Escobar Proving Invaluable For Minnesota

Since coming to Minnesota, the utility player has been worth 3.8 fWAR over the past five years. While that’s hardly anything to get excited about, it’s the smaller things that he brings to the club that make all of the difference. Despite being out of position at times, he has played every position on the diamond outside of first base. Although his bat won’t set the world on fire, it’s provided plenty of pop in limited exposure.

Coming into the year, I wondered whether or not Escobar and newly acquired Ehire Adrianza could coexist. Both best served as utility infielders; it was Adrianza who flashed superior leather while Escobar had a better stick. Nearly through the entirety of the 2017 slate, both players together do leave Minnesota a bit stretched, but I tend to lean towards Escobar being the more necessary commodity.

Playing mostly shortstop and third base this season for Paul Molitor’s club, Escobar has been lackluster defensively. He has posted a total of -9 DRS between both positions, and while his range hasn’t graded negatively, it’s also not an asset. Given limited exposure in the field however, something like 600 or so innings, he’s not been an incredible detriment to the squad as a whole.

It’s at the plate that Escobar becomes an asset for Minnesota, and when spelling a regular, there are far worse options you could be forced to use. In 2017, he’s posted a career best .749 OPS, and has gotten back to looking like the .754 OPS hitter from the 2015 season. With 15 homers to his credit already, he’s already posted a new career high. Yes, he’s in over his head as a middle of the order hitter, but there’s real value presenting itself here.

Imaging a scenario in which Escobar continued to pay off long after the Twins jettisoned Liriano seems farfetched in and of itself. Thinking he’s a guy that the club should keep around as they embark on a new window of opportunity leading to the postseason is about as good as it gets. At some point, the Twins are going to need to beef up their bench as a whole and heighten the level of options at their disposal. That being said, Escobar can continue to squeeze out opportunity if he can hold on to a similar level of production.

Entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine don’t have to make an all too difficult decision until 2019. Extending a utility player with a modest bat into free agency is something that would need to be evaluated against a shifting organizational landscape. That being said, the 2017 Twins wouldn’t be in a position to make September baseball interesting without the contributions of their Venezuelan utility man.

When the dust settles, Eduardo Escobar is never going to be a game changer for a big league team. Wanting a guy to spell players every few days, or come in with some unexpected pop off the bench though, he’s more than capable of delivering on those accounts. Minnesota dealt Liriano at the beginning of a very unfortunate downtown. They continue to reap the rewards as the club pushes for relevancy once again.