Oct 15, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia (3) reacts after hitting a two run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the seventh inning in game three of the 2018 NLCS playoff baseball series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Orlando Arcia was one of the very worst hitters in Major League Baseball during the 2018 regular season.

The Milwaukee Brewers’ shortstop had a .236/.268/.307 slash line, with three home runs, and a 54 wRC+. Of hitters with at least 300 plate appearances, Arcia was third-worst in OPS and wRC+. Arcia’s offensive woes even led to the Brewers sending him down to Triple-A twice during the season, despite his very good defense at shortstop.

Now, it should be noted that Arcia is still just 24 years old and was a top-10 MLB prospect entering the 2016 season. He was expected to be a much better offensive player than he’s been; the ability and upside have always been there.

Well, all of a sudden, Arcia looks as good as any hitter alive, and at the most important time.

In Monday night’s Game 3 of the NLCS, Arcia hit a two-run opposite field homer against Dodgers’ rookie sensation Walker Buehler to give the Brewers a 4-0 lead in the seventh.

That’s Arcia’s third homer of the postseason. Or, the same amount of homers he hit in the *regular season*.

Arcia has homered in three of the last four games, and currently has a .737 SLG and 1.000 OPS in the postseason.

This is the perfect example of how friggin’ wacky baseball can be, and another example of a highly unexpected postseason hero (something that seems to happen just about every October).

Arcia’s stunning offensive contributions have played a huge part in Milwaukee’s playoff success. The Brewers held on to take down the Dodgers 4-0 in Game 3, and now have a 2-1 NLCS lead.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

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