Alex Escobar

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #13 prospect in 2003
  The first sign that 2002 wasn't going to be the Indians' year came in the first week of exhibition games. Escobar, the key prospect to come over from the Mets in the Roberto Alomar trade, blew out his left knee making a catch in the outfield and required season-ending reconstructive knee surgery. He should be 100 percent, or close to it, by the start of spring training, but he lost a full season when he needed to re-establish himself following a disappointing 2001 performance. Escobar has tremendous athletic ability, and is a well-rounded player offensively and defensively. He has the range, speed, and arm for all three outfield positions, and offers Cleveland a much-needed righthanded bat. He has the potential to hit .265-.285 and be at least a 20-20 man. Escobar's high strikeout totals were an ongoing source of concern for the Mets. His ability to get over the knee injury may be as big a challenge mentally as physically, and how the injury affects his speed and range in the outfield remains to be seen. Assuming he's ready physically, Escobar will come to training camp and compete for a starting job, most likely in right field.
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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #2 prospect in 2002
  Escobar had been the bright light of the Mets system since a breakout season in 1998 in the low Class A South Atlantic League, but New York grew impatient waiting for him to make the final steps in becoming a major league regular. Faced with the prospect of getting Roberto Alomar in a December trade, the Mets included Escobar in the five-player package they sent to Cleveland. Escobar has exciting tools across the board. When he's right offensively, he generates line drives and above-average power while utilizing the entire field. He also has speed, and if he puts everything together he could be a 30-30 player. A standout center fielder, he offers the best outfield defense and arm in the system. Escobar struggled in Triple-A and the majors last season as his plate discipline deteriorated. He was befuddled by conflicting advice from a variety of Mets coaches before reverting to an open stance with his legs spread wide and his hands held high. While his arm is strong, it isn't always accurate. The Indians aren't as desperate for outfielders as the Mets were, so Escobar could spend most of 2002 at Triple-A Buffalo trying to polish his game. If he can't, the whispers that he could be the second coming of failed prospect Ruben Rivera only are going to get louder.
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  Ranked New York Mets #1 prospect in 2001
  When Escobar has been healthy, he has been awesome. He's capable of playing any of the three outfield positions, is projected as a 20-30 stolen base threat in the big leagues, can hit for average and power and has an above-average arm. The only problem is that before 2000, those tools often were on the disabled list. In his first four years in the system, Escobar averaged just 153 at-bats a season. He was restricted to three games in 1999 because of two injuries: a lower-back problem and then a separated left shoulder that required surgery. Despite the lost season, he remained the organization's No. 1 prospect because no one could forget his scintillating 1998 season at Class A Capital City, when he hit .310-27-91 in while stealing 49 bases. He was as good a power/speed combination as anyone in the minor leagues. At Double-A Binghamton in 2000, Escobar did all the things he needed to do and stayed healthy while doing them. His work with a personal trainer paid off as he hit well after a slow start. Almost halfway through the year, he had just four stolen bases. That was by design, though, so his sore hamstrings could heal. Afterward, he was back to his Sally League dominance on the bases, finishing with 24 steals. All of his other tools looked as impressive as they had two seasons earlier. By all accounts, Escobar just needs the benefit of time. In the outfield, he could use improvement on picking up hard-hit ground balls and on the accuracy of his throws. He'll still have to answer questions about his durability and scouts would like to see him cut down on his strikeouts, but Escobar could be the most exciting player in a young, talented Mets outfield in the near future. Escobar is seen as a pure center fielder, but incumbent Jay Payton has a slight defensive edge on him at that spot and probably will push Escobar to right. As long as the Mets' top prospect keeps his health, he'll get a chance to show off his skills as an everyday player at Triple-A Norfolk in 2001. If all goes well, he may get a chance to continue New York's recent tradition of finding key late-season outfield additions from the farm system.
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  Ranked New York Mets #1 prospect in 1999
  Background: Escobar was signed as a 17-year-old out of Venezuela in 1995, but had accumulated only 184 professional at-bats before the 1998 season because of a series of hamstring injuries. The injuries covered up his growing strength and physical maturity and he took the South Atlantic League by storm, easily winning that league's best prospect designation. Incredibly, Escobar hit 27 home runs in 1998 after hitting only one the previous two years. Strengths: When describing Escobar's natural abilities, the Mets use the increasingly hallowed comparison to Expos right fielder Vladimir Guerrero as a base, especially offensively. Escobar's tools grade out as above average or better in all areas. His raw arm strength from the outfield doesn't match up with Guerrero's, but Escobar is a natural center fielder who is sure handed and very fast. Offensively, the ball explodes off Escobar's bat, giving him power to all fields, but Escobar also has the blinding speed and baserunning instincts to be a disruptor on the bases. Weaknesses: Despite enjoying the healthiest season of his career, Escobar still played in only 112 games in 1998 due to a variety of nagging injuries, so there is still concern among the Mets about keeping their thoroughbred on the field. More repetitions will help Escobar recognize pitches better, as he still makes youthful mistakes on breaking balls outside the strike zone. Another youthful weakness of Escobar's is learning to play with more emotion and concentration on a day-to-day basis. The Future: Because he has improved so much in such a short period of time, there is still the thought that Escobar has some projection left physically. Scouts who have seen him play in Venezuela this winter say that he has taken his game to the next level and is completely comfortable playing with older and more experienced players. The Mets outfield of Rickey Henderson, Brian McRae and Bobby Bonilla is old and deteriorating and it will be difficult for the Mets to keep Escobar out of the mix for long.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked International League #17 prospect in 2003
  Escobar possesses plus power and ranked second in the league in home runs, but also falls victim to the strikeout way too much. He struck out once every 3.3 at-bats and only George Lombard fanned more frequently among IL regulars. Even noted swing-and-misser Drew Henson only whiffed once every 4.0 at-bats. Breaking balls give Escobar the most trouble and there are other holes in his swing. But if pitchers miss their spots, he still has the bat speed to make them pay. His skill set and approach reminds some of Reggie Jackson's. "He's a free swinger," Allenson said. "He can cut down on his swing and still drive the ball if he wants to. If he can do that, he'll hit and be a heck of a player." Defensively, Escobar has the tools to be a Gold Glove right fielder. No one in the IL could match his throwing arm, and the former center fielder has the speed to track down plenty of fly balls, though he doesn't steal many bases any more.
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  Ranked International League #7 prospect in 2001
  Nothing could stop the managers from including Escobar in the Top 10. Not his 146 strikeouts in 397 at-bats at Norfolk. Not his mediocre power numbers for the Tides. And not his .216 average in his first 12 games for the Mets. "I've picked him No. 1 three of the last four years," said Buffalo manager Eric Wedge, who has climbed through the minors also step by step with Escobar. "He's a five-tool guy who has the ability to be an all-star for years to come." In a league where center fielders like Milton Bradley and Vernon Wells routinely made highlight-reel catches, managers rated Escobar the best defensive outfielder. If he can get a better grasp of the strike zone, the Mets' center-field problems will vanish immediately. "He's going to hit for average sooner or later," Pawtucket manager Gary Jones said. "And when he does, he's going to be an impact player."
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  Ranked Eastern League #1 prospect in 2000
  Healthy for the first time since 1998, Escobar was the consensus choice for the league's best overall prospect. He compiled numbers similar to those he posted in 1998, when some low Class A South Atlantic League observers compared him to a young Vladimir Guerrero. "He's the most exciting tools guy in the league," Norwich manager Dan Radison said. "He's an impact player. He's something else. You can't even hit the ball anywhere close to center field with him there." New Haven manager Dan Rohn saw some Bernie Williams in Escobar, whom he termed the best young player in the league. But not the best every night, according to one manager. "I've seen him hit ground balls to second base, run 40 feet down the line and turn off to the dugout. That turns me off," Harrisburg’s Doug Sisson said. "I rate him high based on physical tools. If he plays for somebody who just kicks him in the ass and lets him know that that's not acceptable, then you have a pretty good player."

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #71 prospect in 2002
• Ranked Baseball America's #18 prospect in 2001
• Ranked Baseball America's #34 prospect in 2000
• Ranked Baseball America's #11 prospect in 1999

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  Healthy for the first time since 1998, Escobar was the consensus choice for the league's best overall prospect. He compiled numbers similar to those he posted in 1998, when some low Class A South Atlantic League observers compared him to a young Vladimir Guerrero. "He's the most exciting tools guy in the league," Norwich manager Dan Radison said. "He's an impact player. He's something else. You can't even hit the ball anywhere close to center field with him there." New Haven manager Dan Rohn saw some Bernie Williams in Escobar, whom he termed the best young player in the league. But not the best every night, according to one manager. "I've seen him hit ground balls to second base, run 40 feet down the line and turn off to the dugout. That turns me off," Harrisburg’s Doug Sisson said. "I rate him high based on physical tools. If he plays for somebody who just kicks him in the ass and lets him know that that's not acceptable, then you have a pretty good player."