Alcides Escobar made an off-balance, barehanded play off a deflection look a lot easier than it really was

Considering the velocity with which batted balls scream around the diamond, fielders barely have enough time to make "routine" plays -- let alone unpredictable ones.
Don't bother telling that to Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar, however. In Monday's game with the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Hanley Ramirez cracked a bouncer up the middle that took a wild redirection off the backside of pitcher Jason Hammel.
Escobar, who had been breaking toward the second-base bag anticipating the grounder, redirected himself accordingly and seamlessly barehanded the ball, firing it to first to retire Ramirez as if it were nothing but one of those "routine" plays:

13/10, would watch again. 😮 #EskyMagic pic.twitter.com/wS1p0jfQ1U

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 1, 2018

It definitely wasn't, though.
You can't teach that kind of instinct. 
As fate would have it, this was a repeat occurrence for Hammel on Monday, as a less wild version of the same play took place in the third inning -- with Cheslor Cuthbert playing the Escobar role and Eduardo Núñez subbing in for Ramirez: