Pittsburgh Pirates minor league right-handed pitcher Luis Escobar was named to the World Team roster today for the All-Star Futures Game. The announcement was made by Major League Baseball. The game will take place on Sunday, July 9, at 4 p.m. at Marlins Park in Miami.
Escobar has recorded an organizational- and South Atlantic League-leading 97 strikeouts heading into today while post- ing a record of 6-3 with a 4.77 ERA (71.2ip/38er) and .225 batting average against in 15 appearances (14 starts) for the Single-A West Virginia Power. The 21-year-old Escobar's 97 strikeouts coming into today are also tied for the eighth-most in all of minor league baseball.
Escobar was signed by Pittsburgh as a non-drafted free agent on July 8, 2013. Last year as a member of the Single-A West Virginia Black Bears, he finished fourth among all New York-Penn League pitchers with a .208 batting average against (50-for-240) while recording a 6-5 record and 2.93 ERA (67.2ip/22er) in 15 appearances (12 starts).