By promoting Orlando Arcia from within, Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos single-handedly made front offices everywhere look completely foolish in the highly-publicized offseason shortstop sweepstakes.
It is still so early, but the Atlanta Braves may won the offseason shortstop race by a landslide.
Last winter, there were four marquee shortstops hitting MLB free agency, including one of the Braves' own in Dansby Swanson. Trea Turner signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, Xander Bogaerts went to the San Diego Padres, Carlos Correa eventually returned to the Minnesota Twins and Swanson walked to the Chicago Cubs. Atlanta did not land a single one of these star players…
As fate would have it, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos knew what he had in Orlando Arcia and didn't let anyone pick up on his scent. The thought was top prospect Vaughn Grissom would become the every-day shortstop in Atlanta. Unfortunately, his glove was not up to snuff. Arcia was always seen as a defensive wiz, but now his bat is making him the favorite to start for the NL now.
At three years and $7.3 million, the Braves have gotten undeniably positive return on Arcia in this.
While Bogaerts, Correa, Swanson and Turner could all end up being better than Arcia in the long run on their mega-deals, it is safe to say that the Braves are playing some four-dimensional chess.
The bang for the buck the Atlanta Braves have gotten on Orlando Arcia is absurd
Even if Arcia did miss some time this season with a wrist injury, he has been a vibrant part of why Atlanta looks like the team to beat in the National League this season. With teammate Ronald Acuña Jr. playing at an MVP level, Arcia's rise to national prominence at short has been nothing short of amazing. We knew the Milwaukee Brewers did value him, but nobody saw this coming.
In the simplest manner I can possibly state it, the Braves are getting Swanson contract-year production out of Arcia for pennies on the dollar. Frankly, he may be the future at short in Atlanta, not Grissom or even Braden Shewmake. Simply put, Arcia has fit right in with the Braves' roster and clubhouse since coming over. He waited for his turn to shine and he has made the most of it.
Ultimately, there could be some regression to the mean in the second half, and in the weeks to come. However, the Braves clearly have one of the most valuable players in all of baseball, for the money, in Arcia. His first half has been exceptional. If he got the start for the NL All-Star team at shortstop in Seattle, that might be as surprising as the Cincinnati Reds leading the NL Central now.
Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, but Arcia looks to be here to stay starring in Braves Country.