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
bvillebaron
July 2nd, 2009
3:18 pm
The more relevant question is Escobar already in Cox’s doghouse? If so, he will be gone regardless of talent. See in this regard, Jason Marquis, Adam Wainwright and others who were jettisoned and went on to become good players elsewhere because Cox didn’t like them and/or lost patience with them. Unfortunately, the guy who SHOULD be jettisoned is Cox, but we all know that that ain’t happening!
Rafael Ramirez
July 2nd, 2009
3:18 pm
“KJ had to make 2 mental errors in ONE GAME and drop his batting average to .209 to get benched”
KJ was losing at-bats to Infante before Infante broke his hand. I don’t think he’s had an especially long leash.
Bill M.
July 2nd, 2009
3:20 pm
Why should Bobby Cox learn spanish? When these players come over they should know how to speak english or learn after they get here. Escobar has been here long enough to learn english. I think the problem is more with Cuban players than others. I have nothing against any player coming over here to play ball. I thought this was America but I’m having doubt.
matt
July 2nd, 2009
3:22 pm
is it to late to have Bobby Cox learn spanish?
Ron Roberts
July 2nd, 2009
3:22 pm
1. Nobody blogging here (Mark Bradley included) knows if Yunel Escobar is a “cancer.” It’s absurd to let a keyboard jockey/armchair baseball manager bloviate here about ANY player being a “cancer.” Absurd. Mark, I’ll read; you, I scroll past…
2. Trading Yunel for a guy who can hit would be trading a guy who can hit for a guy who can it. The point? Pleasing Bobby? Please; there HAS to be a player on the planet who butts heads with Cox once in awhile that he can still coach, right? It happens in EVERY clubhouse.
3. Folks here are REAL quick to dump on Esco when he has a mental lapse, but they seem to forget when he out-thinks everybody else on the field, too. He won me over with his base-running acumen in Arizona (what, two years ago?). His defense is splendid and he’s a guy who hits for average without many prolonged slumps.
Give me a healthy Yunel Escobar with a speedy (healthy) McLouth, Chipper, BMac, Kotch, Prado, Garrett/Diaz and the suddenly relevant Francoeur, and I think our hitting woes are a thing of the past.
Bye Bye Yuni!
July 2nd, 2009
3:29 pm
Funny how so many teams win championships without the Mannys and the Yunels’ of the sports world. Yet a team, some fans (and a writer) get desperate and they would sell their soul and kiss the guy’s azz to keep him around. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, Yunel ain’t no Manny.
So Yunel has the mysterious hip injury? Sounds kinda like Manny’s knees in Boston.
Unlike Frenchy and KJ, Yunel actually has some trade value for some team who is willing to coddle him. Maybe the Dodgers need another head case!
jconservative
July 2nd, 2009
3:33 pm
Also an attitude problem when it comes to playing defense is Garrett Anderson. And there is no language barrier there.
John
July 2nd, 2009
3:34 pm
I worked in minor league baseball for 8 years. From personal experience, hispanic players can and do learn and understand English.
Many of them will only open up and speak English in a smaller setting.
That being said, Escobar is a very talented player. Jose Reyes spent two straight seasons toiling in Columbia but once he accepted that he ahd to change his mental make up and how he carried himself he thrived.
Here’s hoping the same light bulb turns on for Escobar. By your third full season in the majors, I would think Escobar would have taken the time to invest in being able to converse in English. It’s indicative to me, of a lack of commitment on his part.
Just my two cents worth.
david
July 2nd, 2009
3:35 pm
i could live with out escobar. it doesnt seem anybody on the team really likes him, prado and infante i know for a fact, and with k. johnson, infanite, and diory playing the utility spots we are pretty seton the infield. bump escobar
Missing the Braves of the 90's...
July 2nd, 2009
3:36 pm
Ron-
I agree that a lot of people jump to conclusion about players, right or wrong. And i agree with most of your points. I just wonder out loud if Yunel will get his head in the right place and go back to being the player he has been in the past.
I dont think Escobar is a cancer (right now) but don’t like the direction he is headed in. Lets hope in 2 months we are not even pondering this subject.
IDC
July 2nd, 2009
3:37 pm
I realize that Escobar is a better hitter, right now, than Kelly Johnson. So pile on all you want there. However, when you are speaking defensively, Escobar has almost twice as many errors as Johnson and Johnson has a higher fielding percentage. So defensively he’s not that great.
mikie g.
July 2nd, 2009
3:39 pm
trade him. he does more harm than good. his defensive skill is tentative at best. his actions are probably the reason for c.jones’ deterioration at third base; not being able to depend on his shortstop. trade him.
Missing the Braves of the 90's...
July 2nd, 2009
3:39 pm
Don’t look now but if Frenchy keeps improving his batting……………..we can all get back on his bandwagon!!!!
(just thought i would throw that in to get a good laugh)
bull-gator
July 2nd, 2009
3:41 pm
The Braves need to fire the manager and the coaching staff first.
Josh M
July 2nd, 2009
3:41 pm
Dadgum it, the Mets have taken the lead after being down 5-0…
Minish
July 2nd, 2009
3:42 pm
I agree. We should keep Escobar. He is too valuable for Braves. How about Tim Hudson? How valuable will be on the trading block?
IDC
July 2nd, 2009
3:51 pm
“The fact that you are only able to see Escobar’s errors and absent-minded play I think speaks to there being more than a little cultural and ethnic bias going on”
Mark, in the future would you please only write columns about players who are white, speak English and don’ treat their hair. Those everybody can bash on everyday. As to all other players, which is about 90% of baseball, no response, other than glowing affirmation, can be posed to your questions without being declared an ethnic or cultural bigot. Please also apply this to football. Hockey is totally exempt from censorship. In the NBA, each team gets to pick a punching bag player. Thanks
Esco is an ALLSTAR
July 2nd, 2009
3:54 pm
To all the people shouting Esco needs to learn English you sound REAL ignorant. First, if you want to keep your jobs in the years to come I would advise learning spanish b/c soon spanish will be the dominant language in this country. Second, majority of people from other countries are required to learn and to speak two languages in school. People from other countries that I talk to think that we are the idiots b/c we feel that EVERYone should learn our language instead of broadening our learning and learn another language. Most people know 2 or 3 languages that live other than the great ole USA.
And…for the people who are calling Esco out for not hustling up the line. HE HAS A HIP PROBLEM. Good grief people. He is not going to risk injuring it more.
Esco is one of the best on the team…he needs to be kept period!
Joe Schmoe
July 2nd, 2009
3:54 pm
Missing the Braves of the 90’s… I was never on the Frenchy bandwagon to begin with. Primadonna local golden boy. Good if he can hit now, but he will not be with the team next year.
LKS
July 2nd, 2009
3:57 pm
mikie g
That was so funny its stupid. Email that to Joe Simpson he would love to use that in his broadcast. Blame Chipper’s Errors on Escobar. Just frickin hilariously stupid!
IDC
July 2nd, 2009
3:59 pm
To Esco is an Allstar, so all these super smart people in other countries, learn two or three languages other than English, even though it is their plan to play really, really good baseball and play in the Untied States for more money than their gross national product. Yeah, they are really smart.
Joe Schmoe
July 2nd, 2009
4:01 pm
Who cares what language the guys speaks, hell he can speak Martian for all I care! He fields and bats well, more than I can say for the majority of the players on the team!
JASon
July 2nd, 2009
4:08 pm
Come on, don’t be naive. If we trade him, its not like we’re gonna get anything that much better. So he’s kind of dumb, he’s a good hitter, man.
scott
July 2nd, 2009
4:09 pm
Let’s get into the other hot button issue with the Andus/Tex trade. Some brilliant mind in the Braves management actually believed we were one top hitter away from winning, so they trade the farm. The weak pitching 2007 Braves. A 2007 team which it was obvious needed several pieces, pieces like down on the farm pieces before they could make a serious run. It was the single most bone headed trade in Braves history.
The Real Don Steele
July 2nd, 2009
4:10 pm
In France they won’t even acknowledge you if you don’t speak french. And when you speak it, it should be very good french. Oh, and all those english-speaking Germans. Why they’re everywhere.
Mike Schneider
July 2nd, 2009
4:31 pm
Floyd – Have you ever played baseball or been to a game? To indicate that Pudge Rodriquez was an average defensive catcher and Ted Simmons an average offensive catcher is mind-boggling. Are you possibly related to Robert Gibbs?
Dr. Mark Martinez
July 2nd, 2009
4:46 pm
Um, I was agnostic about the Escobar ordeal but reading the comments to this article has made me a believer. This really is about race and ethnicity more than it is about baseball. I cannot help but wonder how many of those ready to trade Escobar and make mention of his lack of English proficiency, were amongst those defending John Rocker for “exercising his First Amendment rights”?
I agree with kirkinga when he said that Escobar understands and speaks more English than what we are lead to believe. He is from Cuba, not North Korea, so he, like most of Latim America, has been exposed to English in a variety of ways. Many Latinos and Latinas learn English from music, music videos, and television shows. He also has a girlfriend who, I believe is American and likely has further assisted him with his English.
Lastly, the answer to why Bobby Cox should learn Spanish is because it makes it easier to communicate! With as many Latin players on major league rosters, one would think that the day has come where the boss has some working knowledge of the language. It is not that hard to learn a few relevant phrases. If servers in restaurants can learn a few phrases in Spanish to communicate, then Bobby Cox can learn a little Spanish to communicate with his players. Respect works both ways.
Bye Bye Yuni!
July 2nd, 2009
5:11 pm
Approach to playing and respecting the game and your team mates really knows no language and therefore should not suffer from a language barrier or even be lost in translation.
We have white American hotdogs playing the game. We have black American hotdogs playing the game. We have latin hotdogs playing the game. We also see players from all of the above mentioned groups as well as asians playing the game “right.”
Don’t care what color or nationality you are…. if you’re a dog, I want you gone……white-black-green-yellow….doesn’t matter.
Supes
July 2nd, 2009
5:44 pm
You are talking of trading a potential ALL STAR SS who is relatively cheap and under team control until 2013!
Darn, some of you have no common sense.
Find me a suitable replacement before you even MOUTH off the words “trade him”.
This isn’t fantasy baseball and hell no the Padres aren’t trading Adrian Gonzalez for Yunel (in a package with other players).
Best case scenario is possibly the Red Sox right now, but you are NOT going to be getting an infielder to replace him with (right away) so you’ll be stuck with Diory Hernadez at SS or Infante when he gets back.
All of those advocating for a trade, do you realize that Omar isn’t coming back for possibly 2-3 more weeks and that Diory is just a bench guy, not starting SS material?
How the mighty Bako made me make a U-turn | Mark Bradley
July 2nd, 2009
5:48 pm
[...] update: Since I made mention of Escobar’s blond highlights earlier today, it’s only fair that I report this: Francoeur got a [...]
Nookah
July 2nd, 2009
6:24 pm
Mark, nice blog.
No way we trade Escobar. This guy is a special talent and will be very good later on. Patience is what we need for Esco and trust me his production in the future will far outweigh the negatives. If it’s patience he needs to come along, then he is indeed with the right manager, Bobby Cox.
As far as a manager for the Braves goes, Gonzales is the man!!!
Go Braves!!!
Mark Bradley
July 2nd, 2009
6:26 pm
Just talked with one of the Braves’ announcers. (Won’t say which — sorry.) He agreed with me: Escobar’s not going anywhere.
BT
July 2nd, 2009
8:51 pm
Did Sutton really say that Mark? I certainly hope he is correct!
Mark Bradley
July 2nd, 2009
9:02 pm
Sutton? The name doesn’t ring a bell, BT.
Nice try, however.
BT
July 2nd, 2009
9:09 pm
You are quick! Ok one hint did the guy ever throw spitters?
Mark Bradley
July 2nd, 2009
9:12 pm
I cannot confirm or deny. (I’ve always wanted to say that.)
BT
July 2nd, 2009
9:14 pm
Man Bradley are you posting on two blogs? You are getting double pay I am sure. Are you proof reading DOB’s blog’s as well?
Mark Bradley
July 2nd, 2009
9:17 pm
O’Brien gets snippy if I even look at his.
Scott from RVCCRBL
July 3rd, 2009
7:31 am
The rumor in Baltimore is Andino and Luke Scott for Escobar…he may be a cry baby malcontent, but Mcphail will plug that “stoagie roller” in a SS for the next 7 yrs!!!
Rob
July 4th, 2009
1:59 pm
Trade Escobar to the Redsox for Daniel Bard
Bradley's Buzz: Buster helps the Braves make a deal! | Mark Bradley
July 6th, 2009
12:57 pm
[...] the Braves are looking to trade Yunel Escobar and Javier Vazquez. (Didn’t someone we know address the Escobar issue last week? And didn’t the same someone suggest the Vazquez thing two months ago?) Since this [...]
Braves should take a trade holiday, not trade for Holliday | Mark Bradley
July 15th, 2009
10:56 am
[...] the long haul in that moment of Schuerholz weakness in 2007, and one of the key issues now — should Yunel Escobar be traded? — would have a different set of dynamics had not Elvis Andrus been sent to Texas in the Mark [...]
Braves Fan
July 16th, 2009
2:17 am
AMEN is right. Let him grow up and help him, like you said “Sometimes a little instruction is needed, sometimes even a lot of instruction”. He could be the best SS in braves history. And he has a fire that is much needed right now and always.
zak
July 17th, 2009
6:19 am
he is the best ss in the league on d trade him ur funny and he is a rbi machine!!!!!!!!!!
Kb.
July 7th, 2010
10:40 am
They should not trade Escobar. He is hot.