These Kids Are Alright is FanHouse's look at minor league prospects who could have a fantasy impact in the near future.Wednesday morning, the Brewers front office performed a bit of a house-cleaning, and one beneficiary of the maneuver will be 22-year-old phenom Alcides Escobar. The Brewers covet Escobar so much they refused to part with him as part of a potential deal for Roy Halladay at the trade deadline.
He possesses a sparkling defensive repertoire at shortstop, blazing speed, and he hits for average. Wednesday night, he made an appearance in the game as a pinch runner for Prince Fielder in the ninth inning. Escobar wasted little time making an impact, as he stole second base and then advanced to third when the errant throw skipped into center field.
Anyone who has followed Escobar in the minors isn't the least bit surprised he was set loose on the base paths the first chance he got. He already had 42 swipes in 109 Triple-A games this season. On his career, Escobar has 176 steals in 647 minor league games. He's not a power hitter, but what he has is what the Brewers need: A table-setter for all that thunder in the middle of the order.
Escobar can be that guy. He had a .363 on-base percentage in 2008 for Double-A Huntsville and .353 OBP for Nashville this year. Those aren't great figures, but they are good enough to accumulate steals and runs scored, especially if he's got people like Fielder and Ryan Braun hitting a few spots behind him.
As I write this, Escobar is 1-4 with a run scored in his first major league start. There are plenty more where that came from.
He'll have his ups and downs this year, but you can still count on him for steals and runs. He should be added in large NL-Only leagues where you need help in steals. Long term, he'll be one of the best in baseball at providing steals and runs while also putting up a quality batting average, so he's a must-own in dynasty leagues.
