Kelvim Escobar
Kelvim José Escobar Bolivar (born April 11, 1976), best known as Kelvim Escobar (ess-coe-BAR), is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who plays for the Anaheim Angels. Escobar was born in La Guaira, Vargas State, Venezuela. He was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1992 and made his debut in 1997.
The normal trend has been to turn a starter into a dominant closer, such as Oakland did with Dennis Eckersley and the Braves with John Smoltz. But Toronto did the opposite. After six seasons of switching Escobar in and out of the bullpen, whether it be starting, holding or closing, the Blue Jays had decided to establish him as a starter in 2003. He had an 8-3 record in 14 starts after the All-Star break, and for the season, he posted 12-8 with a 3.92 of earned run average in 26 outings, and a career-high 159 strikeouts.
Escobar throws a four-seam 97 MPH fastball, a two-seamer, and a deceptive changeup. He has good command of a wide variety of other pitches, including a lively split-finger, a nasty curve, and a slider that is a mainstay of his huge repertoire.
With the Blue Jays Escobar compiled a record of 58-55, with 744 strikeouts, 4.58 ERA, three complete games, six shutouts, and 58 saves in 301 games pitched (101 as a starter).
Escobar signed with the Angels as a free agent in 2004. Currently, he is a main force in their starting rotation.
