The Milwaukee Brewers made an interesting move yesterday, promoting elite short stop prospect Alcides Escobar to the big leagues, while demoting J.J. Hardy. Hardy’s .229 Batting Average just wasn’t cutting it anymore, even though he is just two years removed from being an All-Star. Escobar won’t ever replicate Hardy’s power numbers, but his speed and fielding are both plus-plus.
Prior to 2008, it appeared Escobar was going to be the next Adam Everett. By that, I mean his sole value coming from making great plays at short stop. Then, in 2008, Alcides decided to post a .363 OBP at Double-A Huntsville. He also sported a .434 SLG Percentage, which suggested his power may be developing. In actuality, it was due more to Escobar taking extra bases thanks to his incredible speed coupled with a few “lucky” long balls clearing the fence. The critics at this point only had one thing to cry about, his 82 Strikeouts to 31 Walks ratio.
In 2009, Escobar has improved on his plate discipline. Prior to his August 12th promotion , Escobar was sporting a 65 K to 32 BB in Triple-A Nashville. This is not exactly ground breaking, but it is an improvement. With anymore improvement, Alcides could become a legitimate .300 hitter in the major leagues, thanks to his Road Runner speed.
There are a lot of unknowns about the Brewers 2010 roster, which makes it hard to predict where Escobar will hit in the order next year. Batting leadoff or in the 2 hole is not out of the question, especially if Escobar produces in his short stint this year. Batting in front of Braun and Fielder can make anyone fantasy relevant, so it could make an elite prospect like Escobar shine, if he’s given the opportunity. On the flip side, Brewers manager Ken Macha really likes to tweak with his lineup’s situationally, so Escobar may get a couple days off on a weekly basis.
Final Thought: Alcides Escobar has great fantasy potential. He has the speed of Chone Figgins, but unfortunately also has the same ”power” of Figgins. Consider Escobar to be a slightly better version of Elvis Andrus.
Comparable Players: Chone Figgins, Elvis Andrus, Ryan Freel
2010 Prediction:
61 R - 3 HR - 35 RBI - 28 SB - .277 AVG
2011 Prediction:
80 R - 4 HR - 39 RBI - 38 SB - .289 AVG
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