Postseason Review: Eduardo Escobar

Entering 2014, Eduardo Escobar was pegged by most as a standard-order utility infielder. He was a switch-hitter with a pretty good glove and OK speed who had demonstrated the ability to capably fill in at short, third and second. There was some chatter that EE shouldn't make the Twins coming out of spring training, but most viewed him as a good fit for the utility infielder role. Some wanted to see "Eddie 400" in 2014--that is at least 400 at-bats-- to see what the still-young Venezuelan could do with more consistent playing time.

The early season gave Escobar his chance. Pedro Florimon, already seen as a subpar hitter, got off to a woeful start and Escobar got several early starts at shortstop. The rest is, as they say, history. Escobar hit .357 in April and backed that up with a .322 (.865 OPS) May. Florimon was demoted and Escobar became the de facto starting shortstop.

Escobar returned to earth in June and July--his average fell to .274 at the end of June--and then he stabilized. Eduardo finished with a .275 batting average and his OPS ended at .721, good for a 102 OPS+. The season qualifies as a breakthrough. Escobar had more plate appearances than in his previous three years combined (over a year and a half in the majors). Escobar set career highs in almost every offensive category, played solid defense at three infield positions (metrics vary among the three) and showed durability.

Esco still has some issues. He struck out 93 times and walked only 24, keeping his OBP relatively low at .315. Many, including myself, doubt he can replicate his extra-base numbers (35 doubles among 43 XBH). Escobar is not an explosive runner and thus will never have excellent range. All of this limits his upside to about what he was this year.

Escobar ended with dramatic platoon splits. In just over 300 ABs, he had only a .654 OPS as a left-handed hitter, while in 131 at-bats as a right-handed hitter, his OPS was .877. It does appear that Eduardo has been a stronger RH batter throughout his limited major league career.

If someone had said going into the season that the Twins would have a young switch-hitting shortstop who could field capably, and be an asset at the bottom of the order, most Twins fans would have been ecstatic and guaranteed the guy a starting spot for years. However Escobar's rise coincided with the emergence of Danny Santana, who has the speed and explosiveness that Eddie 400 lacks.

Next year's role for Escobar is up in the air. He may revert to a 3-position utility guy or he could become a "10th starter" filling in for multiple infielders, but not having a specific position. If injuries occur, Escobar could slide in for whoever gets hurt. If Santana stays in the outfield, perhaps he could hold shortstop.

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