I may not be the first one to anoint rookie shortstop Alcides Escobar with a clever nickname, but I have been calling him by this name for years and it's time to make it public. I call him "The Wonderkid." Yes I know that Robin Yount's nickname was "The Kid" and I shouldn't be treading on his territory, but watch Escobar for a few minutes and just try and not be amazed at all the wonderful things this kid can do. At 23 years of age, he is still incredibly young by baseball standards. But there is no doubt in anyone's mind that he is ready for the big leagues. He's so ready that the Brewers traded away incumbent shortstop and fan favorite JJ Hardy to the Minnesota Twins so that Escobar could play everyday. JJ was one of the core players that were promised to be the future so many years ago. And although that group gave us our first winning season since 1992 and first playoff appearance since 1982, JJ's time in Milwaukee had come to an end. I know that JJ will bounce back with a good year up in Minnesota, but Escobar is just too good to keep him in the minors for another year playing "meaningless" ball.
Brewers fans haven't been promised a player like this since Prince Fielder, and even the casual fan knew his name as the Brewers top prospect. The kid is a defensive wiz, and his range and speed are simply unbelievable. I can go on and on about how amazing he his, but you'll probably never believe me until you see him in person. I bought into the hype because I'm kind of a sucker, but when I saw Escobar make tons of slick plays down in Spring Traing in 2009, I personally offered to help JJ Hardy go house hunting and to pack his bags. When Hardy struggled through all of 2009, the Brewers had no choice but to promote Escobar to the big leagues. In 38 games he hit .304 with 1 HR and 11 RBIs. I know that stat wise that doesn't look too impressive, but Escobar wasn't brought up for his bat. He was brought up for his defense and to get on base and score runs. Anything that he adds offensivly will be a huge bonus. I would like to get some video on here to visually show you his defensive skills, but until you see him on ESPN's Top 10 plays on a nightly basis (and you will) you will just have to believe me for now. In a Spring Training game last year, a ball was hit up the middle to the right side of second base. I already conceded that it was a base hit for the opposing batter. But then out of nowhere Escobar somehow appeared out of nowhere, dove to stop the ball, and delivered a cannon shot to beat the runner by a half step. I swear to God I almost had to change my shorts with how exciting that play was. If I had to guess my reaction to seeing that play in person, I'm pretty sure that the words, "Holy Shit!" and "Did you just see that?" were in there.
But words just don't do it justice. You have to see Escobar to believe what this kid is capable of. The best thing about him is that we are only counting on him to do one thing - play defense. Anything else that he does will be a bonus. His glove has been Major League ready for a few years, but the question with Escobar is if his bat would join his glove. In essence, he is almost the exact opposite of Rickie Weeks. But shortstop and center field is where you need solid defense, and Escobar will do that at the shortstop position every single night. His offense still needs a lot of work, which is something that he will have to do at the Major League level and he will struggle at times. You don't have to look much further than the fact that he has a career on base percentage of .333, which is not very good for someone with his speed. This kid is lightning quick, and if he can get on base he will steal more than I did while working at UWM. Unfortunately for Escobar his offense has always been a big IF.
But he did show some promise in the final few months of 2009, and in the Venezuelan Winter league, he led all players with a .393 batting average with a .440 on base percentage. Granted those are just winter league statistics, but that has to get you excited. Pair those numbers with a ridiculously good glove and you're looking at a kid who will win Rookie of the Year, be a perennial All-Star and be the first Brewers Gold Glove winner since Robin Yount in 1982. I mean it. JJ Hardy was very popular among the ladies, and even though Escobar is not nearly as pretty as JJ is, I know that he will win over fans of all ages, races and sexual orientations by pure skills alone. I remember at some point last year after JJ was sent down to the minors and Alcides was brought up, I could be heard yelling, "JJ WHO?" from the left field Loge Level. And although I always liked JJ and appreciated what he brought to this team, anyone who has seen Esocar play knows that he is better than JJ Hardy. Plain and simple. JJ was the past and Escobar is the future.
The first new Brewers jersey that I bought in 2010 was Alcides Escobar. I know for some people it might be a stretch to throw down for a jersey of a rookie that has yet to have success in the big leagues. But I'm confident that Escobar is here to stay and that he will live up to the hype that has seen him consistently be named the top prospect in Milwaukee's minor league system in the last few years. I've already predicted that Alcides Escobar will win the NL Rookie of the Year in 2010. I was one one of the people who was going apeshit last August and September when Escobar wasn't playing every day despite being the best option at shortstop. Brewers manager Ken Macha has shown a certain favoritism towards starting veteran players, but that turned out to be a clever ploy (I'm guessing this one was handed down by Doug Melvin) because Escobar came up something like 1 inning short of retaining rookie status going into 2010. This means that he will be eligible to win Rookie of the Year should he play well enough to deserve it. And I'm guessing that he does. I'd like to think that I am fairly accurate with my statistical predictions, but I am going to purposefully overshoot on Escobar in 2010 because I so want him to win Rookie of the Year with these numbers:
.310 batting average, 75 runs scored, 25 stolen bases and highlight reel defense. The second that he turns a slick "how did he do that?" play that he is well known for, the crowd and voting public will rally in his favor.
That's just about all that I can say about Alcides Escobar. Some things are better seen than read about. I hope if you are reading this you will get to see him either in person or on on TV so that you can get on board this train with me. Because it's gonna be some kind of wild ride with this Wonderkid, and hopefully some of the flash and pizazz that he displays will give us some more National love. 2010 has a ton of promise for several Brewers players, and the pendulum can swing violently one way or the other depending on the performance of guys like Escobar who are only counted on to do the bare minimum. Escbar has the force and momentum to push us over the edge if he plays anything like he did at the end of last year.
Well I'm up against the deadline right now, and I have to get some sleep so that I can function tomorrow. I'm only 3 players in and I'm already complaining. Man, entries #22-25 are gonna be rough, especially as I get closer to Opening Day. But one player who didn't have it so rough last year was 3rd baseman Casey McGehee. After spending years in the minor leagues being blocked at 3rd base in the big leagues by Aramis Ramirez, he was put on waivers by the Chicago Cubs and claimed by the Brewers prior to the 2009 season. After finally getting a chance to play on an everyday basis, Casey McGehee shined in 2009. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!
- pookon -
www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com
Brewers fans haven't been promised a player like this since Prince Fielder, and even the casual fan knew his name as the Brewers top prospect. The kid is a defensive wiz, and his range and speed are simply unbelievable. I can go on and on about how amazing he his, but you'll probably never believe me until you see him in person. I bought into the hype because I'm kind of a sucker, but when I saw Escobar make tons of slick plays down in Spring Traing in 2009, I personally offered to help JJ Hardy go house hunting and to pack his bags. When Hardy struggled through all of 2009, the Brewers had no choice but to promote Escobar to the big leagues. In 38 games he hit .304 with 1 HR and 11 RBIs. I know that stat wise that doesn't look too impressive, but Escobar wasn't brought up for his bat. He was brought up for his defense and to get on base and score runs. Anything that he adds offensivly will be a huge bonus. I would like to get some video on here to visually show you his defensive skills, but until you see him on ESPN's Top 10 plays on a nightly basis (and you will) you will just have to believe me for now. In a Spring Training game last year, a ball was hit up the middle to the right side of second base. I already conceded that it was a base hit for the opposing batter. But then out of nowhere Escobar somehow appeared out of nowhere, dove to stop the ball, and delivered a cannon shot to beat the runner by a half step. I swear to God I almost had to change my shorts with how exciting that play was. If I had to guess my reaction to seeing that play in person, I'm pretty sure that the words, "Holy Shit!" and "Did you just see that?" were in there.
But words just don't do it justice. You have to see Escobar to believe what this kid is capable of. The best thing about him is that we are only counting on him to do one thing - play defense. Anything else that he does will be a bonus. His glove has been Major League ready for a few years, but the question with Escobar is if his bat would join his glove. In essence, he is almost the exact opposite of Rickie Weeks. But shortstop and center field is where you need solid defense, and Escobar will do that at the shortstop position every single night. His offense still needs a lot of work, which is something that he will have to do at the Major League level and he will struggle at times. You don't have to look much further than the fact that he has a career on base percentage of .333, which is not very good for someone with his speed. This kid is lightning quick, and if he can get on base he will steal more than I did while working at UWM. Unfortunately for Escobar his offense has always been a big IF.
But he did show some promise in the final few months of 2009, and in the Venezuelan Winter league, he led all players with a .393 batting average with a .440 on base percentage. Granted those are just winter league statistics, but that has to get you excited. Pair those numbers with a ridiculously good glove and you're looking at a kid who will win Rookie of the Year, be a perennial All-Star and be the first Brewers Gold Glove winner since Robin Yount in 1982. I mean it. JJ Hardy was very popular among the ladies, and even though Escobar is not nearly as pretty as JJ is, I know that he will win over fans of all ages, races and sexual orientations by pure skills alone. I remember at some point last year after JJ was sent down to the minors and Alcides was brought up, I could be heard yelling, "JJ WHO?" from the left field Loge Level. And although I always liked JJ and appreciated what he brought to this team, anyone who has seen Esocar play knows that he is better than JJ Hardy. Plain and simple. JJ was the past and Escobar is the future.
The first new Brewers jersey that I bought in 2010 was Alcides Escobar. I know for some people it might be a stretch to throw down for a jersey of a rookie that has yet to have success in the big leagues. But I'm confident that Escobar is here to stay and that he will live up to the hype that has seen him consistently be named the top prospect in Milwaukee's minor league system in the last few years. I've already predicted that Alcides Escobar will win the NL Rookie of the Year in 2010. I was one one of the people who was going apeshit last August and September when Escobar wasn't playing every day despite being the best option at shortstop. Brewers manager Ken Macha has shown a certain favoritism towards starting veteran players, but that turned out to be a clever ploy (I'm guessing this one was handed down by Doug Melvin) because Escobar came up something like 1 inning short of retaining rookie status going into 2010. This means that he will be eligible to win Rookie of the Year should he play well enough to deserve it. And I'm guessing that he does. I'd like to think that I am fairly accurate with my statistical predictions, but I am going to purposefully overshoot on Escobar in 2010 because I so want him to win Rookie of the Year with these numbers:.310 batting average, 75 runs scored, 25 stolen bases and highlight reel defense. The second that he turns a slick "how did he do that?" play that he is well known for, the crowd and voting public will rally in his favor.
That's just about all that I can say about Alcides Escobar. Some things are better seen than read about. I hope if you are reading this you will get to see him either in person or on on TV so that you can get on board this train with me. Because it's gonna be some kind of wild ride with this Wonderkid, and hopefully some of the flash and pizazz that he displays will give us some more National love. 2010 has a ton of promise for several Brewers players, and the pendulum can swing violently one way or the other depending on the performance of guys like Escobar who are only counted on to do the bare minimum. Escbar has the force and momentum to push us over the edge if he plays anything like he did at the end of last year.
Well I'm up against the deadline right now, and I have to get some sleep so that I can function tomorrow. I'm only 3 players in and I'm already complaining. Man, entries #22-25 are gonna be rough, especially as I get closer to Opening Day. But one player who didn't have it so rough last year was 3rd baseman Casey McGehee. After spending years in the minor leagues being blocked at 3rd base in the big leagues by Aramis Ramirez, he was put on waivers by the Chicago Cubs and claimed by the Brewers prior to the 2009 season. After finally getting a chance to play on an everyday basis, Casey McGehee shined in 2009. But that my friends, is a topic that will be covered tomorrow. Brewers! Brewers! Keep Turnin' Up the Heat!
- pookon -
www.pookon.com
email: pookondotcom@gmail.com
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