A daily snack-sized meditation on how much closer we are to Opening Day than we were yesterday. Today:
50
is the number of RBI by Alcides Escobar in 2014.
There’s not much of a need to “analyze” someone’s RBI totals, but yay for nice round numbers, I guess? Moving right along. 
Escobar played in a career-high 162 games last year, but ended up with far fewer PAs than previous seasons. He only had 620 PA last year, compared with 642 PA in 158 games in 2013, and 648 PA in 155 games in 2012.
The bulk of Escobar’s plate appearances in 2014 came in the 8th or 9th slots (440), compared with 256 PA in those spots in 2013 and and 171 there in 2012. In past seasons, he spent much more time batting 2nd.
It’s obvious to many people, of course, that weaker hitters should hit further down in the lineup to limit the number of times they’re likely to make an out. This is merely an example of how much of a difference it can make.
Now, is it April yet?
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