LA Angels Wednesday News Crash: Southern Cookin

Since most folks here probably don’t have a subscription to Baseball America, I’ll post an excerpt from the data dive they published on Arquette this morning:

Under the hood, Arquette shows strong power metrics across the board, with a patient—if not passive—approach. His bat-to-ball skills are squarely average as far as college baseball metrics go, with a contact rate of 77.1% overall. This is fairly consistent against all pitch types and his ability to hit offspeed is actually slightly above-average. His in-zone contact rate of 84.5% is also right within the median. 

Arquette likely will see his bat-to-ball metrics back up when he reaches the upper minors or, if things go well, the majors. He’s unlikely to be an above-average contact hitter. At 6-foot-5, Arquette has long limbs and while he is adept at staying shorter to the ball than most hitters his size, he’ll likely need to make an adjustment against pro pitchers.

Arquette’s somewhat passive approach mitigates some of his whiff risk. His 40.6% swing rate and 24.2% chase rate are just about average. However, he takes a higher rate of balls down the heart of the plate without swinging. Arquette’s 63.8% heart swing and 60% zone-swing are both below-average metrics, leaving some concern that he’s more passive than patient. 

His power and ability to make his best contact at good angles are major selling points in his profile. Arquette’s 108.1 mph 90th percentile exit velocity is above-average, as is his 59% hard-hit rate this season. His barrel rate of 30.7% shows he consistently makes hard contact at optimal angles, as does his hard-hit launch angle of 18.9 degrees and a pull angle of 10.1 degrees. Arquette punishes all pitch types, though his barrel rate drops a little versus breaking balls. 

Overall, there’s a bit to like about Arquette and his ability to catch a high rate of barrels with solid plate skills and above-average power in game. If Arquette can get more aggressive in the zone without tanking his approach, there’s a potential above-average regular with defensive value and power.