SB Nation - Kelvim Escobar

Report: Rays Scout Kelvim Escobar In Venezuela

Tommy Rancel — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:37:45 -0000

While the Milton Bradley rumor game (pun non intended) continues to produce little or no new news, Kelvim Escobar's game is just starting...literally. What we know so far is the Rays like Escobar. In return, Escobar likes the Rays too, but there are other teams involved; according to reports out of Venezuela it could be eight or nine teams. We also know that the Rays were one of eight teams to watch Escobar in a simulated game today. The Mets, who are rumored to be among the more aggressive suitors, were not one of the eight teams listed by Efrain Zavarce.

It's a simulated game so results are of no consequence. If I'm translating Zavarce's tweet right, in the first inning of the simulated game, Escobar threw his slider, change up and fastball with the fastball being consistently between 92 and 94 mph. If that report is accurate then Escobar's velocity is exactly where it should be; his average fastball is 93.4 career. He is scheduled to pitch in a live game this weekend in which the Rays will also attend. What happens after that is anyone's guess.

Mets Offer Kelvim Escobar Minor League Deal

Eric Simon — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:47:01 -0000

8:08pm: Hubbuch is a liar and has since changed his blog post to indicate that the Mets have actually just offered Escobar a minor league deal; they haven't signed him. So, our bad for believing anything Hubbuch writes. Love ya, Bart!

Per Bart Hubbuch the Mets have ~~signed~~ offered Kelvim Escobar to a minor league deal. Escobar was great in 2006 -- 4.6 WAR -- and 2007 -- 5.2 WAR -- but missed all of 2008 and pitched just five innings last year. Not a bad low-risk high-reward signing, and it should definitely make up for not getting John Lackey or Roy Halladay.

Report: Rays Remain Interested In Kelvim Escobar

Tommy Rancel — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:02:54 -0000

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So about that other reliever we talked about earlier...

Reports out of Venezuela (via Jorge Arangure) say that the Tampa Bay Rays remain interested in free agent pitcher Kelvim Escobar, and by the words of Escobar the feeling is mutual. The report also states that Escobar will work exclusively in relief to limit the toll on his arm. Here are some of the tweets:

Venezuelan journalist Efrain Zavarce reports that Mets have offered Kelvim Escobar a minor league deal.Rays are also interested
Also, Escobar tells Zavarce that he will pitch as reliever to avoid taxing his injured shoulder, which has kept him on DL past 2 yrs

Escobar:"Tampa would be a good place.They have a need for relief pitching.Last year they lost several games because of the bullpen."

Escobar continued: "Now with Rafael Soriano and possibly me, Tampa could be better."

I tend to agree with the last statement.

While the mutual attraction appears to be there, Arangure says it looks like the Mets are the favorite because they have been most aggressive. The reliever is schedule to pitch on Friday in Winter League ball. It will be interested to see which team, if any, makes a move soon after. For more on Escobar and why he makes sense for the Rays click below.

Why The Rays Should Target Kelvim Escobar

Report: Tampa Bay Rays Keeping Tabs on Kelvim Escobar

R.J. Anderson — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:14:36 -0000

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This information coming way of a few Jerry Crasnick Tweets. He lead off with:

Kelvim Escobar received positive report from Dr. David Altchek Tuesday. He might pitch a few innings in Venezuelan winter ball in December.

Then quickly continued:

If not, Escobar could audition for clubs in January. Mets, Rays, Yankees, Mariners, Brewers and O's among clubs keeping tabs on him.

The reported interest itself is new, but the concept is not. Tommy outlined why Escobar would make for an intriguing bullpen target here, surmising Escobar as a potentially useful risk worth taking given his track record of success and relationship with Joe Maddon. Escobar isn't a failed starter forced into the bullpen either. As Tommy noted:

As you can see, he's just a good pitcher. As a starter he allows less home runs and slightly less walks, but as a reliever he strikes out over two and a half more batters per nine. Looking at the second set of statistics, it's amazing to me how similar they are given the two completely different roles. Batters get on-base exactly the same whether he's a starter or a reliever and the slugging is almost identical. The BABIP is almost also similar meaning there isn't much "luck" involved. Of course there's over 1,000 innings difference between the two, but still pretty amazing. Equally impressive is his ability get out hitters regardless of their handedness.

Ideally, you can find someone with more than five innings under their belt the last two seasons and some will point to Troy Percival and Jason Isringhausen as examples of why targeting often-injured relievers is a waste of time, but Escobar's lacking health is really the only reason the Rays can reasonably afford him. This is a guy with an xFIP since 2002 around 4 despite spending all of his time in the American League and a history of success as a starter or reliever.

More Winter Meeting Headlines

Eli Greenspan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:56:28 -0000

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The Orioles are making it known that they are interested in free agent reliever Rafael Soriano, in an apparent attempt to lure Soriano into free agency. Soriano is still considering accepting arbitration from the Braves.
The Cardinals were working on a deal with Brad Penny, and apparently agreed to a one year deal worth 7.5 million dollars.
The Diamondbacks are looking for starting pitching help and have their eyes on Tigers pitcher Edwin Jackson, free agent Justin Duchscherer, among others.
Carl Pavano will accept arbitration from the Twins, his agent confirms.
The Pirates are interested in free agent shortstop Bobby Crosby, according to Ken Rosenthal.
One AL source said the Yankees are looking at cheaper free agent options but still keeping tabs on premier pitchers like Roy Halladay. The source says Rich Harden and Kelvim Escobar are guys they are both watching.

A Brief Primer on the Rays Off-Season to Date and a Look Forward to the Winter Meetings

R.J. Anderson — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:54:22 -0000

The Winter Meetings start tomorrow. Any murmur or misunderstood comment will be amplified and some press members will be used as pawns. Disinformation is going to spread like wildfire. This makes the event more alluring as a spectator sport, but keep in mind 90% of what is talked about will never come to fruition. Now, completely ignoring that, this is the day one open thread. Ideally most of the rumors and discussion will stick to this thread until a recap thread is posted (expect that in the evening) barring something actually occurring or a rumor passing the smell test with flying colors.

This thread is going up about 20 hours early because tomorrow we'll have a very special interview with James Click -- the Rays chief of quantitative analysis and former Baseball Prospectus deity - which should provide entertainment for those willing to accept anything less than rumors in the early AM.

Moving on, let's review the Rays off-season to date in a brief and concise manner which means links.

Transactions

Rays re-sign Gabe Kapler

Akinori Iwamura for Jesse Chavez

Player to be named later for Kelly Shoppach

R.J. Swindle signs minor league deal

Joe Bateman signs minor league deal

Gregg Zaun signs with Milwaukee

Ramon Ramirez is claimed on waivers...

And then released

Milton Bradley

The Burrell-Bradley swap

The clubhouse cancer theory

Rumors and general interest posts

Rays interested in Ivan Rodriguez?

Pirates make Reid Brignac main target?

Why Billy Wagner made no sense for the Rays

Three rules about acquiring relievers

The Rays and the win curve

Kiko Calero

Brendan Donnelly

Kelvim Escobar

Joaquin Benoit

Carl Crawford extension talk

Interviews with Rays personnel

Andrew Friedman

Matt Arnold

Chaim Bloom

Remember that you can also follow the latest Rays rumors, news, and tidbits on Twitter by adding @draysbay, @trancel, @ehahmann, or @freezorilla.

One more note: please, please, post the source of the rumor. And generally speaking, the MLBTR comments section or a random message board post won't pass the smell test.

Lackey and Figgins Only Angels Offered Arbitration

Rev Halofan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:21:21 -0000

The Angels offered arbitration to 2 of their 4 arbitration eligible free agent players, John Lackey and Chone Figgins, even though free agents Darren Oliver and Vladimir Guerrero would have brought them compensation (in the form of sandwich and 2nd round picks) should they have been offered arbitration and declined it before signing with another team.

This info is according to Mark Polishuk at MLB TRADE RUMORS.

If Lackey and Figgins sign with other teams, the Angels could reap a bounty of compensation picks in the 2010 June draft. The risk at offering Oliver and Guerrero arbitration would have been that salary raises are based on increasing the previous year's take and both players were making a peak income in 2009 based on the current market for their services. Both Guerrero and Oliver could still be signed by the Angels.

Figgins and Lackey have until Monday to accept or reject the offer of arbitration. Bet you a dollar that they both turn it down. Free agents Kelvim Escobar and Robb Quinlan performed below the compensation threshold and were not involved in this ancient offseason ritual.

Poll

If you can re-sign either Figgy or Big John, who do you re-sign

Chone Figgins

247 votes

John Lackey

635 votes

Take the draft picks and stock the farm

156 votes

1038 votes | Poll has closed

Free Agent Starting Pitching: BCB Weighs In

roguejim — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:51:33 -0000

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I am Carl Pavano --- no one gave up more earned runs last year in all of baseball last year than I. But I command you to look only at my peripherals! Look at them! Yesss...stare longingly at my sweet sweet peripherals. Love them! (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

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It just occurred to me that the Winter Meetings are coming up fast, and we haven't told Doug Melvin which two free agent pitchers we wanted. (Frankly, that's probably how the Hardy/Gomez trade went down: we didn't specifically tell DM for whom Hardy should be traded, and he went rogue and made the trade himself.) Assuming we can't (and shouldn't!) get into a bidding war on the services of John Lackey, which two of the free agent pitchers listed below should we try to sign, and why? Be sure to consider salary when choosing.

(Note 1: I'm not including the likes of Mulder and Halama, as you can't sign them and assume they'll win a spot.)

(Note 2: I haven't seen much written about Kelvim Escobar, who hasn't had an ERA north of 4 since 2003. The Red Sox are asking about him, the Brewers should too.)

(Note 3: Shawn Hill is cheap, a sinkerballer, often injured, and one of the few ex-Expos out there not yet 30. A perfect flier for the Brewers.)

Here's the list:

Aroldis Chapman, LHP who throws 100 MPH, albeit erratically
Randy Wolf
Rich Harden
Erik Bedard
John Smoltz
Andy Pettitte
Joel Pineiro
Jarrod Washburn
Ben Sheets
Brad Penny
Justin Duchscherer
Pedro Martinez. Vote for Pedro!
Doug Davis
Jason Marquis
Jon Garland
Vicente Padilla
Carl Pavano
Braden Looper
Randy Johnson
Mike Hampton
Hisanori Takahashi
Paul Byrd
Ugh...I'll opt for choosing only one free agent and trading Gamel for the other

No "Manifest Destiny" In La-La Land: Yankees Eliminate Angels

Nico — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:15:03 -0000

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Trainer Gene Mohahan tries to figure out exactly how it is that Derek Jeter can walk on water.

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Final Score: Rich Team That Buys Victories 5, Angels 2.

There were times when it seemed nothing could slow down an Angels team brought together by the death of Nick Adenhart in a season that had already begun with John Lackey, Ervin Santana, and Kelvim Escobar on the DL. Joe Saunders would pitch through pain, Scot Shields would be lost for the season, and Vlad the Impaler would look more and more each day like Vlad the Former Impaler.

No matter. The Angels just kept winning. And winning. And winning. Then they got to the ALCS and forgot how to play baseball. Mike Scioscia, widely considered to be one of baseball's best managers, would make several puzzling moves, including today's choices of sticking with Joe Saunders through thin and thin -- Saunders wobbled through every inning and never came close to getting it together -- and trying Scott "Let me try 25 pitches this inning and see if a few of them are good" Kazmir in a 3-2 game, while Jered Weaver -- he of precisely the breaking stuff the Yankees couldn't handle all series -- sat, and sat, and sat.

Not how I would have played it, but then again I would have caught Matsui's pop up, I would have taken the out at first on Melky Cabrera's ground ball, I would have thrown a bunt nearer to a base than to the malt vendor.

BREAKING NEWS!!!! Derek Jeter has just sneezed. Fox will have the full story right after Tim McCarver says something inane. So that would be right now. Good effing grief, people.

Bye bye, Angels. Go Phillies!

Why The Rays Should Target Kelvim Escobar

Tommy Rancel — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:01:03 -0000

by Duane Burleson - AP

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It's been beaten into our heads a million times already, but with limited payroll space, the Rays options for potential bullpen replacements is also limited. Over the past few weeks we've covered Joaquin Benoit and Kiko Calero as attractive free agents that fit the Rays profile. We've also identified that profile as some one who is effective, gets strikeouts, has a good contact rate, can get both left handers and right handers out, and most importantly is cheap. Of course asking for all that you are going to get candidates with flaws, but the hope is those flaws won't manifest at least in 2010. Until we get more candidates after the December non-tender deadline, here are two final candidates that I've identified as being targets as soon as free agency starts next month.

Before we look at the difference in each individual's case, here are some similarities: Brendan Donnelly and Kelvim Escobar are former teammates playing on the same Los Angeles Angels team from 2004-2006.This also means that both are former players of Rays manager Joe Maddon from his time with the Angels. The final similarity comes in the form of injury. Both players have battled injuries in the past which is no different from most MLB pitchers as well as the other relievers we've looked at.

We'll finish up with Donnelly in another post, but now more on Escobar...

Kelvim Escobar was a well above average starting pitcher for the Angels from 2004-2007. He finished with an average FIP of 3.4 in those seasons. However, he would miss the entire 2008 Major League season with an injured shoulder, undergoing laburm surgery in July 2008. He started out 2009 on the DL and made three rehab starts in the minors before making his season debut on 6/6/09 pitching five innings of two run ball for the Halos. Unfortunately, a "pinch" in his shoulder landed him back on the DL. The Angels thought it was a temporary setback, but Escobar did not throw a major league pitch for the rest of the season.

It's hard to project the numbers on Escobar because he's split his MLB career as a reliever and a starter. He has made 411 appearances with 209 of them in relief and 202 coming as a starter. He worked as a closer for the Blue Jays in 2002 and then posted 200 innings as a starter for Los Angeles in 2004. Regardless of his role, Escobar has been effective. Here are some of his career numbers...

	Games	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	FIP
Starter	202	7.4	2.11	0.77	3.83
Reliever	209	9.98	2.27	1.05	3.98

	BA	OBP	SLG	BABIP
Starter	0.256	0.329	0.389	0.304
Reliever	0.243	0.329	0.385	0.307

	BA	OBP	SLG
vs. RHB	0.255	0.321	0.378
vs. LHB	0.253	0.336	0.399

As you can see, he's just a good pitcher. As a starter he allows less home runs and slightly less walks, but as a reliever he strikes out over two and a half more batters per nine. Looking at the second set of statistics, it's amazing to me how similar they are given the two completely different roles. Batters get on-base exactly the same whether he's a starter or a reliever and the slugging is almost identical. The BABIP is almost also similar meaning there isn't much "luck" involved. Of course there's over 1,000 innings difference between the two, but still pretty amazing. Equally impressive is his ability get out hitters regardless of their handedness.

Stuff wise, he throws up to six pitches as a starter: fastball, slider, cutter, curveball, change-up, split finger. However, as a reliever for the Jays in 2002 and 2003, he threw mostly fastballs, curveballs and split fingers with a few change-ups mixed in. It's hard to say what he will throw these days and how hard since he hasn't really thrown in over two seasons. The injury concerns are huge. And Escobar's injury history also includes past elbow problems, but given his past success in either the starter or relievers role and his history with Joe Maddon, he's definitely worth a flier.