VIERA, Fla. — When the Washington Nationals officially acquired Yunel Escobar from the Oakland Athletics this winter, manager Matt Williams called his new infielder and spoke to him through an interpreter.
Williams told Escobar the team wanted to move him to second base. As a longtime shortstop, Escobar told Williams he had reservations about making such a move.
“That’s a natural response,” Williams said Thursday. “’What do you mean I’m not playing the position that I’ve played generally my whole life?’ He should have that response. That’s normal.”
As the shock wore off, however, Escobar’s attitude quickly changed. When he arrived at Space Coast Stadium and met with Nationals brass Wednesday, he had completely bought in to playing second base. He stuck around after the team’s first full-squad workout Thursday morning to field ground balls and practice turning double-plays with shortstop Ian Desmond, as Williams looked on.
Williams said Escobar asked for that extra practice session and will continue to put in additional work on an everyday basis, barring soreness or injury.
“He is excited to be here with this club and ready to go,” Williams said. “He asked us to be patient with him, because it’s something new, and we explained that we’re here to help in any way that we can. I mean, if he wants to take grounders at 5 a.m., we’ll be here, and we’ll help him along the way.”
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Escobar speaks conversational English and understands the language, but he prefers Spanish, especially when receiving complex instruction from coaches. Defensive coordinator Mark Weidemaier is fluent and will often repeat things to Escobar to ensure he understands, Williams said. Johnny DiPuglia, the director of international scouting, served as an interpreter when Escobar addressed reporters.
Through DiPuglia, Escobar said he is 100 percent committed to playing second base and has been practicing at the position in Miami for the past month. The 32-year-old was concerned about the switch initially but has now come to accept his role. He said his mind is clear.
“It caught him by surprise,” DiPuglia said, relaying Escobar’s thoughts. “But the reality is when you sit and you see the writing on the wall, that he could be a very important piece of a world championship team by him playing second base, he decided that yeah, that’s probably the best thing for him to do and it’d be a smart move.”
Escobar looked like a natural at the position during Thursday’s workout, even mimicking a leap over an imaginary base-runner while in double-play drills. Williams noted that Escobar has played second base as a rookie in Atlanta in 2007. Escobar said he might look comfortable at the position to the naked eye, but he still has a long ways to go.
“Everything is backwards on that side of the diamond,” Williams said. “Arm angles. Depth, questions about where to play depth-wise. And how close he is to second base turning a double play. Where is that position for him? It’s different for everybody. Those questions will arise. We’re ready to deal with them and make him comfortable being out there playing it.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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