Leadoff hitter Alcides Escobar sets tone for Royals
NEW YORK – When Alcides Escobar tied a record held by Derek Jeter during Game 4 of the World Series, the baseball cognoscenti much have let out a collective screech.
Even Jeter’s harshest critics would acknowledge he was baseball royalty, whereas Escobar only gets that tag through the uniform he wears.
In fact, the Kansas City Royals shortstop evokes mostly exasperation from the advanced-metrics crowd, based on manager Ned Yost’s insistence on batting him leadoff despite a career .298 on-base percentage. Yost himself admits such lineup placing makes no statistical sense.
For that matter, Escobar’s offensive exploits in the last two postseasons defy logic as well, and they seem to point to a player who has no fear of the big stage and embraces the moment.
“All games are important, but these even more so,’’ he said. “They bring out the best in me.’’
Going into Sunday’s Game 5, with the Royals holding a 3-1 series lead over the New York Mets and just a victory short of their first championship in 30 years, Escobar was batting .344 for the postseason after putting up a .292 mark last October.
The Venezuela native has hit safely in 14 consecutive postseason games, tied for the longest such streak in a single postseason, and has gone 12-for-24 when leading off an inning despite his overaggressive ways. In 11 of his first 13 postseason games, Escobar swung at the first pitch he saw.
“He sets the tone for the team,’’ first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “Not many teams have leadoff guys who go up there swinging like that, but every time he does it for us, it seems like it works out.’’
The first-pitch swinging at the outset of games, which has become Escobar’s trademark, evolved from hitting coach Dale Sveum’s suggestion to encourage Escobar to be more aggressive. He started doing it in the final five games of the season and continued it into the playoffs until the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard put a stop to it in what became one of the postseason’s most memorable moments.
After hinting he would do so the day before, Syndergaard sent Escobar sprawling to the dirt with a 98 mph fastball over his head on the first pitch of Game 3, evoking howls of displeasure from the Royals dugout. Afterward Escobar answered questions from wave after wave of reporters, both in Spanish and in his improved but still imperfect English, and did not shy away from the growing controversy.
“I have no problem speaking my mind, because everybody saw the same thing I did,’’ Escobar told Paste BN in Spanish. “Everybody knows it was on purpose. It wasn’t like, ‘Sorry, it slipped out of my hand.’ If he tells you he has a plan to do that, then I think it’s a stupid plan.’’
Yost and Co. have heard worse than that about the notion of putting Escobar atop the order. Although he runs well and finished third on the team with 17 steals, Escobar rarely walks or hits for extra bases – 129 of his 157 hits this past season were singles – and yet the Royals thrive with him leading off.
Including the playoffs, they are 92-54 when he’s in the No. 1 spot in the lineup, 6-11 when he hits anywhere else. And with Escobar climbing the postseason hitting charts, there’s little reason to change anything.
Escobar, 28, batted .478 with five RBI in the six-game victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series, earning MVP honors. Then he got the Royals off to a roaring start in the World Series by blasting a deep drive to center field on the first pitch he saw in Game 1 for what turned into an inside-the-park home run.
On Saturday, Escobar’s first-at-bat single matched Jeter’s record for the most hits by a shortstop in a postseason with 22 and put him at an even .500 (7-for-14 with a hit-by-pitch) when leading off a game.
“I never imagined something like that,’’ Escobar said. “It’s not easy for any player to put his name in a record book alongside Derek Jeter. It’s incredible. I’ve worked very hard for this type of accomplishment.’’
Indeed, while Escobar’s outstanding fielding has long been a given – he’s a finalist for the Gold Glove for the second year in a row – his offensive development has come in fits and starts. He showed signs of being able to handle the bat by batting .304 in 38 games as a rookie with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009, but then dropped to .235 in full-time duty the next year. After that season, the Brewers traded him to the Royals along with Lorenzo Cain in a deal for Zack Greinke.
Partly due to a tendency to lose focus and wear down during the grind of the regular season, Escobar’s offensive output has fluctuated since then. He batted .293 with a career-best .721 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 2012, only to drop to .234 and .559 the next season.
The Royals, who have Escobar under contract for a total of a team-friendly $12 million over the next two years, believe he has more seasons like 2012 in him.
“Alcides is a special talent,’’ general manager Dayton Moore said. “In my opinion, he could be one of the better players in the game. He’s got such a great skill set, and I believe he can continue to get better.’’