This year we’ll be releasing our top 25 list in conjunction with the people over at Bernie’s Crew, which means the list is going to posted somewhat out of order to match up with what Jim has for his Top 25. An up-to-date list of the Between the Green Pillars Top 25 can be found at the bottom of the page.

Alcides Escobar / SS / 6’1” 175 LBS / 12/16/86

There probably isn’t any more heavily debated prospect in the Brewer’s organization than Alcides Escobar. In fact, he’s probably one of the more controversial prospects amongst evaluators in the entire game. Escobar does some things extremely well, but there are also areas in his game that need to improve before he can be a plus everyday starter at the major league level. Ultimately, the fact that he is 22 years old and has shown the ability to hit AA level pitching, taken in combination with his defense, necessitates that he be ranked this high on the list, despite lingering concerns about aspects of his game.

Escobar is one of the few success stories of the Brewer’s decision not to have a Latin-American baseball academy; instead skipping them right to the states at a young age. Escobar first opened some eyes in 2004, playing as a 17 year old in the Pioneer League (a league dominated by college juniors and seniors) posting a (.281/.348/.342/.690) line and amazing scouts with his defensive range. Over the next two seasons at Low A and then High A, Escobar’s offensive numbers stagnated somewhat. His OBP hovered around .300 both seasons and he suffered a major power outage in 2006 at Brevard (9 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR). As a 20 year old repeating at High A Brevard County, he showed major signs of growth with the bat, posting a .722 OPS and earning a promotion to AA. The numbers dipped a bit after the promotion to AA, but still were respectable for a 20 year old playing at AA for the first time.

Escobar was sent back to AA in 2008 and had the breakthrough that many had been waiting for a long time. He posted a (.328/.363/.434/.797) line in 546 AB’s, hitting 24 2B, 5 3B and 8 HR. He also stole 34 bases in 42 attempts, and excellent 80% success rate. Those are great numbers, on the surface, but lose a little luster when you break them down. Escobar’s biggest flaw on offense his is unwillingness to take walks (31 in 2008), which means that he is largely dependant on his batting average to post acceptable OBP numbers. He did that last year, with the help of a very high .380 BABIP, but he can’t count on that every year to boost the OBP. His power took a big step forward last year from before. If he can maintain that rate or improve on it, he should have playable power for a SS.

Escobar was rewarded for his good work in AA with a promotion to the majors in September, where he continued to shine in limited action. He got into 9 games (more often than not for late inning defensive purposes), but only came to bat 4 times, where he hit two singles and struck out once. Since then, the picture has clouded somewhat. Escobar played winter ball in his native Venezuela, and hit a putrid (.224/.289/.302/.591) in 124 AB’s, but hasn’t played since December 23^rd.

Defensively, Escobar combines outstanding range, soft hands, a strong and accurate arm into a package that many scouts believe is the best in the minor leagues. He has steadily improved his fielding percent, and while he still makes a decent number of errors (20 in 2008) he makes up for that with the high number of balls he gets to. If he can continue to cut down on the errors, he has a very good chance to one day be referred to as “perennial gold glove winner” Alcides Escobar.

Escobar took a big step forward in 2008, but he needs to show he can improve the walk rate and maintain the power he showed in 2008 to become anything more than a mediocre offensive player in the big leagues. If he can become an even average offensive player, Escobar’s defense will make him a very valuable asset. He’ll almost certainly open 2009 in AAA where he can continue to refine his approach at the plate. Should an injury occur at the big league level in the middle infield, Escobar will almost certainly get a shot to come up and show his stuff.

Between the Green Pillars Top 25 Prospects:

# 25: Evan Frederickson

# 24: Cody Adams

#23: Alex Periard

#22: Brent Brewer

#21: Brad Nelson

#20: RJ Seidel

#19: Tim Dillard

# 18: Seth Lintz

# 17: Efrain Nieves

#16: Erik Komatsu

#14: Omar Aguilar

#13: Cutter Dykstra

#12: Zach Braddock

#11: Caleb Gindl

#10: Jake Odorizzi

#9: Cole Gillespie

#8: Lorenzo Cain

#7: Brett Lawrie

#6: Taylor Green

#5: Angel Salome

#4: Jon Lucroy

#3: Jeremy Jeffress