Kansas City Royals: Alcides Escobar best Royals shortstop of 2010s

Continuing on with our best Kansas City Royals at each position is shortstop, where AlcidesEscobar was the best of the decade.

Alcides Escobar came to the Kansas City Royals in the 2010 offseason along with Lorenzo Cain, Jake Odorizzi, and Jeremy Jeffress for Zach Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt.

This was arguably the most important trade of the decade for the Kansas City Royals, by giving the Royals roster the defensive linchpins they desired at shortstop and centerfield. The trade also included Odorizzi, who was included in the best farm system in baseball and a major piece of the trade for James Shields and Wade Davis.

Alcides Escobar quietly put together a strong career with the Royals, putting together this stat line:

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• 1,245 games (playing all 162 games three times)
• .259/.292/.344
• 36 HRs
• 250 extra base hits
• 160 SBs
• Excellent defense each game at shortstop.

Escobar shined brightest in the playoffs for the Royals, hitting .311/.326/.467 with 2 home runs and an additional 12 extra base hits at the lead off position in the lineup. He also won the ALCS MVP in 2015 for his efforts there.

Escobar was considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the AL during his time with the Royals, earning an All-Star selection and Gold Glove in 2015. Escobar led the league in putouts, assists, and fewest errors at shortstop in 2011. He was consistently in the top ten in all of the defensive statistics and metrics throughout his Royals tenure as well.

Escobar’s most memorable moment came during his first at-bat during the 2015 World Series against the New York Mets. Escobar, who had consistently shown his proclivity to swing at the first pitch, took the first pitch from Matt Harvey and ripped a deep fly ball to left center field.The Mets misplayed the ball and Escobar raced around the bases to record the first ever inside-the-park home run to lead off the World Series.

For Royals fans who saw Alex Gordon hit a similar ball in the bottom of the ninth inning of the 2014 World Series and Gordon not make it all the way around the bases, this was game changer to see Escobar race around in the Royals first at-bat of the 2015 World Series. It felt like destiny for the Royals to go on and win it all after Escobar hit his inside-the-park home run.

Even though Alcides Escobar’s offensive play declined as the decade progressed, there’s no doubt about him being the best shortstop of the 2010s. He truly had a wonderful career while in Kansas City.