian Ron White:

"You can't fix a bad haircut!"

[jimbo92107]

 

Nick, I've gotta believe it's all 3, exactly in that order. 

 

I haven't seen video of Arcia plate appearances lately, but the recurrence of the hip injury certainly would explain the good July and sudden failures again.  I don't know anyone how wouldn't sulk, at least a little bit.  And probably lead to #3.

 

I'm not 100% up on his contact, but believe his options are up and Twins lose him.  I'd be tempted to try to sign him on the cheap and see what plays out next year.

A lot of Arcia's power came from his strong hip turn, so a lingering hip injury would explain Oswaldo Arcia's predicament pretty well. Even if it's "healed up," he could be swinging the bat with a less vigorous hip turn for fear of re-injuring it, which would change his swing, killing his batting average and power.

 

Dang, what a lousy way to spend this transition year, stuck in AAA nursing a bad hip. Arcia could wind up going to some other team, then become Nick Swisher 2.0.

[BoomBoom]

 

Who would be the better DH candidate going forward, Arcia or Vargas?

How about the guy who averages 26 HRs and 100+ RBI every year?  With all his SOs, the one thing he is not doing is hitting into inning killing DPs.  We need the MASHer who out MASHed our only true MASHer we have right now (Miguel Sano).  At least in Chattanooga he did Lol  (15 to 22).  Why not see how flawed he is at some point?  Everybody might be surprised.  

 

Otherwise let Arcia do his thing, because he can hit the ball given a chance.  I'd rather have Arcia (24) than Mauer going forward as a promising hitter.

[sane]

Striking out is a good way to break up the double play!

[sane]

 

The outfield train may have left the station. The defensive potential of the Hicks, Buxton, Rosario trio is too great.

 

A combo of #2 & 3 would be ideal. Trade Plouffe to SD for catcher Austin Hedges. Arcia makes the Twins as a DH next spring. Then, by the middle of next season, we could see a DH platoon of Arcia & ABW in Minnesota. WHOA!!! MATCHUP MASHING!!!

A DH platoon causes a defensive substitution shortage at catcher, middle-infielder or defensive outfielder. Especially in a 13-man pitching staff and a three-man bench configuration.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

If I had to guess anything it would be injury. Hip injuries seem to "stick" around for long periods of time, hell A-Rod basically vanished for over a year due to one, and even when he was "healthy-ish" he was playing poorly.

 

Hopefully he can perform well in ST next year and win a spot as at least a platoon DH type out of ST.

 

He's out of options, so he's going to be on the roster or released.  I suspect he'll be on the roster as TR doesn't like to give up on prospects, and given Arcia's minor league success, it would be silly to let him go.  Personally, he's my opening day DH/occasional OF or the RF if Rosario has a sophomore slump.

 

That said, I hope it's his hip, as that would explain a lot.  Not that I want the kid injured, but an injury explains the poor performance.  I haven't seen guys who destroy AAA suddenly be unable to do it again.

[bluechipper]

There has to be something physically hurting him right now, or maybe the hip injury messed up his mechanics. Either way, I really hope they hold onto him because this team needs more guys with HR power, especially from the left side.

[Teflon]

Arcia's poor play has actually been fortunate for the Twins this year in that it has enabled ample playing time for Rosario and another chance to look at Hicks - both of whom can also field their positions.

[dxpavelka]

His career OPS is 4 points higher than our slugging all star.  I see 2 options.  1.  Close the book on 2015 and let him legitimately compete for a job next year.  2.  Let him go somewhere else, develop and make us look stupid once again.

Edited August 14, 2015 by dxpavelka

[sane]

 

"Let him go somewhere else, develop and make us look stupid once again"

 

The percentage of MLB players who develop and succeed with the organization that drafted them, is amazingly small.

Every MLB team repeatedly appears stupid in this regard.

[lukeduke1980]

 

Check see if he needs glasses! If that isn't it trade him to the Red Sox, he can take the dh spot from Ortiz when he retires.

 Ortiz's spot is currently reserved by Kennys Vargas

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Good question. Could be 1, 2, 3, some combination, or none of the above.

 

I understand Arcia is erratic in the field and will never be as good as the average or median outfielder. But.

 

But, actually when Arcia played in right field, he was capable of making some nice plays. That seems to be a more natural position for him. His best play was the soft fly or liner towards the foul line, on his glove side, when he could initiate a full-out run towards the ball without worrying about running into anybody, and then make a sliding catch of it. Here is one example. Those are plays Hunter does not make. 

 

People are contributing to this myth that Arcia is the worst outfielder in the major leagues, when he's really not even that close. Even Hunter was worse than Arcia in 2014.

 

If the Twins are smart, they will walk over to the shredder and feed Arcia's entire 2015 season into it. Someone in the office should tell him he has a future here. Give him the inside shot to win the RF job next season and platoon him against lefties. Substitute him from the game in the late innings when favorable. 

[Kwak]

Or, #6:  Got passed by younger men who have "played a 'better' game".  Hicks has developed into (almost) the guy the Twins thought they drafted--he is a ML player.  Rosario has also "brought a better game" than Arcia.  Hunter has been what the Twins wanted him to be (except he needs considerable rest).  Buxton is still the Twins #1 prospect--and there is an OF spot waiting for him (whenever he "seizes it").  Others have shown that they have (or at least may have) ML stamped on their forehead.  In short, Arcia got "squeezed-out" by others.  The start of Arcia's  Rochester rehab went well--but he wasn't promoted like before--Arcia learned he was no longer "anointed" and is now "sulking" (Reason #2).  Reasons #3 may be due to his "weaknesses" have been exposed even at the AAA level.  I think Arcia perceived all he had to do was "mash" some HRs and he's on his way to "Millionaire Acres"--he has found out otherwise, and hasn't adjusted to a "new reality".  I expect his future is not in a Minnesota Twins uniform.  Don't cry "Masher Fans", the Twins have better options in the OF than Arcia.

[tobi0040]

 

Or, #6:  Got passed by younger men who have "played a 'better' game".  Hicks has developed into (almost) the guy the Twins thought they drafted--he is a ML player.  Rosario has also "brought a better game" than Arcia.  Hunter has been what the Twins wanted him to be (except he needs considerable rest).  Buxton is still the Twins #1 prospect--and there is an OF spot waiting for him (whenever he "seizes it").  Others have shown that they have (or at least may have) ML stamped on their forehead.  In short, Arcia got "squeezed-out" by others.  The start of Arcia's  Rochester rehab went well--but he wasn't promoted like before--Arcia learned he was no longer "anointed" and is now "sulking" (Reason #2).  Reasons #3 may be due to his "weaknesses" have been exposed even at the AAA level.  I think Arcia perceived all he had to do was "mash" some HRs and he's on his way to "Millionaire Acres"--he has found out otherwise, and hasn't adjusted to a "new reality".  I expect his future is not in a Minnesota Twins uniform.  Don't cry "Masher Fans", the Twins have better options in the OF than Arcia.

 

Yeah, not a bad thing that other guys came up and played well.  That is what has happened.

 

I will say that if we plan on moving Plouffe and having Sano DH, I have a tough time finding a better DH than Arcia, especially against righties.  So 80% of the time we get a .780 OPS or so out of that spot.  I will take it.

 

I could see a plotoon against righties where we throw Arcia in the OF when someone like Gibson is pitching, a ground ball guy.  That is more what I would consider rather than what the Twins will do. 

 

Edited August 14, 2015 by tobi0040

[bluechipper]

 

Or, #6:  Got passed by younger men who have "played a 'better' game".  Hicks has developed into (almost) the guy the Twins thought they drafted--he is a ML player.  Rosario has also "brought a better game" than Arcia.  Hunter has been what the Twins wanted him to be (except he needs considerable rest).  Buxton is still the Twins #1 prospect--and there is an OF spot waiting for him (whenever he "seizes it").  Others have shown that they have (or at least may have) ML stamped on their forehead.  In short, Arcia got "squeezed-out" by others.  The start of Arcia's  Rochester rehab went well--but he wasn't promoted like before--Arcia learned he was no longer "anointed" and is now "sulking" (Reason #2).  Reasons #3 may be due to his "weaknesses" have been exposed even at the AAA level.  I think Arcia perceived all he had to do was "mash" some HRs and he's on his way to "Millionaire Acres"--he has found out otherwise, and hasn't adjusted to a "new reality".  I expect his future is not in a Minnesota Twins uniform.  Don't cry "Masher Fans", the Twins have better options in the OF than Arcia.

The Twins are always stuck at the bottom of the league in HRs...so the rational thing to do is trade away your second best power hitter, right? 

[Shane Wahl]

First question: Who do you think brings back more in a trade, Trevor Plouffe or Oswaldo Arcia?

 

Second question: Who do you want on the roster more, Trevor Plouffe or Oswaldo Arcia?