Orlando Arcia was recently designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves after parts of five seasons with the team. While the move wasn’t too surprising—especially since Nick Allen had firmly taken over as the starting shortstop—seeing Arcia in a different uniform still caught fans off guard. Now, in just his second game with the Colorado Rockies, Arcia has already delivered a huge favor to his former team.
Facing Clay Holmes, Arcia crushed a sinker up in the zone for an opposite-field home run, just out of Tyrone Taylor’s reach in right-center, giving the Rockies a 1-0 lead over the New York Mets. After going homerless in 35 plate appearances this season with Atlanta, Arcia hit his first home run in just his fourth at-bat with Colorado.
Despite the rocky start this season, Arcia was an unexpected All-Star for the Braves in 2023 and became a fan favorite. Even wearing a different jersey now, Braves fans want to see him succeed—just not against their team, unless it’s helping the Braves by beating the Mets. Any loss by the Mets benefits Atlanta as they chase them in the NL East and the Wild Card race, even though they trail New York by 8.5 games in June.
Orlando Arcia
That said, there’s a good chance Arcia’s homer won’t have a huge impact. The Rockies’ 9-49 record speaks for itself, and they could finish as one of the worst teams in recent MLB history. Beating the Mets won’t be easy, and as of now, New York has taken a 4-3 lead.
Still, Braves fans can appreciate Arcia’s effort to help Colorado pull off an upset at Citi Field. For Atlanta to make a playoff push, they’ll need both strong performances and some good fortune—and Arcia leading the Rockies to a win over a rival team definitely counts as a lucky break.
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