Alcides Escobar [al-see'-des / es-co-bar'] (born December 16, 1986) is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop with the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. He was born in La Sabana, Venezuela. He previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers. His defensive prowess has earned him the nickname "El Mago".

Escobar was signed at age 16 as an international free agent by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003 for $35,000.

In 2007, he split time between Single-A and Double-A, playing 63 games for the Brevard County Manatees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League and 62 games for the Huntsville Stars of the Class AA Southern League. He batted a combined .306 with one home run and 53 runs batted in.

In 2008, Escobar played mostly for Huntsville. On September 1, 2008, when rosters expanded, Escobar was called up to the Majors for the first time and made his debut two days later as a defensive replacement at shortstop. He picked up his first hit in his first career at-bat in the same game, a single against Scott Schoeneweis of the New York Mets.

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