Oswaldo Arcia

Arcia began last season as Minnesota's starting left fielder and looked poised for a breakout year after hitting 20 home runs in 2014, but he spent most of the season in the minors and his future with the Twins is uncertain since he's out of minor league options. Arcia had two home runs and a .718 OPS before landing on the DL with a hip injury in early May. When he was finally healthy, he was surprisingly optioned to Triple-A in June and never returned to the majors. Arcia struggled in Rochester, hitting .199 with a .629 OPS and striking out at a minor league career-high 26.4% clip. Despite his lost season, Arcia still has upside as he's only 24 years old and still possesses outstanding power (14 home runs last year despite his struggles). That said, he may have a hard time finding playing time with the Twins since his outfield defense is brutal and there's a logjam at DH and 1B in Minnesota. Arcia could provide value if traded to another organization that gives him regular playing time, but that is a dangerous waiting game to play in single-season leagues.

Arcia enters 2015 with a starting job and an improving power stroke at the plate, which may enable him to have a full breakout in his age-24 season. After a 2-for-18 start to his 2014 campaign, Arcia injured his wrist and missed a month. It took him awhile to regain his form, but he improved in the second half by hitting .239/.290/.517 with 15 home runs after the All-Star break. He has shown that his minor league power translates to the majors, but unfortunately his lack of contact also hinders him in Minnesota. Arcia struck out in 31.0% of his plate appearances for a second consecutive season. He drew a few more walks in his second season, which is encouraging since he walked at a good clip in the minors. If Arcia can draw more walks and make more contact, he could take a significant leap at the plate. He'll also need to improve his defense, as most defensive metrics graded him as one of the worst outfielders in the majors for a second consecutive season. With Torii Hunter signed to play right field, Arcia will shift to left, and he may wind up as a first baseman or DH in the long run. Wherever he plays, he should have a set role in the middle of the order for the Twins as one of the team's up-and-coming power hitters.

Arcia had a promising rookie debut at age 22 in the majors by hitting .251/.304/.430 with 14 home runs. His primary asset is his power (24 home runs between the majors and Triple-A), and he had good slugging percentage numbers in the minors. He does struggle to make contact, which was magnified in the majors, as he struck out in 31 percent of his plate appearances. While he earned free passes at a good clip in the minors, Arcia drew walks in just six percent of plate appearances with the Twins. Though his rookie numbers were not overly impressive, Arcia was still able to hold his own for such a young player. If he can increase his walks and reduce his strikeouts to his minor league levels, he may improve dramatically in his second year. He'll also need to improve his defense, as he graded out with a -12.3 UZR in the outfield and ultimately may need to move to first base or DH. Arcia will begin the season as the starting right fielder for the Twins and as one of the main building blocks on a rebuilding team.

Arcia may be one of the top outfield prospects in baseball after hitting .320/.388/.539 with 17 home runs between two stops in the minors last season. He hit .309 with a .893 OPS in 55 games at High-A before being promoted to Double-A in June, where he was even better in tough hitting environment (.328/.398/.557 with 10 home runs). Arcia excelled at Double-A even though he was just 21 years old. He has excellent power and draws walks at a robust rate (10 percent of plate appearances). He will need to make more contact and reduce his strikeouts or his batting average may not be an asset at higher levels. He will likely begin the season at Double-A, but it would not be surprising to see him in Minnesota in September and figure prominently in the team's rebuilding plans.

Arcia is quickly rising up the prospect charts after continuing to thrive following his strong rookie league debut in 2010. He got off to a strong start at Low-A by hitting .420 with five home runs in 20 games before missing a month with a right elbow injury. When he returned he was promoted to High-A, but slowed a bit by hitting .263/.300/.460 with eight home runs. After previously drawing walks at a decent rate, he had just nine walks in 213 at-bats last season. However, he was just 20 years old in High-A, so he was younger than his competition. Arcia has shown good power and could be an impact player in the majors, but we'll need to see how he fares in a full season at higher levels.