Alcides Escobar- Wheres the Steals???

[NYMetsIn2k4]

Well like many other owners out there, i drafted Escobar in most of my leagues, expecting him to rack up the steals and runs, while putting up low power #s. The fact that his 1st HR came before his 1st Steal normally wouldnt bother me, itd be a plus actually, but the fact that his 1st HR comes 3 weeks into the season and the fact that hes yet to Steal a base, irritates me a bit! His OBP is over .300 so hes getting the opportunities to steal but why isnt he? Does anyone here watch the BrewCrew often enough to help out here? Whats his deal? Do you guys think hes being held or what? his minor league #s def point to 30+ SB potential in the bigs but what gives here??? Overall, im satisfied with Escobars #s, theyre pretty decent considering his ADP but if he had like 4+ SBs by now id be LOVING his fantasy impact, instead im just LIKING it ! Input much appreciated!!!

[kab21]

Do NL teams usually steal when the pitcher is batting?

[bigh0rt]

Do NL teams usually steal when the pitcher is batting?

This. 69 of his 73 AB from the 8 hole this year. If the scenario presents itself where he leads off an inning, gets on, and the pitcher strikes out with him still standing on first base with 1 out... I could see him swiping a bag. But that's about it for right now. If Gomez loses PT or gets injured and Escobar can find some time in the 2-hole we may really get to see his speed shine, as we have with Gomez (6 SB) so far this year.

[Scooter1027]

Yep, unfortunately he's batting 8th. As long as that holds, his SB opportunities are going to be limited. In the preseason I was hoping he'd end up 2nd in the order, but it didn't happen. If our catchers continue to stuggle and Carlos Gomez remembers that he is in fact Carlos Gomez (a suprisingly solid .786 OPS so far, I doubt that holds), I think Alcides will eventually move up.

[Skin Blues]

Yeah I would assume he's getting bunted to 2nd base by the pitcher as opposed to stealing, a lot of the time. Except with 2 outs, when there's no sense in risking a CS and having the pitcher lead off the next inning anyway. I hadn't thought of it a whole lot before but it must be tough to get ANY stolen bases out of the 8-hole in the NL. Late innings when the lineup is shuffled I guess, but that really limits opportunities.

[NYMetsIn2k4]

Do NL teams usually steal when the pitcher is batting?

Yeah i guess i forgot all about his situation in their lineup... Hopefully the Brewers realize hes better than Gomez and move him into the 2 Hole or even flip-flop him with the #7 hitter. Hell steal A LOT more outta the 7 hole bc hell want to get into scoring position for a "real" batter in the 8-hole instead of the Pitcher in the 9-hole. In the 2-hole, he would absolutely RAKE bc hed see way more pitches to hit and score WAY more runs! Im sure right now, hes barely seeing anything to hit with a Pitcher in the on deck circle but hes still got a .300+ OBP, slide him into the 2-hole and you MUST pitch to him, and he WILL hit! I understand why the Brewers have the Rook batting 8th, it takes the pressure off of him and allows him to develop with 0 pressure whatsoever, but the problem I have with it (other than being an impatient Fantasy Manager! LOL), is that the best part of Escobars game is his LEGs so he needs to develop that part of his game too! In the 8-hole, he cant develop his #1 skill!!! If he goes to either the 7-hole or the 2-hole, he immediately becomes a HUGE Fantasy Asset but in the meantime, hes just OK.

[Skin Blues]

He was 7th last night. Only because Zaun got the day off and Kottaras was put in the stink hole. Come to think of it, Zaun should probably be 8th as well, with the way he's hitting.

[garf112]

I finally dropped him. Probably not the greatest move, but had to make room for some speculative adds on saves. I have Pennington, Kinsler and Ass-Dribble anyway, so I can probably do without him while he figures out how to hit in the majors.

[AquaMan2342]

Where are all the Andrus haters now that Escobar and Cabrera are either hurt or not producing?!?!

[CharlatanSin]

Here's your problem:

Brewers told to steal only when it matters

SAN DIEGO -- When it comes to stealing bases -- something the Brewers have done successfully 18 out of 19 times so far this season -- it's about quality over quantity for Ken Macha.

In Friday's game against the Padres, for example, Rickie Weeks swiped a base in the seventh inning with two outs and the Brewers trailing, 1-0. Moving into scoring position in that case was worth the risk, according to Macha.

"That's the kind of stolen base I'm talking about right there, when the game is on the line and you need a bag." Macha said. "You can rack up 18 bags, and all 19 of them could be no factor. [Weeks' stolen base] could've affected the outcome of the game, so that's what we're looking for."

Macha has said as much to first-base coach Ed Sedar, also the team's baserunning coach, and the manager wants to make sure his players are only taking chances when it matters most.

"You can look at that scoreboard, and it pretty much dictates it," Macha said. "We're going to get caught stealing once in a while, and if you go in that situation and you're out, I'm OK with that."

I'm having a hard time justifying keeping Escobar around. If he's not allowed to run, and is hitting in a crappy spot in the lineup so he's not scoring runs...is there any point? Jhonny Peralta's heating up, maybe I should get in on that.