{"playerId":2042,"percentChange":13,"averageDraftPosition":224.8,"percentOwned":47.8,"playerRaterSEASON":3.8,"playerRater7DAY":1,"mostRecentNews":{"news":"Escobar went 3-for-3 with two walks, a run scored and an RBI against the White Sox on Sunday.","spin":"Escobar doesn't get a whole lot of attention, but people are starting to take notice of the young shortstop's recent play. He's been sound defensively and is now batting .296 with one home run, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases. He's also got 12 doubles on the season and a dozen runs scored. Hitting so far down in the lineup stymies the numbers, but as a mid-level shortstop, he's been quite productive.","date":"Mon May 14"},"fullName":"Alcides Escobar","seasonOutlook":{"outlook":"The primary drawback with Escobar is his role; that the Royals have Yuniesky Betancourt around to potentially steal a handful of at-bats from is damning. Although Escobar isn't much more adept than Betancourt at getting on base -- he had a .290 mark in 2011 and has a .294 career rate -- he's quite a bit stronger defender and is an asset on the basepaths because ofo his speed. As expected, freed of the No. 8 spot in the order (ahead of the pitcher) with the 2010 Milwaukee Brewers, Escobar ran more wildly with the Royals, attempting steals on 18.4 percent of his opportunities (those judged by Baseball-Reference.com), up from 6.8 percent in 2010. Unfortunately, as Escobar's at-bats go, so will his steals, so be prepared for his usefulness to be relegated to AL-only leagues. Still, as he's more deserving of the shortstop job than Betancourt, he shouldn't be ignored outright.","seasonId":2012,"date":"Fri Feb 10"},"playerRater30DAY":2.1,"playerRater15DAY":2.7,"positionRank":12}