{"playerId":658,"percentChange":-10.4,"averageDraftPosition":56.4,"percentOwned":86.9,"playerRaterSEASON":0.9,"playerRater7DAY":0.6,"mostRecentNews":{"news":"Dickey (back) gave up just one run on seven hits and three walks while striking out three over 5.2 innings in a win over the Rangers on Saturday.","spin":"Dickey left with two outs in the sixth inning, so he didn't go long enough to earn a quality start, but he did pick up the win. The jump to the American League has not gone as smoothly as many were expecting for last year's NL Cy Young winner, but perhaps he and personal catcher Josh Thole will eventually recapture the chemistry they had together last year. The knuckleballer has reportedly been dealing with a back injury since April, one that would sideline most pitchers, but it appears Dickey will continue to pitch through the ailment.","date":"Sat Jun 15"},"fullName":"R.A. Dickey","seasonOutlook":{"outlook":"Though historical knuckleball velocity readings aren't readily available, by all accounts no one in the game's history has possessed the ability to throw a knuckleball as fast as Dickey can -- 80-plus mph -- as often as he can. He threw 490 knucklers 80 mph or faster in 2012 and opponents batted .146 against them with a .407 OPS, 92 of his 230 strikeouts coming on those pitches. That helped widen Dickey's arsenal, giving him effectively an extra pitch to go along with his \"soft\" (sub-75 mph) knuckler and mid-80s fastball, and it flustered hitters to the extent that he had an otherworldly eight-start stretch May 22-June 29 during which time he had a 0.86 ERA and 76 K's en route to winning the National League's Cy Young Award. It's that diversity of pitches that might ease Dickey's transition to the American League, and specifically the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre and hitting-rich AL East, as opponents might remain largely unfamiliar with his offerings. It's often said that knuckleballers are the most difficult to project from year to year and that, to a degree, applies to Dickey as well and is the primary reason we wouldn't endorse him as the No. 1 starting pitcher, the spot he occupied on our 2012 Player Rater. But he's also a special knuckleballer with a three-year track record of success, and we're not so sure he doesn't have another elite year in his tank.","seasonId":2013,"date":"Wed Feb 20"},"playerRater30DAY":0.1,"playerRater15DAY":1.5,"positionRank":91}