Brewers: Orlando Arcia a top-10 fantasy shortstop in 2018?

By Brad Kelly | Sep 30, 2017

MILWAUKEE, WI - AUGUST 12: Orlando Arcia /

Orlando Arcia is having a tremendous rookie season for the Brewers. But, could the young shortstop ascend into the fantasy top-10 at his the position next season?

The Milwaukee Brewers will certainly be one of the best storylines from this season, as the rebuilding club was in playoff contention all year. One of their biggest contributors to their run was none other than 22-year-old, Orlando Arcia. But, could his breakout season propel him to top-10 shortstop fantasy status?

We covered Arcia and his early production in June, and he continued that success over the final three months of the season. He currently sits with a .273/15 HR/52 RBI/14 SB/ .726 OPS line over 543 at-bats. It is his first full season at the MLB level, yet there is a lot to like in his game.

From a fantasy perspective, he is one of thirteen shortstops to post at least 10 HR/10 SB this season. Not too shabby for a rookie, and a kid that spent most of the season hitting in the eight hole.

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Now that the season is all but over, fantasy owners can continue to be encouraged by his batted ball data.

He holds 19% LD, 52% GB, 29% FB, 47% Med and 30% Hard contact rates. The ground ball is rate is a little high for a player that could exploit Miller Park but with Arcia’s speed, he can get away with it.

While it can be easy for fantasy owners to get caught up in one good season from a rookie, it is important to highlight the adjustments that Arcia made as the season went on. Over the first half of the season, Arcia stuck out 18%, while only walking 5%.

But in the second half, he upped his BB rate to over 8%, while keeping his K rate the same. Another aspect of Arcia’s game that should not be overlooked, is that he managed to spray the ball over all the field. He posted at least a 25% contact rate to all fields, with over 40% going through the middle of the diamond.

He does have his blemishes, he did strike out 100 times compared to only 36 BB, and there is also his struggles versus LHH (.248/1 HR/8 RBI). He is young, yet these are areas that he can fix and has shown the ability to start adjusting too.

The shortstop in fantasy baseball is deeper than it has been in recent years, but Arcia is one of the rare 20 HR/20 SB threats. He is fast enough to get owners consistent SB numbers, and as he grows and gets the ball into the air more, the power will come to.

Orlando Arcia is one of the best-kept secrets in the game. He is already a defensive whiz and the bat skill is coming along nicely. The Brewers will also get him out of the eight-hole next season, further increasing his counting stats.

Next: Yankees Luis Severino: Overhyped or Undervalued in 2018?

You heard it here first: Orlando Arcia should be targeted as a top-10 fantasy SS next season.

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