Luis Escobar Pitches in Major League Baseball Futures Game

The Major League Baseball 2017 Futures Game took place at Marlins Park in Miami on Sunday afternoon, and Pirate prospect Luis Escobar pitched in the game.

Under Neal Huntington, the Pittsburgh Pirates have always had a strong farm system. That currently is as true as ever.

According to MLB.com, right-handed pitcher Luis Escobar is the number 12 prospect in the Pirate system. Escobar has a very bright future in the Pirate organization, and this helped him to earn a spot on the World Team in Major League Baseball’s 2017 Futures Game.

The 2017 Futures Game was played on Sunday at Marlins Park in Miami. On Sunday, Luis Escobar pitched the 6th inning for the World Team. While it was not all pretty, he flashed great stuff and posted a zero.

Luis Escobar posted a zero in the 6th inning. He did not allow a hit, walked a batter, and threw a wild pitch. He threw a fastball that sat in the high 90s, hitting as high as 98 miles per hour, and a slider that sat in the high 80s and low 90s.

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In 2017 Luis Escobar has pitched for the Low-A West Virginia Power. Thus far, Escobar has found success this season. His success comes in large part thanks to his plus fastball and wicked slider that he put on display in the Futures Game today.

In 75 2/3 innings pitched at Low-A this season Luis Escobar has been a strikeout machine averaging 11.89 K/9. His high strikeout rate has helped to offset a walk rate (3.93 BB/9) that is too high. Additionally, he has allowed just 64 base hits and 8 home runs.

All of this comes out to a 3.92 FIP for Escobar this season. He owns a 3.54 xFIP that indicates the rest of his 2017 season should be even stronger than his first 15 starts have been.

Luis Escobar has a very bright future with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 21-year old right-handed pitcher is one of the team’s top pitching prospects and can be a very good starting pitcher in the Major Leagues one day. This earned him a spot in the 2017 Futures Game, where he put his stuff on display on Sunday afternoon.