Edwin Escobar

Escobar family reunions could pass for baseball clinics. Since patriarch Oscar Santiago Escobar founded a team in 1963, seven descendants have reached the major leagues: José Escobar, Ángel Escobar, Vicente Campos, Alcides Escobar, Kelvim Escobar, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Edwin José Escobar. Others, like Oscar Jr. and Elvis Escobar, enjoyed long careers in the Venezuelan Winter League and the American minor leagues but did not reach “The Show.”

José Elias Escobar Sánchez had a cup of coffee with the Cleveland Indians in 1991. As a 30-year-old rookie, the 5-foot-10, 140-pound infielder went 3-for-15 in 10 games, mostly as a late-inning defensive replacement. However, his limited experience in the big leagues was but a small chapter of his baseball life. He played 14 seasons in the Venezuelan Winter League, intertwined with 13 others in the American minor leagues. He had two sons with his wife, Oneida: Edwin José and Elvis José.

Edwin was born on April 22, 1992, in La Boyera, Estado de Miranda, Venezuela, and sibling Elvis followed two years later. José soon realized his children would continue the family tradition: “Edwin was always the best pitcher on his team and Elvis was also quite good.”1

Edwin grew to an imposing 6-foot-2, 225-pound left-handed pitcher. He was signed by the Texas Rangers as an amateur free agent on July 2, 2008, and began his professional career in the Arizona Fall League in 2009. At 17, he was 3½ years younger than the league average, and he struggled in 13 games (12 starts). He gave up 10.6 hits and 5 runs per nine innings, but demonstrated promise with his 48 strikeouts and only one home run allowed in 45 innings. Nevertheless, the Rangers traded him to San Francisco on April 1, 2010, for fellow minor leaguer Brad Snyder.

The Giants sent him to the Salem-Keizer Volcanos of the short-season Class-A Northwest League, managed by former big-league skipper Tom Trebelhorn. Escobar started 14 games and posted a 4.86 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 63 innings. During the offseason, he played in Venezuela with the Lara Cardenales, pitching 22⅓ innings (1-0, 2.82).

Escobar split time in 2011 between the Augusta GreenJackets of the low Class-A South Atlantic League, where he performed poorly in four appearances (12 earned runs in six innings), and the Arizona Fall League (5.09 ERA in 46 innings). He again played in Venezuela during the winter, but was ineffective (14 earned runs in 22 innings).

Despite the rough year, the Giants saw potential and Escobar returned to Augusta for the 2012 season. He sharply lowered his ERA to 2.96 in 22 starts and displayed superb command, walking only 32 batters in 130⅔ innings. The pitching-rich GreenJackets led the league in ERA, with Escobar among the top 10 qualifiers. His 7-8 record underscored the lack of consistent run support, as he got no-decisions in many of his quality starts. He was named the league’s pitcher of the week on August 27 during a stretch of 17 consecutive innings.2 After a 1-0 win over the Greensboro Grasshoppers, he remarked, “My confidence is better, and I’ve been able to stay focused even before the game. I’m just doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”3 Manager Lipso Nava praised his effort: “He was the story tonight, and he’s been the story of the last month. He’s been tremendous with the command over all his pitches and changing speeds.”4

Escobar credited his success to his cousin Kelvim, whom he regarded as “almost a pitching coach.” He added, “I ask him after every start, ‘What should I improve? What did you do when you were in the minors?’”5 About his repertoire, he added, “[M]y fastball is lively, with a lot of movement, but my curve and my changeup have helped me a lot this year,” and said he appreciated his Venezuelan Winter League experience for “facing hitters already in Double A, Triple A, and the major leagues. That’s helped me a lot to understand how to throw.”6

Thanks to his breakthrough campaign, Baseball America ranked Escobar as the Giants’ 14th best prospect before the 2013 season. He began the season with San Jose (Class A advanced), where his solid 2.89 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 74⅔ innings produced three wins and four losses, again due to poor run support. He was selected to the California League All-Star team and was soon promoted to Richmond of the Double-A Eastern League and started 10 games, improved his ERA to 2.67, and struck out 54 opponents in 54 innings.

Escobar returned to California in 2014, this time with Fresno Grizzlies of the Triple-A PCL as the Giants’ second-best organizational prospect, but his ERA almost doubled to 5.11 in 20 starts.7 Nevertheless, Escobar was selected to the 2014 MLB Futures game. In one inning, he allowed three hits and one run in the World team’s 3-2 loss to the US squad.8 He acknowledged that adjusting to Triple A “(has) been real(ly) different. It’s tough because you have to face a lot of guys who are major league ready.”9 He acknowledged his struggles against right-handers and added, “I feel pretty good throwing to a right-handed hitter. My thing is I get a little bit unlucky. … A lot of hits against right handers are bloopers, singles, a lot of groundballs, and stuff getting through the field.”10

Escobar hoped to join the Giants, who featured fellow Venezuelans Pablo Sandoval and Marco Scutaro. However, the contending Giants, worried about the health of workhorse Matt Cain, traded Escobar and Heath Embree to the Boston Red Sox for All-Star Jake Peavy. The transaction paid off for San Francisco as Peavy stabilized the rotation during Cain’s absence and helped the franchise to its third World Series title in five years.

Boston assigned Escobar to Pawtucket, where he would spend the bulk of his time with the franchise. He threw 27⅓ innings, struck out 20 batters, and posted a 4.28 ERA in five starts in 2014. The rebuilding Red Sox promoted Escobar in late summer, and he debuted on August 27 in Toronto. He threw a scoreless eighth inning and retired all three batters he faced. Boston lost the game, 5-2. Despite the result, Escobar was thrilled to have reached the major leagues: “It’s an honor to be in the same role as my father back in the day … not just for me, for the entire family, and the region of La Sabana. We’re always in touch, whether I’m doing well or poorly. They’ve always been supportive.”11 The Escobars became the third father/son duo from Venezuela to play in the big leagues, after the Armas (Tony and Tony Jr.) and the Torrealbas (Pablo and Steve) duos. José Escobar was able to catch the magical moment: “I was at home, switching channels and stumbled upon a Dominican station that only reaches La Sabana. It was showing the Boston-Blue Jays game. We started watching and to our great surprise, Edwin took the mound in the eighth inning. Now everyone in town says, ‘Of course, he’s from the Escobars’ or ‘The dynasty continues.’”12

Escobar returned to Triple A and waited almost a month for his next opportunity, an 11-3 victory over Tampa Bay on September 24. He entered in the ninth inning and hit the first batter, Brandon Guyer. He regained his poise and struck out Sean Rodríguez and José Molina, but Ben Zobrist’s double to deep left-center field drove in Guyer. Escobar retired Kevin Kiermaier on a fly ball to center to end the game.

Less than a week later, almost 60 family and friends gave Escobar a warm welcome upon his return to Venezuela. Not content to rest on his laurels, he shared his plans “to keep working hard to return next year and establish myself in ‘The Show.’ There is, without a doubt, a world of difference between the minors and the majors. In the minors you have a lot of youngsters but in the majors, the competition is more intense, there’s more talent with superstar players. I sensed the change, but I adapted and did rather well.”13

Named as Boston’s 18th best prospect,14 Escobar he returned to the minors in 2015 and struggled with Triple-A Pawtucket (3-3, 5.07 ERA, 25 walks, and 24 strikeouts in 49⅔ innings) and a perfect one-inning appearance with Class-A Greenville. He returned to Venezuela, but the 2015-2016 season would be Escobar’s last playing winter ball. In seven starts, he uncharacteristically struggled with his control (19 walks in 27 innings). Overall, Escobar played five seasons and compiled a 1-6 record with a 4.07 EA in 117⅓ innings.15

Although he played spring-training games with the Red Sox, Escobar began 2016 with Pawtucket (three games, seven innings, no earned runs allowed). A flurry of moves made him the odd man out on the 40-man roster, and he was designated for assignment. He was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks off waivers on April 29 and soon thrust into the starting rotation.

On May 30 Escobar gave up eight runs (seven earned) against the Astros in 3⅓ innings. Though the Astros had not yet ascended to the top of the American League, their young nucleus of Carlos Correa, George Springer, and José Altuve had already become bothersome for opposing hurlers. Escobar was reflective in a postgame interview: “I broke some bats, and they still got some base hits. I just think it wasn’t my day.”16 Manager Chip Hale offered a balanced assessment: “We saw some good things. There’s some stuff that needs to be refined and (pitching coach Mike Butcher) likes the arm. We get four days of work before he starts again, so we’ll see what we can do to tighten it up a little bit. I think he’s going to help us.”17 Catcher Welington Castillo opined that “Escobar was inconsistent with fastball command and the slider, too, was moving a lot. So he didn’t have really good command today, but I think the stuff is pretty good.”18

Escobar faced the Chicago Cubs on June 4, and the eventual 2016 World Series champions gave him no quarter. Though staked to a 2-0 lead on Jake Lamb’s home run, he allowed a leadoff home run to Dexter Fowler. He kept the Cubs off the scoreboard in the next two innings before Jorge Soler hit a ground-rule double, driving in Ben Zobrist, and opposing pitcher Jason Hammel singled in two runs. After four runs and 3⅔ innings, he was replaced by Randall Delgado, who retired Fowler to close the frame. This time, Hale was less sanguine about Escobar’s role: “We think this (relieving) is more his niche, too, to be a reliever so we’re interested to see it.”19

Escobar was demoted to Triple-A Reno, where he spent the bulk of the summer (6-3, 4.25 ERA in 16 starts). Recalled to the majors, he turned the corner as a left-handed specialist, or Left-handed One-Out Guy (LOOGY). In 16⅔ innings of relief, he allowed eight earned runs, registered four holds, blew one save, and won his first major-league game on August 26.

Down 2-1 with two outs and two strikes in the ninth, Cincinnati tied the Diamondbacks to force extra innings. After the teams each scored a run in the 10th, Escobar took the mound in the 11th. Although he allowed two baserunners, he kept the Reds from scoring. In the bottom of the inning, Arizona’s Brandon Drury scored the winning run on a mad dash to the plate on Blake Wood’s wild pitch to finish a thrilling game and give Escobar the victory.

Escobar did not allow a run in his last seven appearances for the Diamondbacks, seemingly securing a spot in the 2017 roster. However, he was left off the offseason 40-man roster and was claimed by the Cleveland Indians on November 18, 2016.

Without assurance that he would be on the big-league roster, Escobar asked Cleveland for his release so he could play baseball in Japan. The team granted his wish, and he became a free agent on January 10, 2017. He pitched for the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2017 and appeared in 14 games (5.64 ERA, 1-2) before a midseason trade to the Yokohama Baystars (27 games, 3.44 ERA, 1-3). The adjustment was not easy; he readily admitted that “the smallest things can become big details so now I’m much more careful about them. Here a walk can become a double after a bunt and lots of other things follow. You don’t see that in the United States. There, a batter who gets a base on balls will stay on the base and wait for a big hit to advance. Runners rarely advance on the bases so with a double play you can get out of the jam. Not here: A small detail can quickly become a large detail. I think it’s the most important thing I’ve learned.”20

Yokohama made it to the Japan Series but lost to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. Escobar said, “It was a wonderful experience since it was my first year in Japan; to play through November was very emotional. I was never able to play in the postseason in the United States, so I’m proud of having accomplished it in my first year in Japan. I’m very happy with the success I’ve had with my breaking ball, it has helped me a lot thus far.”21

Early in the 2019 season, Escobar said, “My goals are the same each year: Finish strong, stay healthy, pitch in 60 games, and help the team to win, above everything else.”22 As of 2023 Escobar was still pitching in Japan. He became a very effective left-handed specialist out of the bullpen, the role the Diamondbacks hoped he would play. From 2017 to 2022, he won 20 games, lost 22 others, saved 5, and held 136 leads.23

Escobar started an athletic clothing company, “Everyday Edwin,” a nod to his durable arm and willingness to take the mound every day.24 Though some players head to Japan to earn a second chance at the major leagues, Escobar has found a home in Nippon Professional Baseball. Despite the language barrier, he became a fan favorite and earned his teammates’ trust. The bond helped Escobar deal with anonymous, racist posts in the social media platform X that threatened his family. Teammate Yasuaki Yamasaki replied to the posts and reiterated the team’s support for Escobar.

Though he was named to Venezuela’s 30-man roster for the 2017 and 2023 editions of the World Baseball Classic, Escobar did not see action in the tournament. Through 2023, his major-league register stands at one win, two losses, 27 games, and a 7.01 ERA.

Escobar, a devout Christian, is married and has three children. In his early 30s he expressed optimism about playing several more years in Japan: “It’s like a gift from God. I just say keep working, get better, get stronger, and the outcome is going to come.”25

Sources

In addition to the sources listed in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference, Pelota Binaria, and the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (NPB) website.

Photo credit: Edwin Escobar in July 2016, courtesy of Sarah Sachs/Arizona Diamondbacks.

Notes

1 Alexander Mendoza, “Edwin Escobar de continuidad a la tradición familiar,” Béisbol 007, August 31, 2014, https://beisbolnew.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/edwin-escobar-da-con-tinuidad-a-la-tradic-ion-familiar/.

2 Billy Blyer, “GreenJackets Lefty Edwin Escobar Earns South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week Award,” Augusta Chronicle, August 27, 2012.

3 Billy Blyer, “GreenJackets Beat Greensboro with Another Gem from Edwin Escobar,” Augusta Chronicle, August 26, 2012.

4 “GreenJackets beat Greensboro with another gem from Edwin Escobar.”

5 Angel Cuevas, “Edwin Escobar: ‘Kelvim para mí ha sido como un coach de pitcheo,” Porelcentro, August 24, 2012, https://porelcentro.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/edwin-escobarkelvim-para-mi-ha-sido-como-un-coach-de-pitcheo/.

6 “Edwin Escobar: ‘Kelvim para mí ha sido como un coach de pitcheo.”

7 https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/152910/prospects/.

8 https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2128837-mlb-futures-game-2014-results-box-score-top-performers-from-target-field.

9 Conner Penfold, “Q&A with Giants No. 2 Prospect Edwin Escobar,” The McCovey Chronicles/SBNation, April 21, 2014, https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2014/4/21/5631504/edwin-escobar-giants-prospect-scouting-video-interview.

10 “Q&A with Giants No. 2 Prospect Edwin Escobar.”

11 Alexander Mendoza, “Edwin Escobar de continuidad a la tradición familiar.”

12 “Edwin Escobar de continuidad a la tradición familiar.”

13 Galvis Guzmán, “La Sabana recibió a su quinto grandeliga: Edwin Escobar,” Diario La Verdad de Vargas, September 30, 2014, https://laverdaddevargas.com/la-sabana-recibio-a-su-quinto-grandeliga-edwin-escobar/

14 https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/player/152910/prospects/.

15 Edwin Escobar player profile, Pelota Binaria, https://www.pelotabinaria.com.ve/beisbol/mostrar.php?ID=escoedw001.

16 Nick Piecoro, “Diamondbacks, Edwin Escobar See Positives in Debut Loss,” AZ Central Sports, May 30, 2016, https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2016/05/30/diamondbacks-edwin-escobar-see-positives-debut-loss/85175796/.

17 “Diamondbacks, Edwin Escobar See Positives in Debut Loss.”

18 “Diamondbacks, Edwin Escobar See Positives in Debut Loss.”

19 Scott Bordow, “Diamondbacks Sending Edwin Escobar to Bullpen,” AZ Central Sports, June 6, 2016, https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2016/06/06/dbacks-corbin-miller/85532454/.

20 Claudio Rodríguez Otero, “Escobar: ‘Aquí los pequeños detalles se hacen grandes,’” Béisbol Japonés.com. August 2, 2017, https://beisboljapones.com/noticias/entrevistas/1281-escobar-%E2%80%9Caqu%C3%AD-los-peque%C3%B1os-detalles-se-hacen-grandes%E2%80%9D.

21 Claudio Rodríguez Otero, “Escobar: ‘Mis lanzamientos han mejorado mucho aquí,” Béisbol Japonés.com, June 28, 2018, https://beisboljapones.com/noticias/entrevistas/1703-escobar-%E2%80%9Cmis-lanzamientos-han-mejorado-mucho-aqu%C3%AD%E2%80%9D.

22 Claudio Rodríguez Otero, “Escobar: ‘He trabajado duro para lograr este éxito,’” Béisbol Japonés.com, May 10, 2019, https://beisboljapones.com/noticias/entrevistas/1939-escobar-%E2%80%9Che-trabajado-duro-para-lograr-este-%C3%A9xito%E2%80%9D.

23 Nippon Baseball League, Edwin Escobar Player Page, https://npb.jp/bis/eng/players/63365134.html.