Yunel Escobar
Encyclopedia
Yunel Almenares Escobar (born November 2, 1982) is a professional baseball
shortstop
with the Toronto Blue Jays
of Major League Baseball
.
. Brayan Pena
, a former teammate of Escobar with the Atlanta Braves
, was Escobar's best friend growing up in Cuba, with the two boys often playing on the same team and sharing bats, gloves, and cleats.
said he does not hesitate when he finds a Cuban who fits his team's needs. "I'm not a politician," Schuerholz said. "I'm a baseball general manager. We look for baseball talent wherever we can find it. And wherever it is, we go after it." Escobar's tense relationship with Cuban authorities in the aftermath of Peña's defection had limited his exposure to major league scouts. With little more than a few off-season workouts to draw upon, most teams were reluctant to take a chance on Escobar. The Braves, however, spoke with Pena, who had been called up to the majors to play for the Braves only days before Escobar was drafted in the 2005 draft. Braves officials asked Pena countless questions about everything from Escobar's skill set to his command of English to his family background. "The best recommendation we got was from Brayan," Clark says. Escobar received a $475,000 signing bonus.
After being drafted and signed by the Braves in 2005, Yunel began in the Appalachian League with Danville and proved that he was out of their league. He hit .400 with 2 homers.
Escobar played the entire 2006 season in AA- Mississippi and was selected to All-Star Futures Game
. His performance in Mississippi was somewhat disappointing with a few bright spots. Escobar showed good plate discipline with 59 walks against just 77 strikeouts. This led to a strong .361 on-base percentage. However, Escobar saw his power numbers drop. His slugging percentage fell to .346 (it was .470 in 2005) and his OPS went from .828 to .707. Throughout these struggles, Escobar developed a contentious relationship with manager, Jeff Blauser
. His talent reasserted itself with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League.
Escobar had a very strong spring training for the Braves in 2007 before being sent down to AAA Richmond to start the season. Escobar set the AAA International League on fire during his short stint there during the first two months of the 2007 season. In 46 games, Escobar hit .333 with a .379 OBP and a .456 SLG. Escobar made his major league debut on June 2, 2007 against the Chicago Cubs
at third base
.
He hit a single in his first Major League at-bat, and finished the game 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run. His double in the top of the 8th inning gave the Braves the lead in their 5-3 win. "This is what I dreamed about when I first left Cuba and got to the United States," said Escobar, with Braves bench coach Chino Cadahia
serving as an interpreter. "It was especially great because it was in a city like Chicago and there were so many people here. Having the game-winning RBI, playing good defense and having the team win, I couldn't have dreamed it any better." "I had plenty of confidence in myself that I could get the job done," said Escobar. "It's fun to see any young kid come up," Braves manager Bobby Cox
said. "[Escobar] battles. He's a no-fear type of player and hitter." "I've always had a lot of confidence in myself," Escobar said. "It's just the game of baseball."
Escobar's first Major League home run
came on June 4, 2007 against Florida Marlins
pitcher Wes Obermueller
. In the fourth inning of a 2-2 game - his first at Turner Field
- Escobar took a high fastball
from Obermueller the "opposite way", hitting it over the wall in right field. He finished the day 4-for-4 with two singles and a double in addition to his home run.
On July 27, 2007, in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks
, Escobar exhibited an uncanny sense of alertness (and riskiness) as the Braves were down 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two outs, Escobar drew a walk from Arizona closer Jose Valverde
. Seeing Valverde bending down to fix his sock with his back turned toward second base with no position player near the bag, Escobar sprinted immediately for second base. By the time Valverde realized what Escobar was attempting to do, it was too late to throw him out. He scored from second on the next play as Willie Harris
hit a two-out single, tying the game at 7-7 and completing a seven-run comeback for Atlanta. The Braves, however, went on to lose in extra innings. "You'd be shocked how many times players could do that, that don't," said Cox, who says he was successful with this daring attempt during his Major League days with the Yankees. "It's something you see a lot in the Minors and not as much up here, because guys have had it happen to them in the Minors," Renteria said. "That's why when a guy gets to first base, I'm always paying attention."
On August 5, 2007, Escobar recorded his first career walk-off hit against the Colorado Rockies
in the 10th inning when he singled in Jeff Francoeur
to give the Braves a 6-5 win.
On August 29, Escobar belted his first leadoff homer in a 7-4 win over the Marlins. Escobar finished his rookie season with a .326 batting average.
Escobar (1 point) came in a tie for sixth, as Ryan Braun
(128 points) won the vote for the 2007 NL Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
by 488 major league players and 30 managers.
Due in part to Escobar's emergence, the Braves traded starting shortstop Edgar Rentería
to the Detroit Tigers
following the 2007 season for Jair Jurrjens
and Gorkys Hernandez
. "Renteria taught him a lot," said Brayan Pena. "Renteria is like a father to him. They worked out all the time together. Escobar says that a lot of what he knows, he owes to Renteria."
On June 2, 2008, exactly one year after his major league debut, Escobar recorded his first career walk-off home run in a 7-5 victory over the Florida Marlins.
Escobar started the 2008 season hitting .315 with a .386 OBP, .435 SLG and .821 OPS over 192 plate appearances. Beginning in May 2008, Escobar began to slump. Over the next 54 games, he hit .246 with a .315 OBP and a .321 SLG and .636 OPS over 250 plate appearances. Escobar rebounded over his final 38 games of the season, hitting .328 with a .427 OBP, .500 SLG and .927 OPS over 145 plate appearances. He ended the season with final averages of .288 AVG with a .366 OBP and a .401 SLG.
Escobar had by all accounts a very good year with the glove in 2008. Defensively, he was rated 12 runs above average according to John Dewan’s +/- Fielding Bible, 10 runs above average according to Tom Tango
’s Fan Scouting Report, and 3 runs above average according to Mitchel Lichtman’s Ultimate Zone Rating
.
2009 was Escobar's best year statistically, and was also strong in the field. After several mental-lapses mid season (and some time spent on the bench), he recovered, committing just two errors in his last 75 games and hitting .299 with a career-high 14 home runs.
to the Toronto Blue Jays
with Jo-Jo Reyes
for SS Alex Gonzalez and two minor league prospects: left-handed pitcher Tim Collins
and shortstop Tyler Pastornicky.
Days later Escobar would hit the Jays' first Grand Slam
of the season in Baltimore
in just his third game with the team. Escobar hit his second home run for the Blue Jays in his fourth game with the club, against Kansas City
on July 19, 2010.
On September 6, after returning from an injury, he hit his fourth home run of the season in a 7-2 win over the Texas Rangers
after playing 75 games without a home run with the Atlanta Braves.
Escobar was an opening day starter at shortstop on April 1 for the Jays. On April 5, Escobar hit a 2-run walk-off home run against the Oakland Athletics
, his second career walk-off home run. On April 6, Escobar left the game after sliding head first into third. He hit his head on third baseman Andy LaRoche
's knee. On May 23, Escobar batted in the clean-up position (4th) for the first time in his career. He went 1-for-3.
On June 19, the Blue Jays announced that Escobar had been signed to a two-year contract extension worth $10 million. The deal also includes club options for 2014 and 2015, each worth $5 million.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
with the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
Early life
Escobar was born in Havana, CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Brayan Pena
Brayan Peña
Brayan Eduardo Peña is a catcher for the Kansas City Royals.-Early years:Peña was a member of the Cuban National 18 and under team as a youth. He graduated from Espa Julio Trigo Junior College in Costa Rica...
, a former teammate of Escobar with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, was Escobar's best friend growing up in Cuba, with the two boys often playing on the same team and sharing bats, gloves, and cleats.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves drafted Escobar in the second round of the 2005 draft, 75th overall. "We saw him as a premium talent," said Roy Clark, Atlanta's scouting director. "A lot of clubs didn't feel that they had enough background [on him]." Former Braves general manager John SchuerholzJohn Schuerholz
John Schuerholz is the President of the Atlanta Braves of the National League. Before joining Atlanta, he spent twenty-two years with the Kansas City Royals organization, including nine as the club's General Manager. Among the teams he has built are the 1985 Royals and 1995 Braves, both world...
said he does not hesitate when he finds a Cuban who fits his team's needs. "I'm not a politician," Schuerholz said. "I'm a baseball general manager. We look for baseball talent wherever we can find it. And wherever it is, we go after it." Escobar's tense relationship with Cuban authorities in the aftermath of Peña's defection had limited his exposure to major league scouts. With little more than a few off-season workouts to draw upon, most teams were reluctant to take a chance on Escobar. The Braves, however, spoke with Pena, who had been called up to the majors to play for the Braves only days before Escobar was drafted in the 2005 draft. Braves officials asked Pena countless questions about everything from Escobar's skill set to his command of English to his family background. "The best recommendation we got was from Brayan," Clark says. Escobar received a $475,000 signing bonus.
After being drafted and signed by the Braves in 2005, Yunel began in the Appalachian League with Danville and proved that he was out of their league. He hit .400 with 2 homers.
Escobar played the entire 2006 season in AA- Mississippi and was selected to All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
. His performance in Mississippi was somewhat disappointing with a few bright spots. Escobar showed good plate discipline with 59 walks against just 77 strikeouts. This led to a strong .361 on-base percentage. However, Escobar saw his power numbers drop. His slugging percentage fell to .346 (it was .470 in 2005) and his OPS went from .828 to .707. Throughout these struggles, Escobar developed a contentious relationship with manager, Jeff Blauser
Jeff Blauser
Jeffrey Michael Blauser is a former Major League Baseball shortstop. He played for the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs from 1987 to 1999.-Career:...
. His talent reasserted itself with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League.
Escobar had a very strong spring training for the Braves in 2007 before being sent down to AAA Richmond to start the season. Escobar set the AAA International League on fire during his short stint there during the first two months of the 2007 season. In 46 games, Escobar hit .333 with a .379 OBP and a .456 SLG. Escobar made his major league debut on June 2, 2007 against the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
at third base
Third Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
.
He hit a single in his first Major League at-bat, and finished the game 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run. His double in the top of the 8th inning gave the Braves the lead in their 5-3 win. "This is what I dreamed about when I first left Cuba and got to the United States," said Escobar, with Braves bench coach Chino Cadahia
Chino Cadahia
Aurelio "Chino" Cadahia is the current bench coach for the Kansas City Royals.Cadahia joined the Kansas City Royals in 2011 after spending the last 15 seasons in the Braves' organization, including the last four seasons as the bench coach for the Major League club...
serving as an interpreter. "It was especially great because it was in a city like Chicago and there were so many people here. Having the game-winning RBI, playing good defense and having the team win, I couldn't have dreamed it any better." "I had plenty of confidence in myself that I could get the job done," said Escobar. "It's fun to see any young kid come up," Braves manager Bobby Cox
Bobby Cox
Robert Joseph "Bobby" Cox is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. He first led the Atlanta Braves from 1978 to 1981, and then managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. He later rejoined the Braves in 1985 as a general manager...
said. "[Escobar] battles. He's a no-fear type of player and hitter." "I've always had a lot of confidence in myself," Escobar said. "It's just the game of baseball."
Escobar's first Major League home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
came on June 4, 2007 against Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
pitcher Wes Obermueller
Wes Obermueller
Wesley Mitchell Obermueller is a free agent Major League Baseball pitcher with a career ERA of 5.82. He began his career in the Kansas City Royals organization when he was selected in the 2nd round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft...
. In the fourth inning of a 2-2 game - his first at Turner Field
Turner Field
Turner Field is a stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves since 1997. Turner Field was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium, it was completed in 1996 to serve as the centerpiece of the 1996 Summer Olympics...
- Escobar took a high fastball
Fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
from Obermueller the "opposite way", hitting it over the wall in right field. He finished the day 4-for-4 with two singles and a double in addition to his home run.
On July 27, 2007, in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
, Escobar exhibited an uncanny sense of alertness (and riskiness) as the Braves were down 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two outs, Escobar drew a walk from Arizona closer Jose Valverde
José Valverde
José Rafael Valverde is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. His nickname is Papa Grande...
. Seeing Valverde bending down to fix his sock with his back turned toward second base with no position player near the bag, Escobar sprinted immediately for second base. By the time Valverde realized what Escobar was attempting to do, it was too late to throw him out. He scored from second on the next play as Willie Harris
Willie Harris
William Charles Harris is a Major League Baseball outfielder and infielder. Harris is known for his quick feet and base-stealing abilities, with currently 94 career stolen bases. Harris was formerly a member of the Baltimore Orioles , Chicago White Sox , Boston Red Sox , Atlanta Braves , and...
hit a two-out single, tying the game at 7-7 and completing a seven-run comeback for Atlanta. The Braves, however, went on to lose in extra innings. "You'd be shocked how many times players could do that, that don't," said Cox, who says he was successful with this daring attempt during his Major League days with the Yankees. "It's something you see a lot in the Minors and not as much up here, because guys have had it happen to them in the Minors," Renteria said. "That's why when a guy gets to first base, I'm always paying attention."
On August 5, 2007, Escobar recorded his first career walk-off hit against the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
in the 10th inning when he singled in Jeff Francoeur
Jeff Francoeur
Jeffrey Braden Francoeur , nicknamed "Frenchy", is a Major League Baseball right fielder who now plays for the Kansas City Royals. Francoeur is known for a strong throwing arm.-Minor league career:...
to give the Braves a 6-5 win.
On August 29, Escobar belted his first leadoff homer in a 7-4 win over the Marlins. Escobar finished his rookie season with a .326 batting average.
Escobar (1 point) came in a tie for sixth, as Ryan Braun
Ryan Braun
Ryan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...
(128 points) won the vote for the 2007 NL Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award
The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award was established in 1946 by The Sporting News .*In 1947-48, and again in 1950, a single award was given for all of Major League Baseball....
by 488 major league players and 30 managers.
Due in part to Escobar's emergence, the Braves traded starting shortstop Edgar Rentería
Edgar Rentería
Edgar Enrique Rentería Herazo , nicknamed "The Barranquilla Baby," is a Colombian professional baseball shortstop. He throws and bats right-handed. Previously, he has played for the Florida Marlins, the St...
to the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
following the 2007 season for Jair Jurrjens
Jair Jurrjens
-Childhood:Jurrjens grew in a quiet neighborhood called ´Kura Piedra´ pronounced in Dutch as ´Steenkoraal or Stenenkoraal´, and was always active in baseball. His older brother, Carl Jr., also played baseball.Jurrjens speaks English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamentu....
and Gorkys Hernandez
Gorkys Hernández
Gorkys Gustavo Hernández is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization currently assigned to their triple A Indianapolis Indians of the International League....
. "Renteria taught him a lot," said Brayan Pena. "Renteria is like a father to him. They worked out all the time together. Escobar says that a lot of what he knows, he owes to Renteria."
On June 2, 2008, exactly one year after his major league debut, Escobar recorded his first career walk-off home run in a 7-5 victory over the Florida Marlins.
Escobar started the 2008 season hitting .315 with a .386 OBP, .435 SLG and .821 OPS over 192 plate appearances. Beginning in May 2008, Escobar began to slump. Over the next 54 games, he hit .246 with a .315 OBP and a .321 SLG and .636 OPS over 250 plate appearances. Escobar rebounded over his final 38 games of the season, hitting .328 with a .427 OBP, .500 SLG and .927 OPS over 145 plate appearances. He ended the season with final averages of .288 AVG with a .366 OBP and a .401 SLG.
Escobar had by all accounts a very good year with the glove in 2008. Defensively, he was rated 12 runs above average according to John Dewan’s +/- Fielding Bible, 10 runs above average according to Tom Tango
Tom Tango
Tom Tango and "TangoTiger" are aliases used online by a well-respected expert in baseball sabermetrics and ice hockey statistical analysis. He runs the Tango on Baseball sabermetrics website and is also a contributor to ESPN's baseball blog TMI .In 2006, Tango's book The Book: Playing the...
’s Fan Scouting Report, and 3 runs above average according to Mitchel Lichtman’s Ultimate Zone Rating
Ultimate zone rating
Ultimate zone rating is a sabermetric statistic used to measure fielding. It compares the event that actually happened to data on similarly hit balls in the past to determine how much better or worse the fielder did than the "average" player...
.
2009 was Escobar's best year statistically, and was also strong in the field. After several mental-lapses mid season (and some time spent on the bench), he recovered, committing just two errors in his last 75 games and hitting .299 with a career-high 14 home runs.
Toronto Blue Jays
On July 14, 2010 Escobar was traded by the BravesAtlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
to the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
with Jo-Jo Reyes
Jo-Jo Reyes
Joseph Albert "Jo-Jo" Reyes is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball...
for SS Alex Gonzalez and two minor league prospects: left-handed pitcher Tim Collins
Tim Collins (baseball)
Timothy "Tim" Collins is an American-born professional baseball player currently playing for the Kansas City Royals.-Amateur career:...
and shortstop Tyler Pastornicky.
Days later Escobar would hit the Jays' first Grand Slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
of the season in Baltimore
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in just his third game with the team. Escobar hit his second home run for the Blue Jays in his fourth game with the club, against Kansas City
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
on July 19, 2010.
On September 6, after returning from an injury, he hit his fourth home run of the season in a 7-2 win over the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
after playing 75 games without a home run with the Atlanta Braves.
Escobar was an opening day starter at shortstop on April 1 for the Jays. On April 5, Escobar hit a 2-run walk-off home run against the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, his second career walk-off home run. On April 6, Escobar left the game after sliding head first into third. He hit his head on third baseman Andy LaRoche
Andy LaRoche
Andrew Christian LaRoche is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent....
's knee. On May 23, Escobar batted in the clean-up position (4th) for the first time in his career. He went 1-for-3.
On June 19, the Blue Jays announced that Escobar had been signed to a two-year contract extension worth $10 million. The deal also includes club options for 2014 and 2015, each worth $5 million.