The Los Angeles Angels spent the offseason of 2015 patching up some gaping holes on the fielding side of the ball. This season, they’ll look for those players added to develop more.
The Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar was a key addition in the offseason of 2015. Offensively, Escobar provided much-needed help for Mike Trout and company.
His batting average was a cool .304, in part because he literally swings at everything. However, Escobar’s five homers and 39 RBI’s gave the Angels a nice lift at times throughout the season.
On the fielding side of the ball, Escobar also provided some great help to the Angels. He recorded 95 putouts and kept his errors just below 20 for the season. With 22 double plays turned, Escobar quickly solidified himself as the starting third baseman for the season.
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While Escobar had many positives this season, it didn’t keep his name from surfacing during trade time.
His name was linked to plenty of teams including the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, and others. However, no deal was done. It is still unclear if the Angels will use Escobar as trade bait in the future.
Escobar is approaching his 10th season in the majors.
The journeyman has spent time playing for Atlanta, Toronto, Tampa Bay, Washington, and now the Angels. The question is has he found a home with the Angels?
Most likely, the Angels will keep Escobar to begin next season, they’ll re-evaluate his play right before August of next season.
Now, I would be remiss if I failed to mention one flaw in Escobar. Of course, I’m talking about the game he was tossed for sketching a home plate in the dirt. The game took place on July 10th against Baltimore. Escobar first argued a check swing, then proceeded to draw a home plate sketch in the dirt as a protest.
First of all, that’s actually pretty funny, not to mention the most passive-aggressive argument I’ve ever seen in baseball. However, It got him tossed and moves like that can cost your team games. Still, despite that one questionable incident, Escobar is a key player in the Angels lineup.
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If I was a teacher, I wouldn’t Escobar an A for effort. However, a solid B isn’t out of order. Escobar gave the Angels stability at the third base post. That alone is one less thing the Angels have to focus on for this offseason.