Elvis Escobar

Elvis Jose Escobar

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 8", Weight 181 lb.

• Born September 6, 1994 in La Guaira, Vargas Venezuela

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Biographical Information

Elvis Escobar has played as high as AAA and for the Venezuelan national team.

His father Jose Escobar, brother Edwin Escobar and cousins Kelvim Escobar, Alcides Escobar and Vicente Campos all played in the majors. Elvis was signed by Pittsburgh Pirates scouts Rene Gayo, Rodolfo Petit and Marc DelPiano in 2011.

He hit .274/.338/.374 for the 2012 GCL Pirates and .268/.293/.350 for the 2013 Jamestown Jammers. His six sacrifice flies led the New York-Penn League. He made his debut in his homeland, going 3 for 16 with a triple, homer and a walk that winter for the Cardenales de Lara, behind Paulo Orlando and others in CF. In 2014, he split time between Jamestown (.274/.316/.349 in 38 G) and the West Virginia Power (.210/.239/.315 in 55 G). He was 1 for 2 that winter.

With the Power in '15, he improved to .296/.326/.407 and stole 15 bases but was caught 21 times. He hit 28 doubles. He was 3rd in the South Atlantic League in hits (141, behind Jose Marmolejos and Luis Guillorme), 1st in caught stealing and 8th in average (between Mike Meyers and future Venezuelan national team teammate Herlis Rodriguez). Among Pirates farmhands, he was 5th in hits (between José Osuna and Keon Broxton), tied Max Moroff for 4th in doubles, 8th in RBI and first in caught stealing. That winter, he hit .278/.316/.389 for Lara.

Escobar split 2016 between the Bradenton Marauders (.272/.313/.390 in 92 G) and Altoona Curve (.241/.303/.348 in 29 G). His five double plays led Florida State League outfielders. He was second in the Buc chain in runs (68, 18 behind Tito Polo) and tied for 8th with six triples. He was a regular for Lara in the winter, batting .265/.280/.388 in the regular season and going 4 for 10 in the postseason.

Altoona's main center fielder in 2017, he put up a .277/.319/.358 batting line. He hit .272/.328/.342 that winter for Lara, then hit .281/.395/.469 in the semifinals with 7 runs and 8 RBI in 9 games, followed by a .316/.316/.479 line in the finals. Back with Altoona in '18, he slumped to .151/.174/.208 in 42 games. He made a mop-up appearance on the mound and hit 94 mph, so Pittsburgh moved him to the mound. He was 3-2 with a save and a 2.08 ERA for West Virginia, striking out 28 and allowing 17 hits in 26 innings. With Altoona, he was 1-0 but allowed 7 hits, 5 walks and 6 runs in 4 1/3 IP (he did strike out there).

Elvis was 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA as a LOOGY for Lara in winter ball in 2018-2019. He bounced around the Bucco chain that summer, making stops with the GCL Pirates (1 R in 1 2/3 IP), West Virginia Black Bears (1-0, 1 R in 5 IP), Altoona (1-0, 1 R in 5 IP) and Indianapolis Indians (0 R in 2 IP). He had hit .265/.304/.362 with 266 runs and 223 RBI in 633 minor league games to that point, fielded .972 in the outfield and posted a 6-2, 3.07 record on the hill with 50 K in 44 IP.

With Venezuela at the 2019 Premier 12, he became the third member of his family to represent the country on the diamond, following Alcides Escobar and Kelvim Escobar. Elvis pitched one game, relieving Carlos Navas in the 7th with two outs, a 4-2 lead and one on against eventual tournament champion Japan. He retired Masataka Yoshida to end that inning. In the 8th, though, he walked Hideto Asamura and Yoshihiro Maru, managing one strike combined, and was relieved by Anthony Vizcaya, who let both runners score as Japan rallied to win. Escobar's 54.00 ERA tied Rámesis Rosa for the event's 2nd-highest, with Vizcaya doubling them.