We present the photo above as evidence that Kansas City shortstop Alcides Escobar is not ? repeat: not ? corking his bats.
Additional evidence: He's hit zero home runs this season, and only five in 955 career plate appearances. And he has a lifetime slugging percentage of .323. This is a singles-hitter ... and until recently, he wasn't actually so good at singling.
But the 24-year-old Escobar has been on a hot streak lately, going 16-for-32 over his last nine games, scoring nine runs and swiping five bags. Of course it's unrealistic to think that he can continue at a pace like this; we're talking about a guy with a lifetime .292 OBP. He's had poor luck on balls-in-play, sure, but this is not a player known to hit the ball with much authority. Again: Five career homers. Only 29 career doubles. No pop.
Escobar is a young player with legit speed, though. He also plays a talent-scarce position, and his defense will keep him on the field. (Check the tape). If you're starved for steals in a deep-ish fantasy format, he's in play, just 15 percent owned.
Note: I've rostered him in one of my leagues during this recent binge (added while Hanley was on the DL), but I've been too terrified to use him as an everyday player. Think I've missed all but one stolen base. And I'll probably hold him two months too long.
This post seems less and less like an endorsement with each sentence, so I'd better just end it. Feel free to discuss all the things Escobar can't do in comments...
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Photo via US Presswire
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