Eddie 500

[jorgenswest]

Was it the Eddie 400 campaign led by Brad Swanson last year at TD?

 

This year I think we need to up that to 500 or 600. Eduardo Escobar played well last year. He played well in the winter. He played well in the spring. He has earned and needs consistent playing time. How can Molitor make that happen?

 

Looking at the lineup, there are enough batters that struggle against lefties that he should be in he lineup every one of those games. The problem is that they don't play positions where he is an asset with the glove. Would Molitor consider playing Santana in CF against lefties with Eduardo at SS? Either Arcia or Schafer would be on the bench in that scenario. I think it is a better defensive set up than if Escobar were in the OF replacing Schafer or Arcia. Closing the door to the possibility that Santana in CF might help the team would be a mistake for the new manager.

 

Starting against all lefties. Would that get around 200 plate appearances?

 

Against right handed pitching, could they plan to give him 100 plate appearances from each of Plouffe, Santana and Dozier? At some point someone will be injured and it won't be an even split of the 300, but is the feasible?

 

It is important that he gets consistent playing time early in the season. It will help his bat and the Twins need his energy. There shouldn't be any game that Nunez or Robinson are in the line up with Eduardo on the bench.

 

"Eddie 500" - Molitor needs to figure it out.

 

Coming Soon - "Everyday Eddie"

[NoCryingInBaseball]

Good post! I've also been wondering how to get Escobar in the lineup on a more consistent basis. He has proven it with his bat.

[jorgenswest]

Is there anyone more deserving of being in the opening day line up?

[jimmer]

I like Escobar, but before we say he's proven anything, let's see him repeat how he did.  I'm not down on him but, like D. Santana, I'd like to see him show he can do it more than one season before I'm convinced he's really as good as some think he is. 

 

Having said that, in order to do that, he has to play and the good sign is he didn't tail off the last couple months (something one might expect when a player plays way more than they had before at the ML level).  Instead he bounced back.

[jorgenswest]

I like Escobar, but before we say he's proven anything, let's see him repeat how he did.  I'm not down on him but, like D. Santana, I'd like to see him show he can do it more than one season before I'm convinced he's really as good as some think he is. 

 

Having said that, in order to do that, he has to play and the good sign is he didn't tail off the last couple months (something one might expect when a player plays way more than they had before at the ML level).  Instead he bounced back.

How would you get him the regular playing time?

[jimmer]

 

How would you get him the regular playing time?

I like a lot of your ideas.  Not sure I have much to add.  I honestly think that it won't be more than a couple months until Santana is back in CF (whether that's because of the futility in CF or Santana not being able to handle the shortstop position at the ML level) and Escobar is at short, though.

[stringer bell]

Last year, Escobar was excellent vs. LH pitching, not so much vs. RH pitchers. He certainly should be on the field somewhere when the opposition starts a left hander. He only had an OPS of .654 against RH pitching, that is lower than every starter for that split. EE didn't have such dramatic splits until last year and his overall approach suggests to me that he'll normalize those splits. While it is unlikely he will start every day in the beginning of the year, if his splits close up and someone disappoints, I think he will get close to 500 PAs. It is hard to believe that he doesn't have a more regular role at this point, but there are reasons why other guys should start, at least against right handed pitching.

[Hrbowski]

If he gets 500 at bats it will mean that either we had several injuries or there was a trade, possibly involving him.

[jorgenswest]

If he gets 500 at bats it will mean that either we had several injuries or there was a trade, possibly involving him.

I don't doubt you, but I hope you are wrong. His performance at SS last year was among the Twins best since Roy Smalley. They don't have very much younger talent on the roster and they have to develop it well.

[Danchat]

With the way he batted last season and how he's done in Spring Training, he should get 500 ABs. If he proves that he's just a utility player, then he won't hit and he'll lose his ABs.

[Lazarus]

Molitor will need to use Escobar like Joe Maddon used Ben Zobrist the last few years - in the line up 5 out of 7 games all over the field. Or everyday when the inevitable injury occurs, or someone plays their way to Rochester. PM has a reputation for being cerebral - I think he can figure this out.

[jimmer]

 

Molitor will need to use Escobar like Joe Maddon used Ben Zobrist the last few years - in the line up 5 out of 7 games all over the field. Or everyday when the inevitable injury occurs, or someone plays their way to Rochester. PM has a reputation for being cerebral - I think he can figure this out.

I get what you are saying in regards to getting him playing time, but In fairness, Zobrist is a much better player than Escobar and I doubt Maddon does with Escobar what he did for Zobrist. That's why he averaged 153 games played and over 650 PAs in the last 6 years.  

[Lazarus]

 

I get what you are saying in regards to getting him playing time, but In fairness, Zobrist is a much better player than Escobar and I doubt Maddon does with Escobar what he did for Zobrist. That's why he averaged 153 games played and over 650 PAs in the last 6 years.  

That is all about 1) having a better bat than many others on the team, and 2) being at least adequate defensively at multiple positions. Point 2 describes most utility guys - for most, point 1 doesn't describe them. Points 1 and 2 do describe Escobar this year, which is why Molitor likely will use him more like Madden used Zobrist.

 

I don't think Zobrist was initially thought of as being a great utility guy any more that Escobar was going into last season - sometimes these guys elevate themselves above the prejudice of the utility position.

[jimmer]

We'll see.  Escobar's 2014 offense may or may not be sustainable and even then it wasn't near what Zobrist was when he finally shed the 'just utility guy' label. Zobrist forced Maddon's hand by having a mid .800 OPS in 2008, significantly higher than Escobar's breakout offensive season by about 130 OPS points.

 

I'm rooting for Escobar though.  Love to see him start on a MLB team and improve on last year's numbers.

[stringer bell]

Versus left handers any of these guys should sit in favor of Escobar: Arcia, Vargas, Mauer, Schafer, and I will add Santana because I am predicting his RH batting split will fall off big time.

[jorgenswest]

I think the Twins need to find a way to play him regularly for the first two months and then assess.

 

Playing him against every lefty and 2/3 of the right handed pitching mostly for Plouffe and Santana. Last year lefties started about 1/3 of the time against the Twins. In a full season it would be around 126 starts. After two months adjust the time based on performance assuming all remain healthy.

 

He also has earned a start opening day against Price. Not only has he earned it but he gives the Twins a better chance to win.

[70charger]

I miss brad Swanson's commentaries. Where did he go?