Yunel Escobar
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Yunel Escobar Almenares (born November 2, 1982) is a Cuban-born American former
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...
shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
and
third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
. He played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
,
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
,
Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
,
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
, and
Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
. While he primarily played
shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...
during his career, Escobar later transitioned to
third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
.


Early life

Escobar was born on November 2, 1982 in
Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
.
Brayan Peña Brayan Eduardo Peña (born January 7, 1982) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball catcher. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis ...
, a former teammate of Escobar with the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
, was his best friend growing up in Cuba, with the two boys often playing on the same team and sharing bats, gloves, and cleats. In 2004, Escobar
defected In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...
from Cuba by sea, and landed in the
Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
.


Career


Atlanta Braves

The Braves drafted Escobar in the second round of the 2005 draft, 75th overall. "We saw him as a premium talent", said Roy Clark, Atlanta's scouting director. "A lot of clubs didn't feel that they had enough background
n him N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
" Former Braves general manager
John Schuerholz John Boland Schuerholz Jr. (; born October 1, 1940) is an American baseball front office executive. He was the general manager of Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves from 1990 to 2007, and then served as the Braves president for a decade from 2 ...
said he does not hesitate when he finds a Cuban who fits his team's needs. "I'm not a politician", Schuerholz said. "I'm a baseball general manager. We look for baseball talent wherever we can find it. And wherever it is, we go after it." Escobar's tense relationship with Cuban authorities in the aftermath of Peña's defection had limited his exposure to major league scouts. With little more than a few off-season workouts to draw upon, most teams were reluctant to take a chance on Escobar. The Braves, however, spoke with Peña, who had been called up to the majors to play for the Braves only days before Escobar was drafted in the 2005 draft. Braves officials asked Peña countless questions about everything from Escobar's skill set to his command of English to his family background. "The best recommendation we got was from Brayan", Clark says. Escobar received a $475,000 signing bonus. After being drafted and signed by the Braves in 2005, Yunel began in the Appalachian League with Danville, hitting .400 with two homers. Escobar played the entire 2006 season in Double-A Mississippi and was selected to
All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...
. His performance in Mississippi was somewhat disappointing with a few bright spots. Escobar showed good plate discipline with 59 walks against just 77 strikeouts. This led to a strong .361 on-base percentage. However, Escobar saw his power numbers drop. His slugging percentage fell to .346 (it was .470 in 2005) and his OPS went from .828 to .707. Throughout these struggles, Escobar developed a contentious relationship with manager,
Jeff Blauser Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes * ...
. His talent reasserted itself with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League.Baby Braves , MVN - Most Valuable Network » Blog Archive » Prospect Profile: Yunel Escobar
/ref> Escobar had a very strong spring training for the Braves in 2007 before being sent down to Triple-A Richmond to start the season. Escobar set the Triple-A International League on fire during his short stint there during the first two months of the 2007 season. In 46 games, Escobar hit .333 with a .379 OBP and a .456 SLG. Escobar made his major league debut on June 2, 2007 against the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
at
third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
. He hit a single in his first Major League at-bat, and finished the game 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run. His double in the top of the 8th inning gave the Braves the lead in their 5–3 win. "This is what I dreamed about when I first left Cuba and got to the United States", said Escobar, with Braves bench coach
Chino Cadahia Aurelio "Chino" Cadahia (born November 22, 1957) is a Major League Baseball coach. Cadahia joined the Kansas City Royals in 2011 after spending the last 15 seasons in the Braves' organization, including the last four seasons as the bench coach fo ...
serving as an interpreter. "It was especially great because it was in a city like Chicago and there were so many people here. Having the game-winning RBI, playing good defense and having the team win, I couldn't have dreamed it any better." "I had plenty of confidence in myself that I could get the job done", said Escobar. "It's fun to see any young kid come up", Braves manager
Bobby Cox Robert Joe Cox (born May 21, 1941) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Cox played for the New York Yankees and managed the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. He is a member of ...
said. " scobarbattles. He's a no-fear type of player and hitter." "I've always had a lot of confidence in myself", Escobar said. "It's just the game of baseball." Escobar's first Major League
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
came on June 4, 2007 against
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...
pitcher
Wes Obermueller Wesley Mitchell Obermueller (born December 22, 1976) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He began his career in the Kansas City Royals organization when he was selected in the 2nd round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft. Obermueller ...
. In the fourth inning of a 2–2 game – his first at
Turner Field Turner Field was a baseball stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 to 2016, it served as the home ballpark to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the c ...
– Escobar took a high
fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...
from Obermueller the "opposite way", hitting it over the wall in right field. He finished the day 4-for-4 with two singles and a double in addition to his home run. On July 27, 2007, in a game against the
Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
, Escobar exhibited an uncanny sense of alertness (and riskiness) as the Braves were down 7–6 in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two outs, Escobar drew a walk from Arizona closer
José Valverde José Rafael Valverde (born March 24, 1978) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and New York Mets. He is nicknamed ...
. Seeing Valverde bending down to fix his sock with his back turned toward second base with no position player near the bag, Escobar sprinted immediately for second base. By the time Valverde realized what Escobar was attempting to do, it was too late to throw him out. He scored from second on the next play as
Willie Harris William Charles Harris (born June 22, 1978) is an American professional baseball coach who is currently the third base coach for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is also a former Major League Baseball outfielder and second bas ...
hit a two-out single, tying the game at 7–7 and completing a seven-run comeback for Atlanta. The Braves, however, went on to lose in extra innings. "You'd be shocked how many times players could do that, that don't", said Cox, who says he was successful with this daring attempt during his Major League days with the Yankees. "It's something you see a lot in the Minors and not as much up here, because guys have had it happen to them in the Minors", Rentería said. "That's why when a guy gets to first base, I'm always paying attention." On August 5, 2007, Escobar recorded his first career walk-off hit against the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
in the 10th inning when he singled in
Jeff Francoeur Jeffrey Braden Francoeur (; born January 8, 1984), nicknamed "Frenchy", is an American former professional baseball right fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals ...
to give the Braves a 6–5 win. On August 29, Escobar belted his first leadoff homer in a 7–4 win over the Marlins. Escobar finished his rookie season with a .326 batting average. Escobar (1 point) came in a tie for sixth, as
Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and firs ...
(128 points) won the vote for the 2007 NL
Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award The ''Sporting News'' Rookie of the Year Award is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award established in 1946 by ''Sporting News''. For the first three years (1946–1948) and again in 1950, there was a single award. In 1949 and since 1951, ...
by 488 major league players and 30 managers. Due in part to Escobar's emergence, the Braves traded starting shortstop
Édgar Rentería Édgar Enrique Rentería Herazo (; born August 7, 1975), nicknamed "The Barranquilla Baby", is a Colombian former professional baseball shortstop. He threw and batted right-handed. He played for the Florida Marlins, the St. Louis Cardinals, the ...
to the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
following the 2007 season for
Jair Jurrjens Jair Francoise Jurrjens ( ; born January 29, 1986) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves (with whom h ...
and
Gorkys Hernández Gorkys Gustavo Hernández Lugo (born September 7, 1987) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, and ...
. "Rentería taught him a lot", said Brayan Peña. "Rentería is like a father to him. They worked out all the time together. Escobar says that a lot of what he knows, he owes to Rentería." On June 2, 2008, exactly one year after his major league debut, Escobar recorded his first career walk-off home run in a 7–5 victory over the Florida Marlins. Escobar started the 2008 season hitting .315 with a .386 OBP, .435 SLG and .821 OPS over 192 plate appearances. Beginning in May 2008, Escobar began to slump. Over the next 54 games, he hit .246 with a .315 OBP and a .321 SLG and .636 OPS over 250 plate appearances. Escobar rebounded over his final 38 games of the season, hitting .328 with a .427 OBP, .500 SLG and .927 OPS over 145 plate appearances. He ended the season with final averages of .288 AVG with a .366 OBP and a .401 SLG. Escobar had by all accounts a very good year with the glove in 2008. Defensively, he was rated 12 runs above average according to John Dewan's +/- Fielding Bible, 10 runs above average according to
Tom Tango Tom Tango and "TangoTiger" are aliases used online by a baseball sabermetrics and ice hockey statistics analyst. He runs the ''Tango on Baseball'' sabermetrics website and is also a contributor to ESPN's baseball blog ''TMI (The Max Info)''. Tango ...
's Fan Scouting Report, and 3 runs above average according to Mitchel Lichtman's
Ultimate Zone Rating Ultimate zone rating (UZR) is a sabermetric statistic used to measure fielding. It compares the event that actually happened (hit/out/error) to data on similarly hit balls in the past to determine how much better or worse the fielder did than the "a ...
. 2009 was Escobar's best year statistically, and was also strong in the field. After several mental-lapses mid season (and some time spent on the bench), he recovered, committing just two errors in his last 75 games and hitting .299 with a career-high 14 home runs.


Toronto Blue Jays

On July 14, 2010 Escobar was traded by the
Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
to the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
with
Jo-Jo Reyes Joseph Albert Reyes (born November 20, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He has also played in the KBO Leagu ...
for shortstop Alex González and two minor league prospects: left-handed pitcher Tim Collins and shortstop
Tyler Pastornicky Tyler Brock Pastornicky (born December 13, 1989) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2008 Major League Baseball draft and made his Major League Baseball debut with the Atlanta Braves i ...
. Days later Escobar would hit the Jays' first
Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...
of the season in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
in just his third game with the team. Escobar hit his second home run for the Blue Jays in his fourth game with the club, against
Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
on July 19, 2010. On September 6, 2010, after returning from an injury, Escobar hit his fourth home run of the season in a 7–2 win over the Texas Rangers, after having played 75 games without a home run with the Braves. Escobar was an opening day starter at shortstop on April 1 for the Jays. On April 5, Escobar hit a 2-run walk-off home run against the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
, his second career walk-off home run. On April 6, 2011, Escobar left the game after sliding head first into third. He hit his head on third baseman
Andy LaRoche Andrew Christian LaRoche (born September 13, 1983) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays. La ...
's knee. On May 23, 2011, Escobar batted in the clean-up position (4th) for the first time in his career. He went 1-for-3. On June 19, 2011, the Blue Jays announced that Escobar had been signed to a two-year contract extension worth $10 million. The deal also included club options for 2014 and 2015, each worth $5 million. In a game against the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
on August 29, 2012, Escobar tied career highs in hits (with 4) and RBI (with 5) in an 8–5 win.


Tampa Bay Rays

On November 19, 2012, Escobar was traded to the
Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...
along with
Adeiny Hechavarria Adeiny Hechavarría Barrera (born April 15, 1989) is a Cubans, Cuban professional baseball shortstop for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Miam ...
,
Henderson Álvarez Henderson Javier Álvarez (born April 18, 1990) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2011 through 2012, the Mia ...
,
Jeff Mathis Jeffrey Stephen Mathis (born March 31, 1983) is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondba ...
,
Jake Marisnick Jacob Shawn Marisnick (born March 30, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Chicago White Sox organization. He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Diego Padr ...
,
Anthony DeSclafani Anthony James DeSclafani (born April 18, 1990), nicknamed Disco and T-Bone, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Miami Marlins and Cincinnati Reds. ...
, and
Justin Nicolino Justin Brian Nicolino (born November 22, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins, and in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) for the R ...
, in exchange for
Mark Buehrle Mark Alan Buehrle (; born March 23, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Chicago White Sox, playing twelve seasons for the team and winning the World S ...
, Josh Johnson, José Reyes, John Buck, and
Emilio Bonifacio Emilio may refer to: * Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio" * Emilio Piazza Memorial School, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State * Emilio (given name) * ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen See also * Emílio (dis ...
. The Marlins then traded him to the
Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
on December 4, 2012 for
Derek Dietrich Derek Richard Dietrich (born July 18, 1989) is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers. ...
. On September 26, 2013, Escobar became the last batter to ever face
Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, from 1995 to 2013. Nicknamed "Mo" and "Sandman", he spent most ...
, popping out to second baseman
Robinson Cano Robinson may refer to: People and names * Robinson (name) Fictional characters * Robinson Crusoe, the main character, and title of a novel by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719 Geography * Robinson projection, a map projection used since the 1960 ...
. On April 5, 2014, Escobar signed a two-year extension worth $13 million with the Rays.


Washington Nationals

On January 10, 2015, Escobar was traded to the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
with teammate
Ben Zobrist Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (; born May 26, 1981), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chi ...
in exchange for
John Jaso John Edward Jaso (; born September 19, 1983) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. Jaso mostly served as a designated hitter and catcher throughout his career, but had to stop catching due to concussion issues. He played in Ma ...
, Daniel Robertson, and
Boog Powell John Wesley "Boog" Powell (born August 17, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from through , most prominently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dyna ...
. A few days later, on January 14, 2015, Oakland traded him to the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
for
Tyler Clippard Tyler Lee Clippard (born February 14, 1985) is an American professional baseball free agent pitcher. He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Nationals, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, ...
. On April 21, 2015, Escobar hit a walk-off home run against the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
in the 10th inning giving the Nationals a 2–1 win.


Los Angeles Angels

On December 10, 2015, Escobar was traded to the
Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
in exchange for
Trevor Gott Trevor Vaughan Gott (born August 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Washington Nationals, San Franc ...
and Michael Brady. In 2016, he batted .304, and on defense he led the major leagues in throwing errors, with 14. He became a free agent following the 2017 season.


Eye black incident

During a game against the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
on September 15, 2012, Escobar was photographed with the phrase "tu ere maricon" (the Spanish equivalent of "you are a
faggot Faggot, faggots, or faggoting may refer to: Arts and crafts * Faggoting (metalworking), forge welding a bundle of bars of iron and steel * Faggoting (knitting), variation of lace knitting in which every stitch is a yarn over or a decrease * F ...
") written in his
eye black Eye black is a grease or strip applied under the eyes to reduce glare, although studies have not conclusively proven its effectiveness. It is often used by American football, baseball, softball, and lacrosse players to mitigate the effects of b ...
. Escobar apologized and stated that he did not intend his usage of the slur to be "misinterpreted" by the LGBT community, saying it is part of everyday repartee among Latino players and not seen as offensive. Other Latino players defended Escobar as a good person who did not intend offense. Due to the incident, Escobar was suspended by the Blue Jays for three games and the $82,000 in salary he would have earned in those games was donated to the LGBT advocacy groups
You Can Play You Can Play is a social activism campaign dedicated to the eradication of homophobia in sports, centered on the slogan, "If you can play, you can play." The campaign was launched on March 4, 2012, by its three co-founders: Patrick Burke (a scou ...
and the
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals i ...
. He also underwent
sensitivity training Sensitivity training is a form of training with the goal of making people more aware of their own goals as well as their prejudices, and more sensitive to others and to the dynamics of group interaction. Origins Kurt Lewin laid the foundations fo ...
.


Personal life

Escobar became an American citizen on March 10, 2017 in
Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.


See also

*
List of baseball players who defected from Cuba This is a list of notable Cuban baseball players who have defected since the beginning of Fidel Castro's presidency. Prior to the Cuban Revolution, which saw Castro rise to power in 1959, Cuban-born players often played in the American Negro leag ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Escobar, Yunel 1982 births Living people American sportspeople of Cuban descent Atlanta Braves players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Defecting Cuban baseball players Cuban emigrants to the United States Danville Braves players Gwinnett Braves players Industriales de La Habana players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball players from Cuba Cuban expatriate baseball players in Canada Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Mississippi Braves players People with acquired American citizenship Peoria Javelinas players Richmond Braves players Rome Braves players Baseball players from Havana Tampa Bay Rays players Toronto Blue Jays players Washington Nationals players