Braves Briefing: MLB.com names Orlando Arcia as a 'surprise' on the All-MLB Team ballot

It was a wild year for Atlanta Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia.

Many were shocked when he won the starting shortstop role before the season. He picked up an extension. He was hot to start the season, suffered an injury, then picked up where he left off and became an All-Star for the first time in his career.

Brian Murphy at MLB.com put together his list of surprises for players listed on the All-MLB ballot. (You can vote here.) Going position by position, he named Arcia as a surprise name on the ballot when looking at shortstop. Here's more of what Murphy wrote:

Who would replace Dansby Swanson at shortstop? That was the top story to track during Braves Spring Training this year. As we got deep into March, the competition appeared to be between prospect Braden Shewmake and Vaughn Grissom, who was Atlanta’s No. 1 prospect when he debuted in 2022.
And the winner was Arcia. He won the job thanks in part to a .351 average and 1.037 OPS in the preseason. But considering he owned a 75 OPS+ through more than 2,000 career at-bats, perhaps some thought he would be just a temporary solution until one of the aforementioned youngsters was ready to fill the role.

Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, Austin Riley, Sean Murphy, Marcell Ozuna, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Spencer Strider are all of the Braves on the All-MLB ballot.

How long until pitchers and catchers report?

91 days. Atlanta's expected to ask pitchers and catchers to report on Monday, February 12th, in advance of their first spring training game on February 24th against the Tampa Bay Rays. An official announcement of the reporting date will come in January.

Here's the odds for the top 10 teams to win the 2024 World Series according to FanDuel

Atlanta Braves - +600
Los Angeles Dodgers - +700
Texas Rangers - +850
Houston Astros - +850
Philadelphia Phillies - +1100
New York Yankees - +1400
Tampa Bay Rays - +1500
Toronto Blue Jays - +1500
Baltimore Orioles - +1500
Minnesota Twins - +1800

Important Braves Today Offseason Stories
2023 MLB Free Agent Rankings
Current Atlanta Braves prospect rankings
Current Atlanta Braves 40-man roster
Key offseason dates for the Atlanta Braves
Projecting the 2024 Atlanta Braves' arbitration salaries

Check out Braves Today on Socials!
Follow Braves Today on Twitter!
Like Braves Today on Facebook!
Check out the homepage for more Atlanta Braves News!
Subscribe to Braves Today on YouTube!
Get Exclusive Braves Merchandise