Escobar rapidly emerges as major prospect: R-Braves shortstop making best of opportunity; .335 average impresses scouts.

Byline: John O'Connor

May 30--Ascout from an American League club arrived at The Diamond a couple of hours before a Richmond Braves game last week. The first thing he did was check the lineups.

"Why isn't Escobar playing?" he said.

Told that R-Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar had a minor hand injury, the scout's shoulders dropped. Escobar was the player he most wanted to evaluate.

Escobar, 24, has clearly emerged as Richmond's top prospect, a development that's not shocking since he was Atlanta's second-round pick in the 2005 draft. But nobody was prepared to project Escobar as a Triple-A star in his first season at this level. He batted …