Infielder Eduardo Escobar entered the 2017 campaign having recorded 27 homers, a .128 isolated-power figure, and 84 wRC+ over the course of 1,620 plate appearances. In the roughly 900 plate appearances since the beginning of 2017, however, he’s been a different sort of hitter, accumulating 36 homers while posting a .215 ISO and 109 wRC+ during that interval.

The difference is stark. Indeed, one could say without much need for hyperbole that, after having conducted himself like a slap-hitting middle infielder for much of his career, Escobar somewhat suddenly become a legitimate power threat. By way of reference, consider some of the players whom Escobar has outslugged: Nicholas Castellanos (.214 ISO), Joey Votto (.213), George Springer (.213), Anthony Rizzo (.209), Corey Dickerson (.204). Those are all players whose presence in the major leagues is founded, at some level, on their ability to create runs on contact. All of them have recorded wins at an above-average rate since the start of 2017. None of them has hit for more power than Escobar, though.

Of course, having hit more home runs than expected is different than continuing to hit more home runs than expected. The former is a matter of record, the latter a question of true talent. The Arizona Diamondbacks, it seems, are at least somewhat optimistic about the latter: earlier today, they acquired Escobar from Minnesota in exchange for three prospects: right-hander Jhoan Duran, outfielder Ernie De La Trinidad, and other outfielder Gabriel Maciel.

Arizona’s optimism is probably warranted. Escobar’s transformation isn’t unprecedented at all in the current version of the game — a version of the game, that is, in which Jose Ramirez is the gold standard for power. And, like Ramirez, Escobar has exhibited some of the same underlying changes. Between 2011 and -16, for example, he recorded a 42% ground-ball rate. Since the beginning of 2017, however, he’s produced a 33% mark. The more granular batted-ball data reveals a similar trend. Before 2017, Escobar recorded a 14.2-degree launch angle, on average; since the start of that same season, however, that figure has risen to 18.3 degrees.

As for how Escobar fits on a D-backs club that is just 1.5 games out of first in the NL West, the immediate answer is clear: third base. After losing April and part of a May to a shoulder injury, Jake Lamb left Thursday’s game with a shoulder injury. Escobar is projected to approximate Lamb’s numbers, so Arizona is actually unlikely to feel much discomfort from Lamb’s absence for the time being.

If and when Lamb returns, Escobar’s role becomes less clear. Between Nick Ahmed at short and Ketel Marte at second, it’s probably the former whose bat would most merit an upgrade. Escobar hasn’t played as much shortstop this season as in the past, but the defensive metrics suggest he remains acceptable at the position. That is, of course, if Lamb returns.

Regarding the prospects, there’s some value here. Duran ranked 14th among D-backs prospects in Eric Longenhagen’s audit of the system back in May, with Maciel just behind him at 15th.