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I really like Escobar... for what he is. That is, he's a very solid utility guy, who as I've said before, could be the next in the solid line of utility infielders (Newman, Reboulet, Hocking, Punto). I don't think he'll be an every day player. I think if he was, he could be a good glove, minimal hit guy. I'm thinking a .650 OPS type (which wouldn't be terrible).

 

I think that long-reliever and utility infielders are the two roles on a team that are largely under-appreciated.

In the long-term, I don't think Escobar is anything more than a utility guy.

 

In the short-term, I think he's the best shortstop on the roster.

Preseason projections had Escobar around a .600 OPS. I know his little hot streak with the bat won't last, but if some of it sticks and he can legitimately be a .650 OPS guy, that's a big boost to his career outlook. Punto is a career .650 OPS hitter (admittedly with some wild swings around that number), although Punto is a strong OBP guy.

 

For Escobar to hit that mark, he'd probably need to be more like Jamey Carroll without the walks (.277 AVG, .344 slugging). Might be more difficult to maintain those levels consistently without the ability to draw walks.

He may only be a future utility guy, but as far as I'm concerned, he's earned the starting job. For the time being, he should start until he fails.

Yeah, this is mainly small sample size, of course. On the other hand, we got him (and a AAAA pitcher) for giving the Sux a pitcher who pitched a 5.5 ERA for them for three months. I actually liked this trade when it happened because Liriano just isn't any good. The fact that we could get anything out of him made it a win in my book.

 

I'm also still not bullish on Flormion. If he doesn't stick, we're not exactly brimming with other options. If Escobar proves serviceable then at least we won't be completely stuck.

In the long-term, I don't think Escobar is anything more than a utility guy.

 

I basically agree. I think he does have a ceiling a little bit higher, based on his minor league progression through 2011 - he could be a long-term starter on a succession of bad teams, or a weakest-link starter on a championship team if the stars aligned just right. But he's not a lock yet to at least have a long career in a utility role a la Punto, either. Last year was a disaster for him, this year he's off to a strong start, so I don't see evidence yet to nail down what role he'll eventually have. Have to let him finish maturing and see what we've got. I'm optimistic.

The Twins should start him and find out.

Play who is hot bench who is not. Maybe escobar can push plouffe to be a better third baseman.

In my opinion Carroll & Escobar are a better combo than Dozier & Florimon (love what Dozier is doing at 2B and lead off, I'm just sayin...) unfortunately the latter don't have the value off the bench as the former either. Escobar is pretty young so I don't see why he couldn't develop into a solid everyday big leaguer, not saying he's going to, but it's possible.

He has a lot more tools than I thought he had, that's for sure. He's probably the fastest guy on the team. He has a rocket arm. Good range. Sure hands. Surprising power. I could see him as a regular shortstop until an upper tier player comes along from the minors. He's probably below average as a regular, but he's not going to hurt you out there everyday. That's a pretty valuable player.

Hes not valuable at all, this is pretty sad that we are talking about how valuable a bad player is just because he is doing well for a little stretch. This shows how long us twins fans have been suffering with bad baseball.