Eduardo Escobar wants to be Twins shortstop for rest of his career

BALTIMORE – They have emphasized defense, trying players like Pedro Florimon and Adam Everett. They've pursued offense, bringing in J.J. Hardy and Orlando Cabrera. They promoted their own draftees, traded for outside candidates, signed free agents and auditioned players better suited for other positions. They even sought an answer in Japan.

For more than a decade, the Twins have searched for a shortstop who could seize the position and hold it for more than a season at a time. And in a twisted irony fitting for this ceaseless pursuit, they may have stumbled onto the answer — a player they didn't want to give the job to.

Eduardo Escobar came to spring training in 2014 and 2015 hoping to compete for the shortstop job, only to find the Twins determined to hand it to someone else. And both seasons, before spring turned to summer, the Twins turned to Escobar.

"We went a different direction, and ultimately he took back the position two years in a row," said Terry Ryan, the Twins general manager. "So it's not his fault. It's mine."

It's a mistake that Ryan and manager Paul Molitor were determined to avoid in 2016. Escobar, after all, posted the highest OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages) by a shortstop in franchise history in 2015, an .864 mark (in the 71 games he played the position) that was accompanied by defense that ranked, according to fangraphs.com's ultimate zone rating as 10th-best among major league shortstops.

He's also got unusual power for the position, clubbing 90 extra-base hits over the past two seasons.

Eduardo Escobar career statistics

So when Molitor on Monday made Escobar the Twins' 11th different Opening Day shortstop in the past 13 seasons, he hoped it would become an annual tradition.

"I don't have any reason not to believe" it will be, Molitor said. "As far as [excelling] defensively and getting 500 at-bats plus, I can see that happening for a long time. He's still a young kid."

Well, he's 27 now, with three kids of his own. But as far as Escobar is concerned, he's perfectly willing to join Cristian Guzman, Pat Meares, Greg Gagne, Roy Smalley and Zoilo Versalles as long-term Twins shortstops.

"If it was up to me, I'll be the shortstop here until the day I retire," Escobar said after doubling twice in his first Opening Day start. "I want to stay here, play shortstop and be in Minnesota for my whole career."

See, the Venezuelan has found a home in the Twins clubhouse, and an entire family. He's probably the most popular player on the team, constantly joking with his teammates (and happily being the butt of their jokes). Not only do he and second baseman Brian Dozier form the team's double-play combination, but also the nucleus of what Molitor hopes is developing into a close-knit team.

"Their friendship is great — it overflows from off the field to on-field," Molitor said. "How they communicate, and just how they pick each other up, that's one of the nice inner dynamics of our team. … Esky is kind of the center of all the things we do around here."

Mostly, that's by making up strange nicknames for his teammates — Kurt Suzuki is "Kawa," for example, short for Kawasaki — and by perpetuating gags in the clubhouse.

"He keeps everybody loose. Torii [Hunter, their ex-teammate] likes to say [chemistry] is like the flu — just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not there," Dozier said. "That's what we try to do in here, and Escobar is a big part of that. We have a lot of fun, and that correlates to our play on the field."

Escobar credits Dozier for helping him become that focal point, for hurdling the language barrier and creating a supportive atmosphere.

"Since the first day I met him, he's been someone who's helped me out with English, and with my game. More important, he's just been a brother," Escobar said of his fellow infielder. "Someone who's there for me. Someone I follow, and someone I love."