Minnesota Twins Opening Day Projection: The Twins Bench

Infielder Eduardo Escobar

Here is the really good news about the Twins signing Logan Morrison and Miguel Sano’s apparent ability to continue as the starting third baseman. Eduardo Escobar is able to return to the position that fits him best.

Escobar hit .254/.309/.449 with 21 home runs, 16 doubles, and 5 triples. Those numbers would be OK for the Twins at third base but would always be considered a position that could be improved. Escobar’s 1.3 WAR from last season also speaks to the solidness of his performance, but not necessarily what you want to be slotted in as a starter. As defined by FanGraphs, Escobar according to WAR is a solid role player and needs to reach 2.0 WAR for starter level.

There is a chance that over a full season of starting, Escobar could reach that mark. With the Morrison signing, what ultimately happens is we replace Escobar’s offensive numbers with Morrison’s. Morrison provides a little more in on-base percentage (.353) as well as power (.516). Also, Morrison’s 3.6 WAR puts him it the range of a solid starter furthering the thought that replacing Escobar’s bat with Morrison’s should be an overal upgrade for the Twins.

Escobar is a good baseball player. And this role as a utility infielder coming off of the bench is the place he is a very valuable player and reaches his peak value for the Twins in 2018. As much as a writer hates to be “wrong” with initial predictions, I am glad to be writing about Escobar as a member of the Twins bench.