KC Royals: Just How Bad Were the April Slumps?

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Apr 13, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar (2) hits a single during the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Alcides Escobar

April 2016: .214/.250/.265, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 21 Ks

I wish I could tell you that April was an anomaly for Escobar, but he’s had months like this every year, often times more than once per season.

Honestly, as I flipped through his month-by-month career records, it seemed like every other month was an April 2016 doppelgänger. Some particularly brutal stretches include August 2015 (.197 average, 3 RBI in 117 at-bats) and July 2013 (his on-base percentage was under the Mendoza line at .188), but I could point to roughly a dozen others almost as bad.

I’m not a wizard, but I do wonder if a player who so frequency slumps and has a career on-base percentage under .300 should really be your lead-off hitter.

The reality is, though, if you take a team to two straight World Series, you get the benefit of the doubt for a lot longer than usual. If it meant another playoff run, I’d probably be okay with Mark Redman as the ace and Ricky Bottalico shutting things down in the ninth.

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