Eduardo Escobar named to 2021 All-Star Game

Largely as expected, Eduardo Escobar has become the Diamondbacks’ representative at the 2021 All-Star Game, to be held later this month at Coors Field. As discussed earlier, the range of candidates this season was notable by its paucity. If it were not for the rule that every team must be represented, it’s quite likely the Diamondbacks would not have anyone. Even by Escobar’s standards, he’s not playing that well. His current OPS+ of 107 would be his lowest over a 162-game season since 2017, and few players become All-Stars with an OBP of below .300 (Escobar sites at .296 going into today’s game). But he does rank top five in the National League for both HR and RBI, and he has certainly bounced back from a dismal 2020 season.

It will be his first selection to the All-Star Game rosters. He also becomes the third Diamondback at the hot corner, following in the footsteps of Matt Williams (1999) and Jake Lamb (2017). The question of how long he will remain a Diamondback remains to be seen, as his contract is up at the end of the season, and he’s perhaps the most obvious trade chip the team currently possesses. I was assured he was on his way to the Chicago White Sox, but talk on that front seems to have cooled. Maybe the phrase “All-Star Eduardo Escobar” means the asking price for him will have gone up? But what happens if a team’s lone All-Star is then traded before the game? Do we get another selection?

Here’s Escobar, discussing his selection before today’s game against the Giants:

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