Twins' Eddie Rosario, Eduardo Escobar should be All-Stars

The Twins might have the 11th-best record in the American League, but there is no doubt the team should have two representatives at the All-Star Game in Washington on July 17th. Eddie Rosario and Eduardo Escobar have not only kept this team alive in the American League Central, but have been one of the best duos in all of baseball.

Tuesday night was no different. Rosario scored the go-ahead run against Red Sox starter Chris Sale on a Escobar double in the sixth inning that also drove in Ryan LaMarre.

Escobar came to the plate against in a key moment in the eighth and doubled to center to score LaMarre and Joe Mauer as the Twins retook a 4-2 lead and held on for a 6-2 victory against one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Coming into this season, Rosario had hit .277 and averaged 17 home runs, 23 doubles, 53 RBI and 64 runs scored per season. Escobar had hit .253 for his career while averaging seven home runs, 15 doubles, 32 RBI and 34 runs scored per game.

Heading into Wednesday night's against Boston at Target Field, Rosario was hitting .316 with 16 homers, 20 doubles, 46 RBI and 51 runs scored. Escobar was hitting .305 with 12 homers, 32 doubles, 48 RBI and 35 runs scored.

They have been on a tear as the Twins have won three of their past four games. Rosario was hitting .412 in that stretch with two doubles, two homers, three RBI and seven runs scored, while Escobar was hitting .533 with six doubles, six RBI and three runs scored.

The fact that Rosario and Escobar have become the leaders of this team shows how hard it can be to project which players will become stars in baseball and how general managers have to get a little lucky.

Escobar came to the Twins in July 2012 in a trade with the White Sox that sent lefthander Francisco Liriano to an AL Central rival in a deal crafted by Terry Ryan, who had returned to the GM spot after Smith left.

"Yeah, [Rosario] was a draft choice," said Smith, because players from Puerto Rico are American citizens and thus draft eligible. "… Liriano was, I think, going to be a free agent and so we were looking to get some young players. Escobar was one of those guys. Terry was that guy [who made the trade]."

Smith is now assistant to the president of Minor League Baseball, Pat O'Conner, after serving 31 years in the Twins organization — including his final six years as an assistant to Ryan and team President Dave St. Peter. Ryan, after being fired in July of 2016, has refused to comment on the current club, which he and Smith helped build.

The Escobar trade was mostly built around receiving lefthander Pedro Hernandez, who pitched in 14 games for the Twins in 2013.

Escobar had played 45 games in the major leagues at the time of the trade, hitting .213. Ryan said this about him at the time:

When the Twins selected Rosario, the pre-draft profile on him read like this: "He also comes with good upside and while he's not a high-ceiling power hitter, he has enough of a ceiling to think he's going to be dangerous with the bat, which gives him value."

Still, neither Ryan's projection of Escobar nor Rosario's profile hinted at the type of careers they are building, especially the seasons they are having in 2018.

Smith also mentioned another Twins staffer who was instrumental in assembling the current roster.

"You know the guy who was important with [Miguel] Sano and [Jorge] Polanco and [Max] Kepler was Mike Radcliff. He oversaw all of the international players at that time."

Radcliff is now the Twins vice president of player personnel.

"Escobar, we've seen him get hot at times, but it was hard to envision exactly how he was going to fit," Molitor said. "With some of the injuries, he has gotten a chance to play, and [because of] Polanco's suspension. He just hasn't missed a beat.

"Rosario, we saw him put together a pretty nice offensive season last year, and we were all looking for a little more consistency. He has developed into one of the American League's better offensive players."

Molitor also talked about the influence batting coach James Rowson has had with Escobar and Rosario since joining the team in 2017.

"I think the big thing James did coming in last year was build trust with these guys," Molitor said. "He gave them all plans on what they needed to do in terms of daily maintenance and preparation. I think he instills a lot of confidence."

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