Yunel Escobar, Third Baseman

Date of Birth: 11/2/1982
Birthplace: Havana, Cuba

Yunel Escobar, third baseman, defected from Cuba in 2004. A year later, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. He played in the minor leagues from 2005 through half of 2007.

Escobar batted .326 in 94 games with the Braves in 2007. The following year, he batted .288 with 148 hits, 24 doubles, and 60 RBIs in 136 games. His 2009 season was even better with a .299 batting average, 158 hits, 26 doubles, 14 home runs, and 76 RBIs in 141 games.

After 75 games and a .238 batting average in 2010, the Braves traded Escobar to the Toronto Blue Jays in July. He played in 60 games with the Blue Jays and batted .275.

In 2011, his first full season with the Blue Jays, Escobar batted .290 with 149 hits and 24 doubles in 133 games. The next season he had similar numbers, with 141 hits, 22 doubles, and a .253 batting average in 145 games.

The Blue Jays traded Escobar to the Miami Marlins in November, 2012. A month later, the Marlins traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2013, Escobar batted .256 with 130 hits, 27 doubles, and 56 RBIs in 153 games with the Rays. He finished the 2014 season with 123 hits, 18 doubles, and a .258 batting average in 137 games.

In May, 2014, Escobar signed a two-year, $13 million contract extension with the Rays. Although the contract included a club option for 2017, the Rays traded him to the Oakland Athletics on January 10, 2015. He didn't last long, however, with the Athletics. On January 14, 2015, they traded him to the Washington Nationals.

Escobar had a strong 2015 season, finishing with a career high 168 hits, 25 doubles, 56 RBIs, and a .314 batting average. Defensively, at third base, he made 171 assists, 14 double plays, 56 putouts, and 7 errors in 134 games.

Escobar was traded to the Los Angeles Angels on December 10, 2015. He played in 132 games with the Angels in 2016 and he had another strong season. He finished the season with 157 hits, a career high 28 doubles, 39 RBIs, and a .304 batting average. Defensively, as the Angels' third baseman in 129 games, he made 188 assists, 95 putouts, and 19 errors.

The Angels exercised their club option for Escobar for 2017 on November 7, 2016. He spent time on the DL in 2017, limiting his playing time to 89 games. He finished the season with 96 hits, 20 doubles, 31 RBIs, 51 strikeouts to 29 walks, and a .274 batting average. Defensively, as the Angels' third baseman in 87 games, he made 126 assists, 54 putouts, and 12 errors.

Escobar became a free agent on November 2, 2017. He hasn't played professional baseball since 2017.

Career batting statistics for Escobar through 2017 include:

• 1,434 games played
• 1,501 hits
• 258 doubles
• 519 RBIs
• 686 strikeouts to 509 walks
• .282 batting average

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Yunel Escobar
ESPN - Yunel Escobar