Loading ...
Escobar Filling In Nicely
Written by Colin on March 16, 2008 – 9:21 amWhen the Braves traded Edgar Renteria away to the Detroit Tigers this past winter for Jair Jurrjens and Gorkeys Hernandez, there was concern for the Braves’ offense and how they would survive without Renteria. If you don’t remember, Renteria batted .332 (fourth in the NL) last year and was a key portion of the offense. I wrote last year that towards the end of the season, Renteria skipped 15 games and the Braves went 7-8, and the 15 games after he came back, the Braves went 10-5. With Renteria gone, can Yunel step in and fill the void left by a very successful shortstop?
He’s young, he’s moved through the minor league system very quickly (he was drafted in 2005), and now he has a starting job at the major league level. His manager and batting coach, both legendary baseball figures who have seen their fair share of players, praise his maturity and ability. Cox said “For me, he could make the All-Star team.” His teammates have taken notice too. McCann said “Escobar is one of the best players I have ever seen. What he did last year was phenomenal. That wasnt a fluke. He’s the real deal.” Chipper even chimed in with “I’m not worried about him at all… At all.”
So he’s got the hype and he’s got big shoes to fill. And Teixeira knows he has an arm that can burn holes in leather after this week. But what will he do in 2008?
Yunel is a great hitter. He hit his first home run of the season – a grand slam – Friday. He’s has good bat control and hit .326 in 319 at-bats last year. This spring he’s hitting .485 – that’s 16 hits in 33 at-bats. That’s three doubles and ten RBIs. He is a hitter – even though he’s not a slugger – and is definitely capable of holding down the top of the batting order if necessary.
Defensively he’s got range – just how much we’ll see this year. I’m no expert on range at short stop, but everything I’ve heard from the announcers and other analysts is positive so far. His arm is very strong – possibly as strong as Rafael Furcal’s was – that’s to be seen after we see him throw from deep short a few times. He sure can muscle it over to first when turning double plays. Mark Teixeira joked that Yunel may break Tex’s hand before the end of the season with his throws. Please, Yunel, take a little off. We don’t need Tex with a broken hand.
I think that Yunel is going to fill in nicely for Renteria. If I had to guess (and I do), I’d say this is the most seamless transition between a veteran and a rookie since we saw some young whippersnapper by the name of Larry “Chipper” Jones take over for Terry Pendleton in the 1995 season. Chipper picked up right where TP left off, and I think Escobar can do the same for Renteria. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Tags: Yunel Escobar
Posted in General | No Comments »
