Opposite approach fits
Sudden burst of power for Arcia
Most hitters will tell you they know they are staying on pitches better when they take the ball to the opposite field. For Orlando Arcia, that approach is even more important.
The Brewers’ 22year-old shortstop homered to right field for the second consecutive game Friday night, showing remarkable opposite-field power for an experienced player still finding his way to the majors. Arcia’s opposite-field approach is not a new thing to those who know him but manager Craig Counsell said it is impressive nevertheless.
“At this point in his career, it’s where he drives the ball best,” Counsell said. “I think it’s a great foundation for a young hitter, a great place to start. As he gains experience and puts at-bats under his belt, he’ll pull more balls in the air.
“Not everybody has the ability to (drive balls the other way), especially at the shortstop position. It excites you because that’s a good foundation to start with. I’ve always thought it’s harder to learn to hit the ball the other way than it is to pull the ball.
“The way Arcia is doing it is the preferred way to learn how to hit, from my perspective. You’re better to the off field, first. You learn the pull side later. Then, you’ll always have the off field to go to when you need a place to fall back too.”
Hitting coach Darnell Coles has been working with Arcia, a noted free swinger, on improving his plate discipline. With only three walks in 77 plate appearances entering Saturday, there is still work to be done there.
Coles also suggested to Arcia that he lower his hands at the plate to hopefully get to the ball more quickly and direct. Arcia tried it and didn’t like it, and has returned to the higher setup. But Coles has succeeded in toning down the excessive movement with Arcia’s hands that likely wasn’t helping.
“I’m working hard with D.C. every day and I’m feeling good at the plate right now,” Arcia said through translator Carlos Brizuela. “It’s a process.
“I was feeling uncomfortable when I moved my hands down a little bit. I talked to D.C. about it and went back to having my hands high. It feels good. I’ve hit like that my whole life. We have worked on having less movement.
“I’ve been working a lot on going the other way and putting good swings on the ball. When I see I’m hitting the ball that way, I know I’m staying back on the ball and hitting it hard. I feel like I’m seeing the ball well right now.”
Whatever Arcia is doing, it’s working. On April 18, he was batting .196 with a .534 OPS. Entering the second game against the Braves, he was hitting .243 with a .705 OPS.
“He’s had a couple of really good days,” Counsell said. “He’s a young hitter still learning and growing. He has struggled at times. But he’s making progress. You try not to look at in small snippets. You have to look at it in bigger time frames with him.”
Long gone: Counsell was asked if he was concerned about the home runs closer Neftali Feliz has surrendered already. He allowed three in his first 9 innings — game-deciding blasts by Colorado’s Nolan Arenado in the second game of the season, the Cubs’ Addison Russell in Chicago and Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman in the 10-8 loss Friday night.
In an otherwise solid year as a set-up man for Pittsburgh last season, Feliz did give up 10 home runs in 532⁄3 innings, a high rate. He has converted five of six saves for the Brewers but is 0-3 with a 6.52 ERA.
“He has given up some home runs and they’ve been to pretty good hitters,” Counsell said. “You’re in that job and you’re a late-inning reliever in close games. One swing over the fence is going to hurt you. Right now, that’s what has hurt him.
“That’s just a matter of pitch execution. We’ve got to make sure when those guys get up that can hurt us, we’ve got to make pitches to those guys. You make mistakes to those guys and that’s what happens.
“He’s a fly-ball pitcher. He’s a high fastball pitcher. Not that different from Corey (Knebel), really. There’s a margin for error when you’re pitching up in the zone with that kind of fastball. He’s aware of that. It can get you out of jams, too.”