Kansas City Royals just cannot quit Alcides Escobar
By David Hill
Another day, another Kansas City Royals lineup with Alcides Escobar getting on the field. The Royals just cannot stop themselves.
Alcides Escobar has certainly earned his place in Kansas City Royals lore. He was the MVP of the 2015 ALCS, hitting a surprising .478/.481/.652 as the Royals took out the Blue Jays in six games, with his hacking away at the first pitch a sign of impending victory. When he hit a leadoff inside the park homer to kick off the World Series that year, Escobar cemented his place alongside Buddy Biancalana as a cult hero amongst the Royals faithful.
As the years passed, and the Royals slipped towards mediocrity, it appeared as though Escobar’s time had come and gone. He was a free agent, and the Royals had the equally offensively challenged, but brilliant defensively, Adalberto Mondesi waiting in the wings. And then, he came back, albeit on a one year deal.
With the Royals holding the worst record in baseball, and obviously going nowhere this year, one would think it is time for Escobar to be phased out of the lineup. After all, his .203/.255/.288 batting line is not exactly worth starting. His speed is about gone, with only three steals. Even his defense, once Gold Glove caliber, has slipped, as he has cost the Royals 14 runs at short. Escobar’s -1.2 WAR thus far in 2018 is the fourth worst in baseball this season, trailing only Trey Mancini, Dexter Fowler, and Chris Davis.
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And yet, there he is, getting the call every day to go out and flail away in the batter’s box. The Royals have even been looking for additional ways to keep Escobar in the lineup, having him play a game in center and at third. His consecutive game streak at short may be over, but Escobar will be in the lineup every day until they pry the pen from Ned Yost‘s cold dead hands.
In a way, this dedication to ineptitude is admirable. By plugging Escobar into the lineup, Yost and Dayton Moore are making sure that the Royals have the greatest possible chance to earn the top pick in next year’s draft. After all, his pathetic OPS+ of 50 and stature as the fourth worst player in the game are doing a brilliant job of helping to tank the Royals season.
Theoretically, this will be the last season that Escobar will spend in Kansas City. He has zero trade value, meaning that he will be around come the end of the year. However, next season, when the likes of Mondesi and Nicky Lopez could be ready to take over at short, Escobar should be allowed to play elsewhere. However, given how he seems to have some sort of hold on the imaginations of the Royals brain trust, he may well be the starting shortstop on Opening Day in 2019.
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The Kansas City Royals just cannot quit Alcides Escobar, despite all the reasons staring them in the face. It is a relationship that, for all the memories, needs to come to an end.