Oswaldo Arcia Stats & Scouting Report

AB	255
AVG	.286
OBP	.414
SLG	.514
HR	13

Full name Oswaldo Celestino Arcia
Born 05/09/1991 in Anaco, Venezuela
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: L / Throws: R
Debut 04/15/2013

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Appalachian League MVP in 2012, Arcia has a younger brother, Orlando, in the Brewers system. Oswaldo missed two months of 2011 with a right elbow injury, but was healthy last season. Arcia's supreme confidence in his hitting ability rankles opponents at times, probably because they find it hard to get him out. He walks the line between patience and aggressiveness well, pounding mistakes and showing plenty of bat speed to turn on good fastballs. He has improved his ability to lay off pitches out of the strike zone, and he stays back and balanced against lefthanders and offspeed stuff in general. He has lost some speed but runs well enough to stay in right field, where his strong, accurate arm is an asset. Arcia fits the right-field profile well, as he's shown the ability to hit for average and power. He will start 2013 season back in Double-A New Britain but could push for a spot in Triple-A Rochester, and Minnesota's outfield shakeup could speed his timetable.
Though Arcia has yet to get past Class A, Minnesota protected him on its 40-man roster because he has one of the system's most potent bats. He won Appalachian League MVP honors in 2010 after hitting .375/.424/.672 to top the circuit in all three categories. He hurt his right elbow last year, limiting him to DH duty in April and requiring surgery that sidelined him for two months, but he held his own at Fort Myers once he returned. With a lefthanded stance that evokes Bob Abreu, he has the strength and bat speed to make hard contact to all fields. He has plus raw power and doesn't need to square balls up to drive them. Unlike Abreu, Arcia doesn't draw a lot of walks. He has slowed down as he has gotten bigger and stronger, necessitating a move from center field to right. He regained his plus arm strength after the surgery and remains raw defensively. Arcia is pushing his way into Minnesota's big league picture sooner than later. For 2012, Arcia will start back at Fort Myers and make his way to Double-A at some point.
The Twins have international outfield depth in their farm system. A Venezuelan, Arcia pushed himself past German teenager Max Kepler, Puerto Rican toolshed Angel Morales and solid Canadian Rene Tosoni in 2010. He led the Rookie-level Appalachian League in nine categories, including batting (.375), on-base percentage (.424) and slugging (.672) while winning MVP honors. Arcia has has good plate coverage and a sound, strong swing, giving him present hitting and power-hitting ability. He already hits balls to all fields with some authority, though he'll need to make more consistent contact. He got plenty of experience against offspeed pitches last season, getting a steady diet of them after getting off to a fast start. Previously a switch-hitter, he has batted solely lefthanded since leaving the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League two years ago. Arcia has played a lot of center field and is a solid runner, but he projects better at a corner spot. Though his average arm could allow him to fit in right field, he may be better suited for left. Arcia earns comparisons to Bobby Abreu for his stance, hitting ability and body, though he lacks Abreu's trademark plate discipline. He'll be challenged to keep putting up Nintendo numbers at Beloit in 2011, when he'll play in cold weather for the first time.
The Twins don't have a great track record of developing players from the Dominican Republic, but they've had their share of success in Venezuela, from Luis Rivas to Jose Mijares to top catching prospect Wilson Ramos. Their latest find is Arcia, a strong hitter who could wind up fitting the right-field profile. Arcia thrived in the Gulf Coast League, as he's physically mature and has a fairly advanced hitting approach. He has plus raw power and current usable power but still was the third-toughest GCL regular to strike out. He has shown the ability to use the whole field, though he can get pull-happy. He impressed Twins coaches by adjusting as the season went along to constantly getting pitched away, hitting the ball with authority to the opposite field. Club officials laud his makeup. Arcia is an average runner with good instincts in the outfield. He has played center field on occasion, though he should slow down as he ages and wind up in right. His arm grades out as above average. He struggled in his first exposure to professional-quality lefthanded pitching, hitting just .194. Arcia has five average or better tools, and his hitting is advanced enough for the Twins to have high expectations. He could be the system's breakout player in 2010, when he's slated for low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Arcia earned a callup to Minnesota after just nine games with Rochester, replacing Wilkin Ramirez on the roster. He made an impression with his bat and stayed with the Twins for most of the season, keeping his head above water but striking out too much for his power to fully manifest. Capable of hitting 20-plus homers in the big leagues with a balanced, powerful swing, Arcia clubbed 16 extra-base hits?including 10 homers?in 38 games with the Red Wings. As with any young power hitter, he?s still learning the strike zone. Arcia has the arm to play right field, but he won?t be a factor on the bases and has playable range. His future is tied to his bat.
If not for an elbow injury that cut short his 2011 season, Arcia likely would have begun this year in Double-A. He needed just two months to earn that promotion, impressing FSL observers with his ability to hit for both average and power. He works counts into his favor, then unleashes his plus raw power. Arcia is a tick below-average runner who figures to get even slower because he has a thick, powerful build. He'll still an average defender in right field, thanks to his good reads on flyballs. His strong arm keeps runners honest.
Arcia emerged as name-brand prospect after winning Rookie-level Appalachian League MVP honors in 2010, but an elbow injury cut into his encore season. He regained momentum this year, ranking as the EL's top corner-bat prospect following his second-half promotion to New Britain. Minnesota's Target Field mutes lefty power, but Arcia has the raw pop to hit 20-plus homers on an annual basis. He gets through a hand hitch in his swing to whip the bat through the zone, making enough contact to hit for a decent average. Facing big league lefthanders shouldn't be a problem, because he hangs in well against southpaws. "He might have been best hitter in this league with that approach. It's a special bat," Boles said. "He has the most quiet lower half I've seen at this level. He's just so balanced. He makes adjustments within the at-bat, and I'm not sure if we ever got him out." Arcia has filled out considerably since he patrolled center field in Rookie ball, and he's now strictly a strong-armed right fielder. He's a slightly below-average runner.
Elbow problems limited Arcia to DH duty early in the season at low Class A Beloit and eventually required surgery that landed him on the disabled list for two months. He joined Fort Myers in late June, allowing him to resume playing while being near the Twins' rehab facilities. Though he wasn't 100 percent, Arcia still displayed his plus power to all fields. He has the strength and bat speed to profile as a slugging corner outfielder. He doesn't draw many walks and needs to control the strike zone better, but he does show a willingness to make adjustments and shorten his stroke with two strikes. Arcia had average arm strength before he got hurt. He was still tentative with his throws when he first came back, but he did learn to trust his elbow and get better carry on his throws. An average runner at best, he gets good enough reads and jumps on balls to be a serviceable defender.
An easy choice as league player of the year, Arcia led the Appy in nine key categories, including batting (.375), on-base percentage (.424), slugging (.672) and RBIs (51). His slugging percentage was the second-highest in the league in the last 14 seasons, behind only Greeneville's Mitch Einerston's .692 in 2004, and he fell just three homers short of the triple crown. "He's the best hitter at that age I've seen," Johns said. "Even in lefty-on-lefty situations, he keeps his shoulder in and stays on the pitch." Despite Elizabethton's inviting right-field porch, Arcia consistently lined the ball up the middle and to left field with authority, showing a mature, all-fields approach. The numbers back this up, as he hit 12 of his 14 homers on the road. Reviews of the rest of Arcia's game were mixed. He swings and misses a lot, especially against lefthanders, and he struggled at times to maintain balance against breaking balls. He also fought a hitch in his swing where he would drop his hands during his load. Arcia runs and throws OK and profiles best as a run-producing right fielder, though he played mostly center for Elizabethton.

Top 100 Rankings

Scouting Reports

Background: A center fielder when he won Appalachian League MVP honors in 2012, Arcia has thickened up and gotten stronger as he's matured. He missed two months of 2011 with a right elbow injury, but bounced back to earn the rare midseason promotion from the patience-loving Twins. Scouting Report: Arcia's supreme confidence in his hitting ability rankles opponents at times, probably because they find it hard to get him out consistently. He walks the line between patience and aggressiveness well, pounding mistakes and showing plenty of bat speed to turn on good fastballs. He has improved his ability to lay off pitches out of the strike zone, and he stays back and balanced against lefthanders and offspeed stuff in general. He has lost some speed but runs well enough to stay in right field, where his strong, accurate arm is an asset. The Future: Arcia fits the right-field profile well. The Twins used to think he'd be a .260 hitter with power or a .300 hitter with 10-15 homers, but now they believe he can combine the best of both worlds. He likely will start 2013 season back in Double-A New Britain but could push for a spot in Triple-A Rochester. Minnesota right fielders hit just 10 homers in 2012, so he could push for a big league spot sooner rather than later if he continues to rake.
Background: Though Arcia has yet to play above high Class A, Minnesota protected him on its 40-man roster in November because he has one of the system's most potent bats. He was the 2010 Appalachian League MVP after hitting .375/.424/.672 to top the circuit in all three categories. He hurt his right elbow last year, limiting him to DH duty in April and requiring surgery that sidelined him for two months, but he held his own at Fort Myers once he returned. Scouting Report: If not for Miguel Sano, Arcia would be the Twins' best power prospect. With a lefthanded stance that evokes Bob Abreu, he has the strength and bat speed to make hard contact to all fields. He has plus raw power and doesn't need to square balls up to drive them. Unlike Abreu, Arcia doesn't draw a lot of walks. He has slowed down as he has gotten bigger and stronger, necessitating a move from center field to right. He regained his plus arm strength after the surgery. He's still raw defensively and eventually could fit best in left field. The Future: Arcia and Joe Benson could man the Twins' outfield corners in the near future. For 2012, Arcia will start back at Fort Myers and hit his way to Double-A at some point.