Yunel Escobar

In an era with a plethora of young, productive infielders populating rosters, the Angels were forced to pick up the option of an aging, light-hitting, converted shortstop to man the hot corner. Escobar did his part in 2016, sporting an excellent 87 percent contact rate for the third time in four seasons. In fact, Escobar's contact rate has ranged from 86 to 89 percent throughout his career. Unfortunately, that's where the good news ends as his already marginal pop is declining and he has no speed. The veteran has played more than 150 games only once (2013). He's averaged 136 games the past three seasons, further dampening mixed-league potential. Escobar's average is useful in AL-only formats, but in terms of mixed, he won't play enough, or well enough to be a consideration until injuries thin the pool. A final cautionary note: even though the club picked up his option, $7 million isn't enough to preclude Escobar from ceding playing time to Jefry Marte or perhaps Caleb Cowart if the youngsters excel in the spring.

Escobar was picked up by Washington from the A's last offseason in exchange for Tyler Clippard and came through with one of the best seasons of his career. Originally slated to man second base, Escobar spent the year at third after Anthony Rendon got hurt, and not having to play shortstop seemed to take the pressure off him at the plate. His .790 OPS was his highest since 2009, while his .314 batting average was the best full-season mark of his career. The 33-year-old isn't a good bet to repeat that performance, of course, but the Angels saw enough to view him as a capable option at the hot corner, acquiring him from the Nationals during the offseason. He comes with a $7 million option on his contract for 2017, which looks like a bargain based on last season's production. Younger options like Kyle Kubitza and Kaleb Cowart linger, but if Escobar can come close to his 2015 production, his starting job could be secure in Anaheim for the next two years.

A shoulder injury in June eventually put Escobar on the disabled list, and his season was eventually cut short by a knee injury in September, but the production when he was healthy was right in line with his first season in Tampa Bay. Defensive metrics graded Escobar as a poor shortstop for the first time in his career, so it will be interesting to see if that decline is merely a blip on the radar, or part of a legitimate skills loss. The majority of Escobar's playing time was spent in the bottom third of the batting order, and the Rays' inability to plate runs consistently as a team had an understandably detrimental impact on his counting stats. Traded to Oakland in January, Escobar was a member of the A's for a few days before he was flipped to Washington for reliever Tyler Clippard. With the Nats, it's expected that Escobar will slide over to second base to maintain a starting role.

Escobar, who hit .256/.332/.366 with nine home runs and 56 RBI last year, was one of the best of the Rays' sneaky pickups over the past few seasons. Acquired in an offseason trade with the Marlins, he brought a stable balance on offense and defense at shortstop. He had a few droughts of power, but he played in a career-high 153 games. Despite the lack of huge power and his placement near the bottom of the batting order, he is a decent source of RBI. After nearly winning a Gold Glove Award this past season, he will return as the everyday shortstop for the Rays in 2014.

Escobar has never offered much power or speed, but his ability to get on base in front of a powerful lineup gave him value to fantasy owners. In 2012, his batting average dropped (.253) and his walk rate plummeted (5.8 percent). Without an uptick in other counting stats, his value to fantasy owners virtually disappeared. After fracturing his relationship with Toronto, Escobar was included in the blockbuster trade to Miami, and subsequently moved in another trade to Tampa Bay. With the Rays, Escobar should serve as the everyday shortstop and enable Ben Zobrist to settle in at second base.

Escobar fought through several nagging injuries to his legs and hands throughout the season before landing on the DL for good in September with an elbow injury, but bounced back from a disappointing 2010 campaign and established himself as one of the better shortstops in the AL by hitting .290 with 11 homers, 48 RBI and 77 runs scored. The litany of nagging injuries isn't a very good sign for a player of his age and those aren't likely to go away as he continues to play shortstop, but he'll be back as the team's everyday shortstop and should reward his owners with another solid season.

Escobar played better after a midseason trade from the Braves but it was still a disappointing 2010 as he hit just .256 with four homers overall. He's still got the potential for above average power from the shortstop position while helping your batting average as well but will need to reverse the trends of last season. Look for a bounceback out of the everyday shortstop for the Jays.

Escobar is entrenched as Atlanta's starting shortstop and can help fantasy teams with moderate power (a career-high 14 home runs in 2009) and a strong eye at the plate that should make his batting average an asset. After posting one of the top range factors in 2008, he took a step back with the glove and had a few lapses that caused manager Bobby Cox to bench him. As long as his fielding doesn't become an issue, he looks like one of the more consistent options at shortstop in the NL.

Escobar's first full season as the starting shortstop for the Braves was a success as he showed great range in the field (second best range factor of all regular shortstops in baseball) and moderate power (10 home runs). He's always had a good eye at the plate (almost as many walks as strikeouts), so he's a good bet to help fantasy owners at least in the batting average department.

Escobar will take over as the everyday shortstop for Atlanta after a breakout season that resulted in the Braves trading away Edgar Renteria this offseason. Escobar's glove was strong enough to land him a utility role at the start of last season, but he caught fire at the plate and forced his way into a platoon role at second base for much of the year. He draws enough walks to think he won't see much of a drop-off from his .328 batting average. However, he doesn't hit for much power or steal many bases, which will limit his fantasy value.

Escobar hit .264/.361/.346 at Double-A with strong defense. While he had little power, he showed a strong eye at the plate. With Edgar Renteria locked up through 2008 and an even better prospect at shortstop in Elvis Andrus looming in the lower minors, Escobar may be in the right spot to be moved this winter. If not, he should move to Triple-A and could be called up to the majors at some point.

Escobar's star is quickly rising in the Atlanta farm system after he posted a .313/.358/.470 season at High-A Rome with a good glove after defecting from Cuba the previous fall. He was a little old for the competition (age 23), so we'll need to see how he does at Double-A before getting too excited. Still, he's a minor leaguer to grab in deeper keeper leagues.