From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kelvim Jose Escobar Bolivar (born April 11,
1976 in La Guaira, Venezuela) is a Major
League Baseball starting pitcher for the New York Mets. He
bats and throws right-handed. He has previously played for
the Toronto
Blue Jays (1997-2003) and Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim (2004-2009).
In March 2008, Escobar
revealed a tear in his right shoulder that required season-ending
surgery.[1]
He only made one start in 2009 because of
another shoulder injury.
Toronto Blue
Jays
Escobar signed as an amateur free agent with the Toronto Blue
Jays in 1992. He was rated the 2nd best prospect in the Flordia
State League in 1996. He was also rated the 4th best prospect in
the Blue Jays organization in 1996. Escobar made his major league
debut on June 29, 1997 coming up as a
reliever. He was able to save 14 games. For the next five seasons,
he was being switched in and out of the bullpen. Over that period he had a record of
42-44 with 40 saves. In 2001, he became
second on the Blue Jays all-time single season saves list with
38 saves. The Blue Jays finally established him as a starter in 2003. He started off
4-5 before the All-Star and 8-3
after the All Star break. He finished the season with a 12-8 record
with 159 strikeouts and
a 3.92 ERA.
Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim
Escobar signed a three-year $18.75 million dollar contract with
the Angels as free
agent before the 2004 season. He was
slotted in as the Angels' second starter in 2004 going 11-12 with a
3.93 ERA. In 2005, he was hampered
by injuries that allowed him to only start 7 games in 16
appearances. He went 3-2. In 2006, he went 11-14,
with a 3.61 ERA. He was resigned to a three-year 28.5 million
dollar deal with the Angels. In 2007. his breakout
year with the Angels, he went 18-7 with a 3.40 ERA. During spring
training of 2008, it was
discovered that, Escobar had a right shoulder injury that required season-ending
surgery. He was only able to make one start in 2008 and 2009.
New York
Mets
On December 28, 2009, Escobar signed a 1 year contact with the
New York
Mets.[2] This
deal will give him a $1.25M dollar base salary, with up to $3M
total in incentives based on games pitched.[3]
Pitching
Style
Escobar throws an 93-95 MPH four-seam fastball, an 90-92 MPH two-seamer,
and a deceptive 83-85 MPH changeup. He has good command of a wide
variety of other pitches, including an 79-83 MPH curve, and the occasional
86-88 slider or 85-87 MPH splitter. [4][5]
See also
References
External
links
| New York Mets current roster |
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| 40-man roster |
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| Inactive roster |
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| Disabled list |
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| Coaching Staff |
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