Oswaldo Arcia

[William Malone]

Oswaldo Celestino Arica was born on May 9, 1991 in Venezuela.

The Minnesota Twins signed him as an amateur free agent in 2007. He became one of the best offensive players in their farm system, batting .306 at various levels between 2010 and 2012. Baseball America ranked him as the league's 41st best prospect on their pre-season list in 2013. Arcia began that season in Triple-A, but was quickly called up to make his Major League debut on April 13th.

He singled off veteran starter Joe Blanton in his first career at-bat. His first home run came a week later against young phenom José Fernández. Arcia played 94 games for Minnesota as a rookie, slashing .251/.304/.430 with 14 home runs and 43 RBI. He struggled on defense, and was worth -17 defensive runs saved in 712.1 innings.

Arcia began 2014 as the Twins regular right fielder, but he quickly found himself on the disabled list with a wrist injury after just four games. He returned at the end of May, and wound up hitting .231/.300/.452 across 103 games of action. Arcia hit 20 home runs and drove in 57. His defense was somewhat improved, but still not great. He was worth -10 defensive runs saved in 846.2 innings.

Minnesota once again penciled Arcia into their Opening Day lineup in 2015. He slashed .276/.338/.378 through 19 games, but found himself on the disabled list with a hip injury in early May. Arcia was riding a six game hitting streak at the time of his injury. He never made it back to the Majors that season, with rookie outfielders Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton emerging while Arcia was on the injured list. The Twins optioned him to Triple-A after his hip healed, and he hit just .199 in 79 games with the Rochester Red Wings that summer.

It was a crowded outfield in 2016, especially with Miguel Sano bizarrely making his way out there. Arcia still made the Opening Day roster as a backup, but he was out of options and on thin ice. He made an impact in April, hitting a few clutch bombs. This included a tie breaking home run in the eighth inning on April 16th, and a walk-off home run on April 25th. Arcia had an .851 OPS through his first 17 appearances, but he went just 6-for his next-47 (.128) and was designated for assignment on June 16, 2016.

He had brief stints with the Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres to finish off a well traveled  2016 campaign. Arcia hit .326 on a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017, but was never called up to the Majors. In the years since, Arcia has bounced around in various foreign or independent leagues. As of 2025, he is playing professionally in Mexico.

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