Boston Red Sox potential spring training prospect surprises
By Rick McNair
Sep 24, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Edwin Escobar (71) delivers against the Tampa Bay Rays during the ninth inning of Boston
Acquired from San Francisco as part of the Jake Peavy deal in 2014 Edwin Escobar had a season to forget thanks to some injury complications. The 23-year-old left-hander had made a brief appearance in Boston in 2014 with a nondescript two games and two innings allowing a run.
Pawtucket was the place to further hone his skills as either a relief pitcher or a starter until bad fate intervened. Escobar slipped into the Pawtucket rotation towards the end of the PawSox last place finish, and his August numbers came in with a 2-2 record and 3.67 ERA after a rather tumultuous return earlier. The downside was 13 walks and 13 K’s in 27 innings for August.
Escobar has a three pitch tool box with a curve and change working off his fastball. A once valuable prospect in the Giants system, Escobar now has the chance to return to some level of prominence with a strong spring. Situational lefties are always in demand and Escobar’s best opportunity may be in that direction.
A strong spring could place Escobar into an ideal spot to grab a slot on the roster depending upon any off season moves the Red Sox make to add some strength to the bullpen. The team objective in that brief 2014 trial run was just that – to see if in the future Escobar could be that specialist.
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I expect Escobar to have a strong spring and force his way into some potentially dicey roster decisions.
Sources: Red Sox Prospects/MLB Prospect Watch