The Hot Button: Should the Braves trade Yunel Escobar?
Yunel Escobar is, shall we say, a different sort of Brave. He has blond highlights in his hair. He doesn’t always pay attention. He has a temper and is given to the sulks. He has yet to respond to the gentle urgings of Bobby Cox, which have become less gentle over time.
According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, the Braves “are willing to trade Escobar for a good hitter right now.” (Link requires registration.) But I don’t think they will. Nor do I believe they should. Because Yunel Escobar is a different sort of Brave in another way:
He can really hit. And he can really play.
The Braves have become so skilled at siphoning off higher-maintenance types that they have lesser tolerance for one than do, say, the Yankees or the Dodgers. But sometimes a higher level of maintenance isn’t just needed but advisable. Some guys are worth the trouble. John Rocker was not. Yunel Escobar is.
He’s a great talent who comes with an inherent disconnect. He doesn’t speak much English. (He’s from Cuba.) When Cox seeks to instruct Escobar in the need to pay closer attention, he has to converse through coach Chino Cadahia. That isn’t the optimum method.
But you know what? If big-league rosters were comprised of 25 Ozzie Smiths, you wouldn’t need managers or coaches. Sometimes a little instruction is needed, sometimes even a lot of instruction
The Braves have this problem, the past two nights notwithstanding. (As bad as the Braves are at hitting, the Phillies are worse at pitching.) They can’t hit much, and they, as constituted, aren’t apt to hit much. At worst, Escobar is the third-best hitter on the club. If the Braves trade him, they’d have to get Matt Holliday or Brad Hawpe or Adam Dunn in return. And even if they’d land one of those thumpers, there’s another issue:
Loading ...Those guys are outfielders. Escobar is a shortstop. He mans the most important defensive position. And there’s no other shortstop prospect at the ready in the Braves’ chain. (There would be if the Braves hadn’t sent Elvis Andrus to Texas for Mark Teixeira in 2007, but that’s another Hot Button for another day.)
Put simply, Escobar is too important for the Braves to let him go or to let him fail. With his recent displays of anger and indifference and the mysterious nature of his hip injury, the temptation is great for them to throw up their corporate hands and say, “That’s it! Get him outta here!” But this is professional sports, not the Boys and Girls Club. The idea is to win, and the Braves need Escobar to have that chance.
The Braves have already gone the extra mile, but they should prepare themselves to run a 10K if that’s what it takes. He’s not as young as you might think — he’s 26 — and his excesses might be more deeply ingrained than in a 21-year-old. But that’s why managers get the big bucks. They’re paid to reach all their guys, not just the receptive ones.
There’s a big-time ballplayer beneath the garish hair and the excesses. The Braves just have to find him.
Update from the ballpark: Escobar is in tonight’s starting lineup. He’s batting fifth.
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295 comments Add your comment
Lucas
July 2nd, 2009
1:47 pm
After being benched for several days, he got an AB over the weekend against the RedSox and popped up the first pitch he saw.
Last night, he finally got another AB, and hit a lazy grounder to short and didnt bother to run it out.
One would think that after being benched for a AAAA player for a week or so, the message would have been clear. Apparently its not.
That said, when Hernandez hit his first homer the other night, no one on the bench looked happier for him.
Hes got the talent, but a nickel head. I’ll take a guy with lesser tools, and his head in the game all day long over a 5 tool guy who cant think his way out of a paper bag.
Ed
July 2nd, 2009
1:47 pm
Please do not listen to Tony. DO NOT TRADE VAZQUEZ. Our BEST pitcher.
Bob Horner
July 2nd, 2009
1:48 pm
To the clown who said “trade Vazquez”: Have you forgotten how nice it is to have a pitcher that can get the big strikeout when he needs it? Other than Smoltz, the vast majority of Braves pitchers have been ground-ballers. Sometimes you need a guy who can get the out without contact. We have Javy (finally), he’s arguably our best pitcher, and he’s BETTER THAN TIM HUDSON.
If the Braves trade him, it’s a mistake.
Mark Bradley
July 2nd, 2009
1:48 pm
In Escobar’s defense, I believe he speaks English more readily than does Kenshin Kawakami.
Skeezix
July 2nd, 2009
1:49 pm
I agree Yunel has great skills and the potential to get even better. I hope this gets worked out soon. Bobby has great people management skills and will give him every chance; but there has to be a line or point where the attitude must improve. After all, the team must come first and you can’t have one guy getting special treatment for long before othe players start complaining and then Cox will have a real mess. Mostly I wish they hadn’t traded Elvis–losing him was another blunder (if memory is correct, I believe JS gets the blame for the deal that brought Tex to ATL).
coach k
July 2nd, 2009
1:49 pm
Hell no. he has all the tools, same ole easy way out maybe a new start will help. It’s management job to fix his head, I say fire Bobby and Terry and lets see if that helps. For 13 yrs we have shipped an all star team to every franchise, just maybe the problem is on the bench and its not escobar
Colin
July 2nd, 2009
1:52 pm
i was reading someones comment on another site, and they brought up a nice suggestion…Juan Pierre for Yunel and and a prospect…i like it but we don’t have a SS, but maybe we could find a quick fix. We fix our stealing problem, good dependable corner outfielder.
LSU
July 2nd, 2009
1:53 pm
The Braves as a team don’t hit very well, so there’s talk of trading one of the few guys on the team that can hit, just because he didn’t read the how to be a Brave book titled “This is how you must act & look”
Keep Yunel, and props to Mark Bradley….Nice blog.
Atticus
July 2nd, 2009
1:53 pm
KEEP ESCOBAR. The dude can RAKE! Yes he makes some bonehead plays but you can believe he makes up for it SO much more because of his range and his hitting.
Atticus
July 2nd, 2009
1:54 pm
Mark, Yunel has been here for years, KK just got here….come on!
Mark Bradley
July 2nd, 2009
1:56 pm
I know, Atticus. I was just saying …
Supes
July 2nd, 2009
1:56 pm
Why is Escobar being SCAPEGOATED for the failure of the Braves POOR FUNDAMENTALS?
Is he the only one “loafing”? Hell no!
Anderson has done it more than once (hence the nickname LOAF), Jeff just did it on the ball that KJ knocked down against Boston, Jeff casually strolled to the ball and took for granted that a catcher was running and he wouldn’t go for 2base, and HE WAS WRONG. He started to run fast but by then Jason V. made it to 2nd base. Did Jeff get benched? NO! How many times has JEFF had TERRIBLE at bats in critical games with men on base and either struck out, or grounded out without even driving in an RBI?
KJ had the rundown error against Boston, he’s had several bone headed errors at 2B, plus he’s been terrible at the dish. Does he get benched for NOT knowning how to execute a rundown? NO!
Why?
Because KJ and Jeff are “Bobby Cox’s boys”. Yunel isn’t. He doesn’t speak english, he’s passionate and he cares and plays with raw emotion. Everything that Bobby Cox isn’t! Yunel isn’t a “oh shucks, we’ll get them tomorrow type guy”. He hasn’t comformed to Bobby Cox’s lackadasical ways of playing the game.
Yunel is the best hitter with RISP this year. He is arguably our 2nd or 3rd best YOUNG player on the team and under team control salary wise for the next 4 years. Yet people wanna run him out of town.
These are the people that 1. DO NOT watch much Braves baseball 2. Think Bobby Cox is the greatest thing to happen to the Braves since moving to ATL. 3. Have an overall LOW baseball IQ.
When you have a young, future ALL STAR type SS you DO NOT trade him unless absolutely necessary. Instead of “scapegoating and isolating” Yunel, maybe the Braves “management” should reach out to him and embrace him! Ever thought of that?
Horner's Corner
July 2nd, 2009
1:57 pm
The Atlanta Braves won’t be satisfied until they once again have the look and feel of the Atlanta Crackers.
Escobar Rocks
July 2nd, 2009
1:58 pm
Lucas, Escobar has NOT been benched. He has an injury. Look up strained hip flexor and just imagine how hard it would be to play shortstop with this type of injury.
Grant
July 2nd, 2009
1:59 pm
DO NOT TRADE YUNEL! He actually adds some firey excitement to the Braves. Watching Cox get thrown out gets old afterwhile. We need excitement on the team…not sleepy players.
Reality
July 2nd, 2009
2:01 pm
My opinion – Yunel is another of the countless examples of a tremendous athletic talent with a two-cent head on his shoulders. How in the world do you have a groundball hit your way in the majors when you’re NOT PAYING ATTENTION???? He’s a total headcase who has made it this far because of his unbelievable natural talent. He will continue to frustrate himself, his coaches, his teammates, and his hometown fans wherever he is because he’ll never live up to his potential (see Andruw Jones). Get rid of him now while his stock is high. He’s a talent, but not a winner, and he certainly doesn’t inspire others through his leadership or his effort. The Braves have had a real hard time without him the past couple of nights against the division leaders, haven’t they?
MasterQ
July 2nd, 2009
2:01 pm
I think someone like Jerry Manuel (born Hahira, GA) might could handle Excobar. He’s doing real good with the Havana, I mean, Mexico City, I mean the New York Mets.
I’m only funnin’. Jerry’s toast in NY. Too much spanglish being spoken on the spMets. Poor communication.
coach k
July 2nd, 2009
2:01 pm
Torre seems to be able to handle the head cases, why can’t Bobby. Tired of looking at players as scapegoats, hey LSU has it, throw that riduculous Brave manual away and get me someone on the bench that can instill some agressiveness not wait and see what happens and hope your pitcher throws a no hitter, and since I am from New Orleans congrats those LSU Tigers on the National Championship, maybe our coaching staff should have watch any any game in the Series , its fun to watch baseball how it was meant to be.
Legend of Len Barker
July 2nd, 2009
2:01 pm
In the Boston series, there was a pop up that fell between he and Chipper. Yunel got all of the blame; Chipper got none. Jones deserved at least some it as a) the ball was closer to him and b) as the veteran, he has to call that one.
He’s been chastised because of his errors, yet Chipper has made more. Escobar’s are dumber at times, but his overall baseball acumen may be the best on the team. Prado may have him beat, but I don’t think anyone else does.
As much as I love Joe Simpson as an announcer, I think there has been a time or two where he had (purposefully or not) looked to find a fault with Yunel. The vulgarity directed as the official scorer in particular. Escobar didn’t exactly pull a Milton Bradley and go personally talk to the scorer. He wasn’t happy and he cursed. There aren’t many of us haven’t done that.
I think Escobar felt a bit betrayed when they traded away Brayan Pena last year. They had been friends for years and Escobar felt the brunt of it in Cuba because Pena defected first. I wonder if there was more to the story than just simply trading him away.
Is it any wonder that as Cox has gotten older, the Braves have, too?
KennyP
July 2nd, 2009
2:02 pm
supes – good talk about KJ. He has been benched and would possibly be traded if he was batting .300. One of Bobby’s boys – a white guy benched for a Venezuelan. Escobar makes those same kind of mistakes, only he holds trade value – ship him while his value is high.
Horner's Corner
July 2nd, 2009
2:02 pm
Lucas, that’s why you’ll never be a GM. Your whole “Just give me a team of guys with heart and no talent” is pure Disney crap. I think you’ve watched Rudy too many times.
Skeezix
July 2nd, 2009
2:03 pm
TRADE VASQUEZ?! TRADE VAZQUEZ?! Hope Tony’s wrong and Wrongway Wren isn’t considering trading Vazquez. I mean are you kidding? Now my blood pressure is going up…..gotta go take a heart pill.
Rick S
July 2nd, 2009
2:03 pm
I do not believe Escobar is happy in Atlanta and as soon as his current contract is complete he will pursue other teams for the “big bucks”, so I say trade him and Franceour for a good left fielder and right fielder and let’s improve the outfield on defense and offense!
jay
July 2nd, 2009
2:03 pm
I don’t get the trade talk on Escobar. It’s almost as though someone in the front office (or media? Mr. Bradley, is that you?) is trying to set him up. And, it’s not Cox’s nature to take his problems with players to the media. Everything I have heard Bobby say publicly indicates that Yunel’s failure to play is the hip. I think Bobby sent his message with the benching after the scoring incident, and now, some lame media sources (Olney, for chrissakes!) are trying to create something, and our redneck fanbase sees an opportunity to bash a guy who doesn’t look like them. These people are still cheering KJ and saying how great Frenchy is when he goes 1 for 4.
Somehow, I don’t see Yunel as a destructive clubhouse force, I think he’s destructive to himself, and that’s what Bobby is trying to teach – that you can not let things like scoring impact your play.
MB – diff subject – has anyone done a study of current hitters stats from the “steroid” period and compared them to the last coupld of years, since MLB’s gotten a lot tougher on drug testing? Be interesting to see who’s performance is off the most, wouldn’t it? I admit – I’m too lazy to look myself.
Pepe Frias
July 2nd, 2009
2:04 pm
If he goes, I will gladly come back. Gracias.
Larvelle Blanks
July 2nd, 2009
2:06 pm
At our age, Pepe, we’d better platoon.
Rafael Ramirez
July 2nd, 2009
2:07 pm
“Because KJ and Jeff are ‘Bobby Cox’s boys’.”
Dude, they sent Frenchy to the minors last year, and KJ just got benched. Yeah, but they’re untouchable. Great argument.
edward
July 2nd, 2009
2:07 pm
Temper and passion are great. But immaturity is another thing. 26 is not a kid anymore. Time to grow up and handle things like a man. He makes money doing something everyone would love to do and he throws a tantrum in the middle of the field cause he didn’t think he should have gotten an “E”??? Keep your head in the game and be a professional.
The fact that he keeps missing days is pretty telling. If you manage your way into Bobby’s doghouse you must be pretty hard-headed. If he has a tear in his hip why isn’t he on the DL?? Sounds like BS. The Johnson benching was a good move and I think so is the Escobar benching. Sounds like a pissing contest between him and Bobby and history shows Bobby wins.
If he thinks he deserves the job he better think again. He got it becasue Infante got hurt. He was a bench player for a reason. Well, he is now showing the reason
John Tucker
July 2nd, 2009
2:08 pm
trqade Escobar to the Whitesox for Gordon Bechham who can play shrtstop.
WIn-win trade, as Ozzie Guillen is a manager who speaks Spanish and can communicate with Escobar; and the braves get the best hitter (not just the best hitting shortstop) to come out the college ranks last year.
or, trade him to the Cards for Khalil Green whose conficence will quickly be rebuilt by Bobby Cox’s Grandfather style.
Or. trade Escobar to the Padres along with Kelly Jphnson, Casey Kotchman and Jeff Francouer for Adrian Gonzalez and whatever middle infielders we can get. Clears the Braves rosrter of a lot of underachievers and brings the Braves the best hitting firstbaseman in the league behind Pujois.
omar Infante will be back in a few weeks to man shortstop, if we can’t get better help from the Padres..
bravesfan
July 2nd, 2009
2:10 pm
Escobar is no Manny Ramirez. Manny was worth the headache because you know you are getting hall of fame numbers out of him. Escobar doesn’t produce like Manny yet thinks he is a superstar. He doesn’t hustle, he pouts, and he doesn’t get along with the coaches or players. The guy is a me first player who by the way isn’t that young anymore.
If you need to find out more about Escobar and his transgressions on the field go to Sportscrack.com and type in Yunel Escobar in the search function. There you will find out plenty about Escobar including video footage of his pouting.
jay
July 2nd, 2009
2:10 pm
Len – I don’t know what happened on the pop-up, but it’s not Chipper’s because he’s the veteran. It’s Yunel’s because he’s the shortstop. Everything else you said, though, right on target.
As for Pena, look, he was going nowhere as a Brave, and isn’t going anywhere as a Royal, either. That’s just business, and I hope Yunel understands that. If he doesn’t, he just has to man up.
Horner's Corner
July 2nd, 2009
2:10 pm
Reality- Is this the way of Jesus? Do we turn our back on our brother or do we offer him a hand?
And if the Braves quit on Escobar, aren’t they just quitters? And who wants to watch a bunch of quitters?
Mark Bradley
July 2nd, 2009
2:11 pm
Don’t think the White Sox are ready to part with Beckham. They fast-tracked him to the bigs and made a place for him. They love the guy.
Paul Lentz
July 2nd, 2009
2:12 pm
Escobar is not going anywhere…that is if Frank Wren is the GM that I feel he is. Bottom line, I could care less if Escobar is moody or not. When dude is on the field, he makes plays and drives the ball in clutch situations. Sure, it gets annoying to see him muff an easy play or commit a base running blunder at times. However, he’s a work in progress. I can “tolerate” his errors (both mental and physical) because he more than makes up for it with his overall play.
When Escobar is healthy, he’ll play. I’m not one to say that a player is “dogging” it because there is “speculation” in the media that he doesnt want to play while hurt. Escobar wants to get paid. He still has one more year before he is eligible for salary arbitration. It would not make sense for him to “dogg it”. If he had a big contract, then maybe. However, I just dont buy it. Dude is hurt and wants to heal his hip before going back out there.
Escobar has a pretty violent swing. I’m sure that his hip being hurt affects his swing. Some of you might want to use a little common sense before ripping Escobar to the point where you want to trade him.
Legend of Len Barker
July 2nd, 2009
2:14 pm
Rafael Ramirez:
Frenchy went down for about three days. Though he was called back up because of someone else being injured, Frenchy learned **nothing**. His stint wasn’t long to enough to punish him. We could have easily promoted someone else to fill the void and give the message that we’re serious about him improving. We didn’t.
I don’t see Kelly being as much Cox’s boy as Chipper is. Chipper is never blamed for anything, is not nearly as good defensively as he used to be, has just as many bad at-bats as everyone else, and half the time, some mysterious malady befalls him for a week at the time. His toe, his finger, etc. Chipper wants to you know when he’s “gutting” it out.
bravesfanforever
July 2nd, 2009
2:14 pm
How about Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, and another player (preferably a slugging outfielder) for Escobar, Johnson, and Vasquez. Texas has never had any pitching so it may be a good deal for them. Only issue is that Kinsler is hitting .199 on the road. Hope that doesn’t translate into “can’t hit outside of the friendly confines in Arlington”. He had a lot more homers away from Arlington in 2008 so maybe he can hit elsewhere.
It would be good for the Braves because they get Andrus back and they get a ton of hitting–depending on who that outfielder is. They also save a lot of money.
Just noticed that Kinsler has a really good contract for the club… Oooooooo… Well, Texas may never trade him but they have made some pretty dumb moves over the years so who knows?
Horner's Corner
July 2nd, 2009
2:16 pm
Poor Escobar, he just doesn’t know how to play the white, i mean right way.
Diamond Dawg
July 2nd, 2009
2:17 pm
I would get rid of Anderson first! I’m tired of watching im loaf all around the outfield. Can’t cut off balls in gap, can’t throw, and cant hit either. Play Matt Diaz everyday and give up Anderson. As for Escobar, he’s a pro and should know how to conduct himself on the field. Making errors is one thing, but being a “baby” is something else. He’s not that great of a hitter either. Wonder who the hell ya’ll be watching. Slow bat!
Reality
July 2nd, 2009
2:19 pm
“The way of Jesus?” I’m not sure the axiom of WWJD applies to managing a baseball team. I don’t think Jesus would tolerate charging $5.50 for a hot dog either, but you didn’t ask. Totally bizarre question, but funny.
RHR
July 2nd, 2009
2:19 pm
In today’s world of Manny being Manny, Milton Bradley being Milton Bradley, Elijah Dukes having a traveling bouncer to keep him in line, Phillies relievers punching out fans and players going to the DL for “social anxiety” aka “I suck right now” the Yunel Escobar “situation” is very minor, IMO.
Unless it gets to the level mentioned above the Braves would be incredibly stupid to trade away such a talented and CHEAP player. Furthermore, I think the media needs to back off this story so the fans will shut up about it. I hope this isn’t the new Francoeur story.
warning track
July 2nd, 2009
2:21 pm
Did someone just say Yunel Escobar has “good defense”…?
Did you watch him play AT ALL last month? More errors than you can count!!
Beavis Braves
July 2nd, 2009
2:22 pm
As of today, Yunel has 11 errors at SS, third most in the Big Leagues. As a season ticket holder, I keep I keen eye out for many things, to include each player’s alertness on the field. In my opinion, Yunel seems to “daydreaming” at times when on defense. The guy can hit though. He just needs a reminder from Cox to keep his head in the game at all times. No doubt that if he does that, Yunel can easily become one of the top 3 at the SS position in the Big Leagues.
stamper
July 2nd, 2009
2:22 pm
can we trade Anderson, Johnson, Francoeur for GOOD draft beer? That’s what Turner Field is REALLY missing.
Lucas
July 2nd, 2009
2:22 pm
Escobar Rocks: He’s been benched. the injury lets him save face.
Geo
July 2nd, 2009
2:22 pm
Keep him!
1.) Offensively – Yunel is one of our bigger bats. Diory needs to develop further as a batter.
2.) Defensively, Diory may be able to edge him out.
3.) Maturity, Still needs to play out but Diory being a quiet player thus far is better then Yunel’s tomfoolery.
Edge goes to Yunel – He is still young and maturing and his BIG bat is what we need right now.
Nativebird
July 2nd, 2009
2:24 pm
heck No don’t trade this guy, he’s one of the last true homegrown players we have out of our farm that can truly hit!
When focused, he’s a heck of a SS too; cannon for an arm. “Hey here’s idea….lets COACH the young lad, yes, I believe I’ve read that somewhere. I believe as Managers and Coaches in the Atlanta Braves organization, it is incombent among us to make Major League ball players out of the young men that are entrusted to our care. Yes, it’s all coming back to me know.”
– Col. Nathan R. Jessup, United States Marine Corps. edited.
Escofan
July 2nd, 2009
2:24 pm
Short of trading Escobar for a bona fide All-Star who can hit AND play shortstop, getting rid of him because he’s not as boring as most of the Braves are would be nuts. The team has enough Kelly Johnsons and Jeff Francoeurs to satisfy the All-American boy quota as well as occupy full-time spots on the All-Suck team. Maybe his lack of English skills may be making positive communications more difficult, but the guy has emotion, fire and a butt-load of talent – something the Braves as presently constituted are sorely lacking. Maybe he’s as tired of being lectured by Bobby Cox as he says he is tired of speaking with Escobar time and time again. Moreover, I have yet to read about anybody from the AJC actually sitting down with the guy to see what his story is rather than just getting the usual speculation and company line. Baseball history is replete with outstanding players who weren’t consummate clubhouse guys or somebody to bring home to meet the parents, but did the job on the field. The guy is a player, just leave him alone and let him do his thing.
Lucas
July 2nd, 2009
2:25 pm
and to be clear, I DONT think that escobar’s absentmindedness is something thats incurable. Im just stunned to see how lacksadasical his baserunning was the other night after sitting for a week… The season is a long grind, its gotta be incredibly hard to be 100% focus for all 9 innings of 162 games. I dont think Escobar should be traded, he just needs to wake up and get his head out of his arse.
Atticus
July 2nd, 2009
2:26 pm
I told you, I am here to keep you honest
Tomahawk Ale
July 2nd, 2009
2:26 pm
Beavis Braves and stamper: classy guys that actually pay attention to baseball!!
Are you listening, Bobby Cox (and Turner Field concessions staff)??