Edwin Escobar

Escobar started the season on the disabled list with left elbow inflammation and didn’t get his season started until mid-June. The once-promising prospect has been derailed since he reached the Triple-A level. He was used as both a starter and reliever in 2015, with much more success as a starter. The left-hander was 3-2 with a 3.90 ERA in six starts while posting a 6.86 ERA in 13 outings as a reliever. While he could eventually become a competent lefty reliever, Escobar is still young enough to continue developing as a starter. His upside is a back-of-the rotation arm, but he’ll need to continue to develop his secondary offerings while maintaining command and control of his fastball. He walked 14 batters in 30 innings as a starter and another 11 in 19.2 innings as a reliever. Look for Escobar to open the season in the rotation for Triple-A Pawtucket, but he could serve as a reliever or spot starter at the major league level at some point.

Escobar entered the 2014 season as a highly-regarded prospect while he was still with San Francisco. The Giants assigned him to Triple-A Fresno in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, which lived up to its reputation in Escobar's case. The lefty was tagged with a 5.11 ERA while right-handers abused him with a .334 batting-average against. He had slightly better success with Triple-A Pawtucket after being acquired by the Red Sox in the Jake Peavy deal, including an effective three starts in the International League playoffs, which hopefully can re-start his trajectory. The move up to the highest level of the minors was not a kind one for Escobar, who allowed 20 long balls in 2014 after giving up just five the previous season. Further, his righty/lefty split is ominous. Between his stints with the two organization, righties hit .323 against him while lefties hit just .201. He'll continue on as a starter for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2015, but a move to the bullpen might be in his future.

The 21-year-old Escobar has come on strong in the Giants' minor league system over the last two years. He has maintained an ERA and FIP below 3.00 spanning across Low-A, High-A, and Double-A in 2012 and 2013. He has also lowered his walks and home runs allowed (his biggest knocks when signed as a teenager), all while maintaining an exceptional strikeout rate. He's definitely a legitimate pitching prospect now and warrants monitoring in dynasty leagues. With the Giants rostering five starting pitchers heading into the 2014 season, Escobar won't sniff the majors until September at the earliest. He will likely start the year with Triple-A Fresno to see if he can maintain his success against tougher competition.