Yunel Escobar is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop and third baseman. He was born on November 2, 1982, in Havana, Cuba, and grew up in Miami, Florida. Escobar began his baseball career in high school, where he played for the Westminster Christian School in Miami. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2005 MLB draft.
Escobar made his MLB debut with the Braves in 2007 and played with the team until 2010. During his time with the Braves, he established himself as a reliable infielder and a consistent hitter. He had a career-best season in 2009, where he batted .299 with 14 home runs and 76 runs batted in (RBIs). Escobar was also known for his defensive skills, as he won the National League Gold Glove Award for shortstops in 2009.
In 2010, Escobar was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he played for three seasons. He continued to be a productive player for the Blue Jays, batting .290 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs in his first season with the team. However, his time with the Blue Jays was also marked by controversy, as he was suspended for three games in 2012 for writing a homophobic slur on his eye black during a game.
After his stint with the Blue Jays, Escobar played for several teams, including the Tampa Bay Rays, the Washington Nationals, and the Los Angeles Angels. He continued to be a solid player, but his production declined as he got older. In his final season in the MLB, he played for the Kansas City Royals, where he batted .274 with six home runs and 39 RBIs.
Overall, Escobar had a successful career in the MLB, batting .282 with 71 home runs and 458 RBIs in 1,301 games. He was also a two-time Gold Glove Award winner and a one-time All-Star. Despite his on-field success, Escobar's career was also marred by controversy, including the aforementioned suspension for using a homophobic slur and a 2015 incident where he was benched by the Nationals for not running out a ground ball.
Since retiring from baseball, Escobar has remained out of the public eye. He currently resides in Miami with his family and has not made any public statements about his baseball career or his life after retirement.
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