Alcides Escobar, formerly represented by the Kinzer Management Group, has changed agencies and is now represented by the Legacy Agency, reports Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal. Escobar will be represented by Peter Greenberg.
The 27-year-old Escobar has enjoyed a bounceback season after a woeful 2013 at the plate, improving his slash line from .234/.259/.300 to .281/.314/.376. Ultimate Zone Rating has pegged Escobar as an above-average throughout his career, and Fangraphs rates his baserunning ability among the best in the game. Over the past three seasons, only Mike Trout, Jacoby Ellsbury and Rajai Davis have provided more value on the basepaths.
Escobar signed a four-year, $10.5MM extension back in Spring Training of the 2012 season. (That contract was signed when Escobar was with the Wasserman Media Group, which Kinzer Management split from in October of 2012.) He’s set to earn $3MM in 2015, and the Royals hold a pair of club options on him for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, which are valued at $5.25MM and $6.5MM, respectively. Each contains a $500K buyout. Those options seem like no-brainers for the Royals, given Escobar’s solid glove and strong baserunning skills, and the fact that in two of the past three seasons, he’s posted OPS+ and wRC+ marks north of 90.
The Legacy Agency represents a host of big league players, including Michael Brantley, Melky Cabrera, Carl Crawford, Adam Dunn and Francisco Liriano, to name a few. Their clientele, as well as information on more than 2,000 Major League and Minor League players, can be seen in MLBTR’s Agency Database. If you see any errors or notable omissions, please let us know: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.
