Padres Claim Outfielder Oswaldo Arcia from Marlins
Aug 20, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins right fielder Oswaldo Arcia (31) hits a single in the second inning against the Cleveland Indians at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
The position player merry-go-round continues for the San Diego Padres as the team has made yet another waiver wire claim. This time the ball club has claimed outfielder Oswaldo Arcia from the Miami Marlins. He will be in the lineup tonight for the Padres.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller is pulling out all the stops in acquiring young talent. Arcia is a decent pick up for the Padres all though he does come to a team that is currently rich in young outfielders.
Hunter Renfroe is the right fielder of the future and Manuel Margot and Travis Jankowski also look to be outfielders of the future for the Padres. Then you have Alex Dickerson, Jabari Blash, Nick Torres, Patrick Kivlehan and Jon Jay to factor in the Padres plans for the near future. Jay is set for free agency, but in recent days there has been a ton of talk that the Padres will try to extend him as a mentor to this young group of outfielders.
A.J. Preller claimed Arcia because he needs offense presently. With Renfroe still in Triple-A, the Padres could use Arcia almost daily at the position. The left handed hitting outfielder has plenty of power and it is really no surprise the Friars put a claim in on him.
#Padres have an opening in RF until the Hunter Renfroe era begins. Oswaldo Arcia is next up after he was claimed off waivers from #Marlins.
— Jason Martinez (@mlbdepthcharts) August 27, 2016
The Padres have a deep left handed hitting lineup now. Ryan Schimpf, Yangervis Solarte, Alex Dickerson and now Arcia will help balance the team against right handed pitchers. Last season the team was constantly abused as they had a mostly right handed hitting lineup on a daily basis.
Preller recognized the fact the team needed more balance in the lineup and in the pitching staff and I commend him for addressing those issue. Eith the additions of Ryan Buchter, Buddy Baumann, Brad Hand and company the Padres have left handed options out of the pen. Something that was missing from last seasons squad.
#Padres claim Oswaldo Arcia from #Marlins – https://t.co/akey7U3xKZ
— Today’s Knuckleball (@KnuckleballFRS) August 27, 2016
Looking at Arcia’s numbers you will see that he has plenty of power but does fail to walk enough to earn decent on base numbers. He is still only 25 and has shown flashes of production at the major league level. In 2013 for the Twins, he drove in 57 runs and hit 20 homers in 372 at bats. The problem with Arcia is he is a horrible defender in the outfielder. Most scouting reports indicate he is well below average and having him in right field could lead to many Matt Kemp flashbacks for the Padres.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.