Kelvim José Escobar Bolívar (born April 11, 1976) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

. He played for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

(1997–2003) and

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

(2004–2007, 2009). He won 101 games, but his career was cut short by shoulder injuries.

Career

Toronto Blue Jays

Escobar signed as an amateur free agent with the

in 1992. He was rated the 2nd best prospect in the Florida 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 In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

. 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 5–6 before the All-Star and 8–3 after the All-Star break. He finished the season with a 13–9 record with 159 strikeouts and a 4.29

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Com ...

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Escobar signed a three-year, $18.75 million contract with the Angels as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

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 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 The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder m ...

injury that required season-ending surgery. He missed the entire 2008 season and made one start in 2009.

2010–2013

On December 28, 2009, Escobar signed a 1-year contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major leagu ...

. This gave him a $1.25 million base salary, with up to $3 million total in incentives based on games pitched. Escobar tore his capsule in his right shoulder before he threw a pitch for the Mets, and did not appear in any major or minor league games for the franchise. On January 10, 2013, Escobar signed a minor league contract with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

after a strong showing in the Venezuelan Winter League. Escobar was invited to Spring training, and was released on March 10, 2013, having made only one appearance in the Cactus League. Five days prior, he was diagnosed with a nerve impingement above his right hand that had not shown any improvement up to his release.

Pitching style

Escobar threw a 93–95 mph

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ...

, a 90–92 mph two-seamer, and a deceptive 83–85 mph

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

. He had good command of a wide variety of other pitches, including a 79–83 mph

curve In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight. Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...

, and the occasional 86–88

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * ''The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * S ...

or 85–87 mph splitter.

Personal life

Shortstop

Alcides Escobar Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Ya ...

, who played for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

and as of 2022 plays for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

, is his first cousin.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
o
Baseball Reference (Minor and Mexican Leagues)
o
Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Escobar, Kelvim 1976 births Living people Anaheim Angels players Arizona League Angels players Cardenales de Lara players Dunedin Blue Jays players Kelvim Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Knoxville Smokies players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Medicine Hat Blue Jays players Mexican League baseball pitchers Olmecas de Tabasco players People from La Guaira Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players Salt Lake Bees players Salt Lake Stingers players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Toronto Blue Jays players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Canada Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela 2006 World Baseball Classic players