Yunel Escobar
From BR Bullpen
Yunel Escobar Almenares
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
[edit] Biographical Information
Infielder Yunel Escobar debuted in the majors in 2007.
Escobar hit .271/~.380/.358 in four seasons in the Cuban Serie Nacional. He never played for the famed Cuban national team.
He fled his homeland of Cuba to seek out big money in American baseball. He was drafted in the second round of the 2005 amateur draft by the Atlanta Braves. After a brief stint with the Danville Braves (.400/.472/.733 in 8 games), he was promoted to the Rome Braves, where he hit .313/.358/.470. Baseball America rated him the #9 prospect in the South Atlantic League. In 2006, Escobar played in the Futures Game and hit .264/.361/.346 for the Mississippi Braves, facing more age-appropriate competition than he had his first year.
After beginning 2007 with the Richmond Braves and hitting .333/.379/.456 in 46 games, Escobar was promoted to the majors. He became the team's starting third baseman in the absence of the injured Chipper Jones and went 2 for 4 in his debut, hitting second. In his first at-bat, he singled off of Rich Hill before being erased on a double-play grounder by Edgar Renteria. He hit .321/.345/.536 his first week.
Sources include 2006 Baseball Almanac
