Prospect Watch: Luis Escobar Energized After First Call to MLB
The Pittsburgh Pirates shuffled through several different pitchers last season both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen. This allowed some of the young prospects in the Minor League system a chance to come up and show what they have got at the Major League level. One of the pitchers awarded that opportunity was Pirates right-hander Luis Escobar. It hasn't always been the easiest road for the 23-year old in his professional baseball journey, but the call brought Escobar new energy as he works to get back to the MLB.
His career with the Pirates was almost over as the team designated him for assignment following the 2019 season. However, he cleared waivers and was assigned to the Columbian Winter League, where he got to work on his pitches. The Pirates former #2 pitching prospect earned his first invitation to Big League Spring Training but was shaky giving up four earned runs in four innings of work. He didn't make it past the first round of cuts, getting optioned to Minor League camp right before the break. However, Escobar will be working on his stuff in Triple-A in hopes of returning to a Big League Mound soon.
He appeared in just four games for the Pirates last season, getting the call to the Major Leagues on July 6th, 2019. He made his MLB debut on July 13th against the Chicago Cubs and pitched two scoreless innings giving up four hits. He would tack on two more scoreless appearances before getting hammered for five runs in two innings of work against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 24th and was sent down to Triple-A the next day. He would finish the year in Triple-A where he continued to work out of the Indians bullpen and finished his season with a 4.09 ERA with the Tribe.
Escobar was signed as an international free agent out of his home town of Categena, Columbia and he was assigned to the Dominican Summer League Pirates. The results weren't flashy as he went 2-4 with a 4.75 ERA in 55 innings of work. Escobar showed good velocity, with a fastball ranging in the mid '90s and topping out at 98 mph, but his command left little to be desired. In those 55 innings of work, he walked 31 batters while striking out 34 while producing a 1.47 WHIP. The poor results weren't because he was getting hit around as he gave up just 50 hits in 55.1 innings of work, but it was the result of too many free passes.
He stayed in Rookie Ball to start the 2015 season but moved to the states pitching for the Bristol Pirates. His command got a lot better in the GCL as he walked just 13 batters in 40.2 innings of work and the results showed that. His ERA dropped to 3.54 and he went 2-1 in 11 starts with Bristol while striking out 37. His velocity was starting to become an advantage for Escobar as he was blowing the ball by rookie league hitters while showing better control. For his efforts, he was promoted to the Class A Short Season West Virginia Black Bears by the end of the season appearing in two games at the end of the season and posting a 5.68 ERA.
He would return to the Black Bears in 2016 and had what still stands as the best season of his professional career. He appeared in 15 games, 12 starts, for the Black Bears going 6-5 with a 2.93 ERA. Escobar continued to miss opposing hitters bats allowing just 50 hits in 60.1 innings of work, but he slipped back into some command issues with 28 walks. It is rare to see a young professional pitcher giving up fewer hits than innings pitched, but Escobar was doing just that. After a full season in 2016, Escobar stayed with the Black Bears for another full season in 2017 once again posting a sub-four ERA. He saw his biggest professional workload, throwing in 131.2 innings of work for the Black Bears while making 26 appearances, 25 starts. He allowed less than 100 hits that season and showed great strikeout ability with 167.
It was this number that got him promoted to Class High A Bradenton in 2018 as he entered his age 21 season. He posted a 3.98 ERA in 17 games, 16 starts with the Marauders but saw his strikeout rate drop. He struck out 85 batters in 92.1 innings of work as he began pitching to contact more often. He was still very good at limiting hits as he allowed fewer hits than innings pitched for the fifth consecutive season. His stint in Bradenton only lasted a half-season as he got the call to the Altoona Curve by the end of 2018. He appeared in just four games for the Curve going 4-0 with a 4.54 ERA in seven starts. His walks were still a problem as he walked 21 batters in 35.2 innings of work, and he was getting hit around more allowing 30 hits.
Despite his struggles in Double-A, Escobar was promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis to start the 2019 season. He made five starts with the Indians and things weren't going well as his command continued to fail and he was getting hit around. This is when the Pirates decided it was time for a career change for Escobar as they sent him to the bullpen. He was sent down to Bradenton to transition into the reliever's role and was dominant for the Marauders. He did not allow a run in ten appearances for Bradenton throwing in 13.1 innings of work while walking just six batters. The switch allowed him to use his 98 mph fastball more consistently rather than saving energy to go deeper into games.
With this newfound success, he was called back up to Triple-A where he appeared out of the Indians bullpen. He was back up with Triple-A Indianapolis on May 9th and took to his new role. In his first 36.2 innings worked with the Indians, he pitched to a 2.72 ERA while striking out 42 batters and walking 20. Escobar would be the beneficiary of the right place right time scenario, as he would get the call to the MLB due to an injury that sent Steven Brault to the Injured List. After spending half the month of July in the majors, he was sent down to Triple-A where he finished 2019 with a 4.09 ERA in 24 appearances.
Escobar has added two more off-speed pitches since moving to the bullpen, but his top two pitches are still his four-seamer and his sinker. Both average about 95 miles per hour and look the same coming out of his hand. However, his sinker drops off 17.7 inches, three more inches than his fastball, and causes hitters to swing over the top. He didn't generate many strikeouts at the Major League level last season, but the ones he did came off of that sinker. His four-seamer was his most effective pitch at the Big league level as opponents hit .400 against the pitch (4-10).
His two newest pitches are his changeup and his curveball, which he inserted into his Arsenal last season. His curveball has the most drop of any of his pitches with 51.4 inches of vertical break. He threw the pitch 13 times in the Big Leagues last season and worked it down and . right-handed hitters, getting one strikeout from the pitch. When he needs an off-speed pitch against left-handers, he turns to his change-up, which features 11.1 inches of horizontal break. He threw the change-up 20 times in the MLB last season and works it down and in to left-handed hitters. Both pitchers will still need time to develop at Triple-A, but both could turn into effective off-speed pitches.
The biggest thing Escobar needs to work on is getting his command under control and limiting his walks. Walks have been a problem for Escobar throughout his professional career and continued at the Big League level. He had a 13.8 walk percentage at the big league level, in a small sample size, and in 74 innings of work last season, he walked 42 batters total. When you couple that with a strikeout rate below 10%, and Escobar is setting himself up for trouble. One good thing for Escobar' s development is going to be his ability to limit hits. He is looking to get back to his 2016 strikeout numbers with West Virginia.
Escobar has already represented the Pirates on a National scale several times, appearing in the MLB Futures Game in 2017 and pitching in the World Baseball Classic for Cuba. Now, he is working his way up to representing the Pirates in the Major Leagues and living up to his #2 pitching prospect status. The goal is for Escobar to one day take over as either a back-end or middle reliever for the Pirates, and a full year at Triple-A in 2020 should provide Escobar with the time he needs to work on his control and get back to the Big Leagues.
Prediction: 3-2, 3.56 ERA (45 Games Triple-A)
I think Luis Escobar will need a full season in Triple-A Indianapolis before making the move to Pittsburgh. It will allow him to work on his two newest pitches and develop them into strong weapons for him to use. He has got to get his command under control before he can make the jump to the Big Leagues and be effective. He already has the strikeout ability and the velocity to make it as a Major Leaguer, he just needs to work on putting those pitches where he wants them. I think it will be a big year for Escobar in Triple-A, and then the Pirates can evaluate where he is at after the 2020 season.
As of now, the season is expected to begin somewhere around May 25th. Until then, we will continue to look at the men who make up this year's team and their contributions in 2020.
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