RADIO
Eduardo Escobar Can Bounce Back For Respectable Pop
4 years agoAfter enjoying a career season in 2019, Eduardo Escobar was a significant disappointment in 2020, as he hit just four homers in 54 games and his BA dropped nearly 60 points. The ISO was nearly cut in half, from .242 to .123. His HR/FB% tumbled from a career-high 15.2 to 6.1.The career-low .244 BABIP was obviously unfortunate. Escobar's xBA of .263 points to a rebound in that regard. Yet Escobar's WOBA of .253 was in the Bottom 4 percent of the league, and the xWOBA fell to .294. His Launch Angle of 18.1 and Exit Velocity of 88.6 pretty much stayed in tune with his norms. His Hard Hit Rate of 31.7 was not an outlier from the previous season, either. The trends certainly seem to point to outstanding luck in 2019 and just the opposite in 2020. We should be expecting Escobar to deliver a statistical compromise from the last two seasons of extremes. It is reasonable to foresee an adequate BA and a return to better, but not superb HR numbers. The fantasy community has been very reactive to the stinker of a 2020 season, as Escobar has an ADP of 301. That may be a bit low of a range, as he can return to some levels of respectability. The Diamondbacks will maintain confidence in Escobar by keeping him in the middle of their lineup.
