Yunel Escobar (.471) like a new player — should Braves care?
Yunel Escobar's grand slam against Baltimore was his first homer of year.
When the Braves traded shortstop Yunel Escobar for Alex Gonzalez, it was easy to understand their logic. Escobar was slumping, management was turned off by his perceived attitude and they viewed him as a potential road block to a grand postseason run.
I wrote at the time that the deal could come back to haunt them. Of course, my time frame wasn’t the next four games.
Have you seen Escobar’s numbers since the deal? He is 8-for-17 (.471) with three runs scored, seven RBI and a grand slam on Sunday (his first homer of the season). He has walked once and has yet to strike out. He has moved runners along. He has been solid defensively.
Also, he has yet to pout.
So I guess he doesn’t stink after all.
Now, from the Braves’ perspective, this trade will be judged at the end of the season by: 1) Whether they make the playoffs and how they do when they get there; 2) What role Gonzalez has in that run (for what it’s worth, he’s 3 for 16 with the Braves).
In that sense, Escobar isn’t even a factor. But the franchise’s worst nightmare down the line would be for him to turn back into the player they saw for three seasons.
Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston, who spoke to Bobby Cox about Escobar following the deal, said: “The kid’s played great here. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and more.”
Just want to take a pulse of Braves’ fandom here: Are you happy for Escobar, upset that he has been a success or really don’t care one way or another?
This might be even the bigger question: What will make the Gonzalez-Escobar trade a success or failure in your eyes?
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486 comments Add your comment
Dominic
July 20th, 2010
1:46 pm
Horrific move, just horrific. If he was so bad, they could’ve benched him and put infante in as the starting SS, instead of trading him at his all time low for a 33 year old journeyman having the greatest half of his career.
Bobby and Chipper hated him, but they’ll be out the door soon, so who cares?
steve
July 20th, 2010
1:49 pm
He had a bad attitude and needed to be traded and his numbers will get better because he is happier at the moment , when Alex settles in no one will be talking about this trade anymore, now lets get a good hitting right handed center fielder and win another World Series.
Mitchell
July 20th, 2010
1:49 pm
Shane
July 20th, 2010
12:42 pm
Mitchell is the Village idiot of this blog.
A few months ago he was saying Chipper wasnt a HOFer and as part of his argument he said Andruw Jones was a far superior post season batter.
Well I pulled the stats and not only was Andruw not “far superior” but Chipper was better in almost every single category. He talks out his backside and just makes up stuff.
Once again, total bulls***. And I’m not talking about the stats.
Call me what you want. I don’t care. But this:
A few months ago he was saying Chipper wasnt a HOFer and as part of his argument he said Andruw Jones was a far superior post season batter.
… is bulls***.
Idot
July 20th, 2010
1:50 pm
His success so far in Toronto, shows what he is capable of.
His half-a$$ effort in Atlanta, shows that he didn’t give a damn there.
Good luck to him. I hope nothing makes him mad and disgruntled in Canada, but I would not be suprised if it didn’t happen more sooner
than later.
Atlanta got the better end of this trade, no matter what EXcobar does from here on out.
BravesFan419
July 20th, 2010
1:50 pm
The BlueJays played the Baltimore Orioles in the first three games who have the worst record in baseball and then last night they played the KC Royals who also have a pathetic record so far…..lets see what his BA is at the end of the year and then you can start questioning whether it was a good trade or not. I watched the last few games he played as a Brave and he was giving any effort, just dragging his feet around like a little kid.
Stuart
July 20th, 2010
1:51 pm
I didn’t like the trade because of Escobar’s potential… there’s no doubt that Toronto got the best player in this deal. No, he didn’t have any homers for us, but he was coming out of his slump.
I mean, I guess you can’t ignore that he wasn’t producing at the level the team expected him to, and he arguably wouldn’t have gone on this surge if he wasn’t traded in the first place (the trade giving him the extra motivation). As a Braves fan, I hate seeing him (and several other players now….Andrus, Wainwright, etc.) playing so well outside of Atlanta. But, I guess you can’t officially judge the trade until you see what happens in hindsight down the line, and not just in a few games. If Yuni goes on to win the MVP or contend for it or something like that, then the Braves are no doubt the losers. But if he starts pouting and slumping again later, then the Braves are the winners.
Yuni and Toronto are still the honeymoon period, so things are going great. Let’s wait and see what happens when they get settled in at home…
One thing I noticed though, Toronto put Yuni back up in the 2 hole in the lineup where he flourished for the Braves last year… I think ATL should have put him back up there once he came off the DL, and put Heyward down lower in the lineup, in the 6 or 7 spot, where he was so productive at the beginning of the season.
Go Falcons
July 20th, 2010
1:52 pm
Chipper hasn’t been getting it done for over a year, why not trade him? Also, Chippers salary is 30X what Escobars was.
Jesse James
July 20th, 2010
1:54 pm
If it took a trade to motivate him, then I wonder about his character that has been questioned. For the money these guys make and demand he should have performed better in Atlatnta. Maybe he realizes now that all the pouting will do nothing but hurt his career. I wish him the best because he is some kind of talent.
Mr. Melancholy
July 20th, 2010
1:54 pm
Enter your comments here
NEW CARS
July 20th, 2010
1:55 pm
Yes I like the trade. I was a defender of Escobar for a long time, feel that talent-wise, he is right behind Ramirez and who else? But I feel that the Braves did everything they could with the guy and have yet to figure the disconnect on him. I liken him to a guy that was real similar to Jose Reyes thirty years ago, Garry Templeton. I know Gonzalez is not Ozzie, but most folks thought the Cards were crazy for doing that deal, but they got into 3 World Series without Templeton and we’ve never made the playoffs with Escobar, so I understand the deal.
Joe Biden
July 20th, 2010
1:55 pm
Yunel, we are Delaware of your grand slam. Dennys is a fine organization and I am sure you will love the one at your new home ballpark here in washington. On behalf our our entire administraion, Welcome to the Nationals. Hockey is the greatest sport ever!
DaveinNEPA
July 20th, 2010
1:56 pm
Obviously Escobar has been playing better since he was traded but 4 games is an extremely small sample size.
Right now he is still dealing with the fact he was traded and probably wants to show the Braves AND Cox that they were wrong. In addition, I don’t think he wanted to be here anyway.
Give it some time. It seems to me that Francouer went on a tear last year after he was traded. Now he’s back to his old hack at anything self. I think the same thing happens to Escobar once the newness wears off.
Reality Check
July 20th, 2010
1:56 pm
Perhaps, Jeff, Escobar’s lack of production with Atlanta in 2010 is an indication that he stopped trying. I saw very little effort from the guy unless he had a chance to showboat. You call his attitude a “perceived” problem. I would call the nonchalant play where he almost cost us Glaus more than perception. I’ll take the word of his former teammates and the fact the he drove Bobby nuts as more proof than your conjecture.
Escobar is gone. It’s over. You need to move on and focus on the future. It didn’t appear that Yunel Escobar wanted to be an Atlanta Brave. Now he isn’t. I hope he enjoys watching his former team busting their butts in the World Series. I hope he thinks, if only for a moment,”I could be there right now if I’d moved my ass a little more.”
Mr. Melancholy
July 20th, 2010
1:57 pm
I like the deal, but I don’t like Jeff Schultz.
Jack
July 20th, 2010
1:57 pm
Would still make the trade… Escobar needed a jolt to maybe get his head on straighter. Wish him well, glad he’s gone. Have you seen the stats on the small in statue left-handed pitcher we got. Gonzales was not the only piece to the puzzle… And, Jo-Jo needed a change.
J-Smoove
July 20th, 2010
1:58 pm
@ Shaun comment around 1:25pm……If Escobar plays like he did last season, Gonzalez plays like he has for most of his career, the Braves don’t use their minor league depth to improve and they miss the playoffs, this trade will not look so great.
Giving up minor league depth??? What are you talking about??? They were finally able to get rid of Jo-Jo Reyes… I would have taken a couple of bats and a bag of balls for Jo-Jo. That was the best part of this trade!
Jesse James
July 20th, 2010
1:59 pm
Go Falcons – Because Chipper has done it for years. Believe it or not there is a little loyalty left in the game. If he hasn’t done it why is he still the face of the team. Whether you like it or not 90 to 95 percent of the fans love Chipper. Look at all the Chipper shirts and merchandise. That is why you don’t trade him. Plus he helped bring the first Championship to Atlanta. People don’t forget that. Don’t even compare Escobar to Chipper.
ChrisfromSacramento,CA
July 20th, 2010
1:59 pm
Furthermore, from my earlier comments i forgot something.
HIS BUTT IS LUCKY HE ISNT PLAYING FOR CASTRO ANYMORE. How can he not try and be happy he plays a game in the UNITED STATES for a living.
Yunel has issues and I hope he is out of baseball SOON!!
Donny Corleone
July 20th, 2010
2:02 pm
Escobar? Effim.
BamaAaron
July 20th, 2010
2:03 pm
Only going by what I read in the papers and what I personally see on the field it’s still a good trade. Frankly it was obvious that Bobby had grown tired of him and Yunel probably knowing this had quit trying. Whether he succeeds or not in Toronto really doesn’t matter as he’d already come to the point where he wasn’t going to in Atlanta anymore.
wiley
July 20th, 2010
2:03 pm
Only 17 at bats…he has a chip on his shoulder now. We should wish him luck…we will be fine. No one said he stinks…he just didn’t play hard for the braves. Maybe this trade is a good thing for his career. Good for him…he was not playing well as a Brave.
Trevor
July 20th, 2010
2:04 pm
Its easy to play great for a team in the basement. No pressure. Plus, if Yunel does go on to have a great career, the Braves picked a great spot to send him. No way the Jays will ever get past the Yanks, Sox, or Rays. So……who cares?
Gil Garrido
July 20th, 2010
2:04 pm
Yunel is 10 times the shortstop I ever was …
Shaun
July 20th, 2010
2:06 pm
J-Smoove, you missed my point and/or didn’t read my post carefully. Where did I say the Braves gave up minor league depth? They got minor league depth. In my view, this was the key part of the trade because now they have more value to trade for an outfield bat or something else they need.
the real Old Gold
July 20th, 2010
2:08 pm
They can have the farm if they keep Jo Jo Reyes as far away from Atlanta as possible.. this trade took the pain out of losing a future All-Star Short Stop in Escobar.. Jo Jo was the next Mike Stantion/Ray King.. just good enough to trick Bobby into letting him blow 10 games a year.
Jerry Clower
July 20th, 2010
2:08 pm
Yunel, are you related to Marcel Ledbetter?
Dallas
July 20th, 2010
2:10 pm
He wasn’t playing well here. Clubhouse obviously didn’t care for him. Him doing good there doesn’t mean he would’ve done well here. We needed to trade him, he needed to be traded. It was a good move and the stats after the fact aren’t factors. Hopefully Gonzo performs, but even if he doesn’t, it was a move that needed to be made.
Tucker T
July 20th, 2010
2:10 pm
Didn’t both Francouer and Kelly Johnson get off to hot starts after they were traded/released and then cool of considerably? The same thing is happening. Yunel got his pride hurt by the trade and is now trying to show the Braves what they lost. Do you really think he would have had the same numbers over the last four games with the Braves if he had stayed? Not a chance. He will cool off. The pitchers will learn how to pitch him and everything will even out. I’m still glad he is gone.
Craig
July 20th, 2010
2:10 pm
HELL yes I still like this trade. Escy was his own worse enemy here and was not traded soley because of production. When you are in a pennant race you need professionals and leaders in the club house. We will win the division without him and come up with a future ss that will make us forget he was here. Quit stirring the pot Jeff, you are better then that…I hope.
Wink
July 20th, 2010
2:11 pm
I am happy for Escobar. His success on the field was a fore gone conclusion. The guy flat out carried us last year. Had 3 good years here. As I recall, he only had one off field incident…but the same could be said for Bobby Cox.
On the field he gave his all, if the guy got upset at himself for making an error or not getting a timely hit so what. I’d rather have that than him smile all the way back to the bench…remember Andruw Jones demeanor in same situation.
By the way, getting historical at results on the field, Bobby Cox leads the majors as a manager who get ejected for the same behavior, yet he has lasted a long time in the same judgemental dugout. Keeping in mind, that getting thrown out of a game has never changed a call.
Point, the Braves should not single this guy out for stone throwing, when they too can have stones thrown their way also. Earlier in the season, Wren could have been stoned, he get’s his redemption, but could not wait for Escobar to get his; 4 games later he finds it in Toronto.
The trade, Gonzalez was Escobar as far as temperment, at the same age, but we gave up youth for an aged veteran. The guy is having a career year, so I hope he works out…is’nt it funny how people who have power to make change looks at that glass of water…Mr Wren!!
Kane337
July 20th, 2010
2:12 pm
Escobar got those numbers off of Orioles and Royals pitching. Just saying.
Larvell Blanks
July 20th, 2010
2:12 pm
In my opinion, Escobar intentionally played his way out of Atlanta…he wanted out because he knew his antics weren’t going to be tolerated.
cooper
July 20th, 2010
2:12 pm
One thing that the fans have found out over the years is if you don’t do it Cox’s way you want be in Atlanta very long. Escobar lasted this long because there is no question of his potential and talent. But Escobar acts like a 15 year old , spoiled rotten and about as immature as it gets. Cox simply ran out of patience. Escobar is doing good in Toronto because he has some insenif
STH
July 20th, 2010
2:13 pm
Trust Bobby, a players manager everyone loves let him go. I am ok, maybe he will do well I hope so, but not with a tomahawk on his chest if even Bobby wanted him gone.
Clay
July 20th, 2010
2:13 pm
Lots of players do well after a trade since they have a chip on their shoulder from being traded. They usually come back to earth in a few weeks and play like they played before.
good move? NECCESSARY MOVE!
July 20th, 2010
2:13 pm
I think it was the right move- and I hope the change of scenary DOESNT do him well… I would if he was just slumping- but pulling for someone who hotdogged it and had a horrible attitude to ‘turn it around’ is crazy. Turn what around – a problem that was based on his actions? We’re not talking someone who was honestly giving it their all- we’re talking a player who obviously didn’t give a damn about the home team.
athdog
July 20th, 2010
2:14 pm
Four entire days and he hasn’t pouted yet? Sounds like a changed man to me, certainly suddenly mature and a great teammate!!! C’mon, Jeff. He was traded for years of a lack of focus, four good games won’t change that. If he does well the rest of the year, good on him. Give it time, he’ll slack off…guaranteed.
WTF
July 20th, 2010
2:15 pm
Alex will take a little time to adjust to NL pitching but will be fine. Escobar is full of potential while Gonzo has proven consistent. I think the deal will work for both sides.
gayle
July 20th, 2010
2:15 pm
When Bobby likes someone, they play no matter how badly they hurt the team. (Greg Norton anyone?) When Bobby doesn’t like someone, they are gone – no matter how much they may help the team. A classic Cox scenario and proof that he isn’t this great manager as so many protest here. Where would the Braves have been in past years with players like David Justice, Jermaine Dye and Bret Boone – these were not “Bobby people” who were discarded and went on to great careers elsewhere. Four games is very early, but Yunel may find himself in some very good company.
Michael
July 20th, 2010
2:15 pm
If you don’t care about former Braves and Jeff’s points don’t comment! Comment on things you want to talk about, but don’t get on Jeff for doing his job. Just sayin!
Jesse James
July 20th, 2010
2:16 pm
Escobar is where he needs to be, out of the country. Anybody that shows up an official scorer out on the field is in it just for himself!
Braves Man
July 20th, 2010
2:18 pm
…devastated. Hope the best for Esco!
Shaun
July 20th, 2010
2:18 pm
Perhaps, Jeff, Escobar’s lack of production with Atlanta in 2010 is an indication that he stopped trying. I saw very little effort from the guy unless he had a chance to showboat. You call his attitude a “perceived” problem. I would call the nonchalant play where he almost cost us Glaus more than perception. I’ll take the word of his former teammates and the fact the he drove Bobby nuts as more proof than your conjecture.
I firmly believe that the role Escobar’s attitude, race, culture, etc. played in this trade is overblown. The trade was made because it filled a need for both teams. Can anyone provide any quotes or solid evidence that the Braves made this trade because Escobar’s attitude. I have yet to see a quote from a player about his attitude. I’m not saying it wasn’t a factor, but I think it’s an overblown factor.
The trade was about loading up on more prospects in order to make another move without downgrading significantly, if at all, at shortstop.
If the Braves weren’t looking to add another outfield bat, I firmly believe they wouldn’t have made this trade. Because I guarantee you they know Escobar is younger and is likely to perform just as well if not better than Gonzalez over the rest of the season. This move was about the overall package the Braves got, and not primarily about getting rid of Escobar or adding Gonzalez (although, again, that may have been a minor factor).
Yunel Asscobar
July 20th, 2010
2:19 pm
Jeff – very glad that he’s gone and if he takes off in Toronto, good for him. The chemistry piece is so important and it’s readily apparent that he had neither the trust nor respect of his team. When the team leader has to ask Escobar to play hard as a birthday gift to the team leader, there are problems. This kid, though immensely talented, has to either mature or suffer the stigma of being viewed as another underachiever. Ryan Leaf comes to mind. Though a different sport and recognizing that Escobar has already accomplished far more than Leaf ever did, the underachieving, unrelentless focus on self above the team is strikingly similar.
cooper
July 20th, 2010
2:21 pm
Too finish: He has some incentive now which is to prove the Braves wrong in trading him. This shows why Cox was so frustrated with Escobar. A ton of talent with no motivation. Maybe this move will help Escobar GROW UP .
Unknown Hinson
July 20th, 2010
2:21 pm
He was never going to do well here, I mean if our entire clubhouse gives his replacement a standing ovation the first time he walks in, I say whoever he replaced definitely needed to go. Sounds like everyone, not just management, was sick of Escobar and that alone could be the boost we need. I wish him well and hope he continues to do well, but I still think it was a good move and one that needed to be done.
Shane
July 20th, 2010
2:22 pm
Also Shane about Escobar htting second, my point is that if he had been hitting second his average would have beed higher.
No he wouldnt have.
GT#1
July 20th, 2010
2:22 pm
You said it yourself, it is ridiculous to even bring this up after only a week. Of course his numbers look great right now, but even with this “tear” he is on, it is still only his first home run and his numbers overall are pedestrian in comparison to Gonzalez. It is sad the ajc has to reach for this non-story to fill it’s pages.
DC Braves Fan
July 20th, 2010
2:23 pm
Its still a good deal (at least in theory)
1) Its only been a week and as we found out last year with Francoeur after he went to the Mets, one really good week doesnt mean that he’s gonna hit like that the rest of the year. Its great to rack up numbers against the Orioles, but once the Jays start playing teams that have more than 30 wins this year, his numbers may not hold up. We’ll see.
2) I think it was clear that Escobar wasnt going to produce here and we needed a SS that can do better than .237, 0 HR and 19 RBI in the first half. It had become a very bad fit for the guy as evidenced by all the stories of disaffected teammates, coaches, and executives. This team is riding a wave of good mojo, which appears to be based on some great chemistry. Escobar wasnt contributing on the field and wasnt contributing to chemistry. What was he contrinbuting? Potential?
3) The one caveat to all of this, is that Gonzales produces in the 2nd half. If that doesnt happen, then, yeah, its a bad trade. If he does produce, then maybe this is one of those trades that actually helps both organizations.
Go Braves!
Capt. Call-Out
July 20th, 2010
2:23 pm
What’s the old saying, again — “Four games doth not a season make, nor doth Shultz an interesting read provide…”
Sage advice, I’d say.