PHILADELPHIA — Yunel Escobar has yet to hit a home run or make a flashy defensive play, yet to stand out on the field with an individual moment of brilliance.
Instead, his impact in the first six games of his Washington Nationals tenure has been gradual and consistent. He quietly leads the team in hits, with seven, and is tied for the team lead in walks, with three. The players on either side of his No. 2 spot in the order, leadoff man Michael Taylor and No. 3 hitter Bryce Harper, have a combined 19 strikeouts through six games. Escobar is the only position player on the team with zero.
“[But] it’s coming,” Escobar said Sunday afternoon, as bullpen catcher Nilson Robledo translated. “It’s going to be in a game. It’s going to come.”
Third baseman Anthony Rendon will eventually return from the disabled list and reclaim the No. 2 spot in the lineup, shifting Escobar from third base to second and dropping him to the bottom-half of the batting order. But until that time comes, the Nationals are fortunate Escobar has gotten off to such a hot start.
The 32-year-old Cuban reached base three times Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, playing a significant role in the Nationals’ 4-3 win in 10 innings. He hit a leadoff double in the 10th, advanced to third base on a grounder to the right side of the infield by Harper and scored on a wild pitch by Justin De Fratus.
Though the Nationals lineup has struggled as a whole, Escobar has done his part in the No. 2 spot.
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“I think he could hit all over the lineup,” manager Matt Williams said Saturday. “If we had to lead him off, he could lead off. He’s got good knowledge of the strike zone. He certainly hits the ball the other way well. He puts the ball in play. So all of those things contribute to just being a good hitter in general. But the fact that he can stay on a ball and hit it the other way is important in that two hole.”
The Nationals acquired Escobar from the Oakland Athletics this winter in exchange for right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard. A shortstop by trade, he was asked by Washington to switch to second base, where he could be an everyday starter.
Escobar missed a portion of spring training with a strained oblique muscle. In the final week of Grapefruit League play, as Rendon continued to have lingering soreness in his left knee, the Nationals asked him to make another position switch, this time filling it at third base so Dan Uggla could start at second.
“He says whatever this team wants him to play, he’ll play,” said Robledo, translating for Escobar. “He’s just helping the team, wants to continue to do what he’s got to do.”
A career .276 hitter, Escobar has reached base in five straight games and notched two consecutive multi-hit performances. He regularly makes contact, even though the ball sometimes does not land safely for a hit, and has been particularly steady in two-strike counts.
“He tries to just concentrate and get close to the zone, and make good contact,” said Robledo, translating for Escobar. “It’s very important for him.”
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• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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