Upon joining the Blue Jays in Baltimore on Friday, Yunel Escobar told reporters — well, through an translator, Blue Jays bench coach Nick Leyva, anyway — that he felt he was unfairly criticized during his time in Atlanta, according to the Associated Press.
“There was a problem [in Atlanta],” Escobar said. “I feel bad that I was
getting a label I don’t think I deserved. It was inappropriate because
I’m not the type of person and not the type of player that people were
putting the label on me as being.”
The criticism has reached new heights since the trade, with ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeting on Thursday that Alex Gonzalez was greeted with a standing ovation when he walked into the Braves’ clubhouse.
Whether he acknowledges it or not, Escobar has earned the reputation as a player who dogs it on occasion. I can’t claim that I have watched the Braves as much as Craig does, but his nonchalant style was pretty obvious in last weekend’s series against the Mets. Perhaps it was the last straw for Braves manager Bobby Cox.
Let’s hope Escobar uses this trade as a motivation to be the player we all expected him to be. Beating out a bunt single in his first at-bat with the Blue Jays is a pretty good way to begin rehabbing his image.
