An elite defender who came into his own at the plate in 2012, Kansas City Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar took home the organization's Joe Burke Special Achievement Award on Monday according to Dick Kaegel of MLB.com.

Escobar posted career-highs across the board with 177 hits, 52 RBI and 35 stolen bases this season with the Royals, numbers that put the 25-year-old in a rare class when coupled with his outstanding play defensively. While Escobar's fielding percentage dipped from .980 to .972 this past year, the rangy infielder was still on a short list of Gold Glove candidates at his position despite not being selected.

The first of of three individual honors that were voted on by the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, the Joe Burke Award is named after the organization's former president and general manager from 1974-1992. The team will announce its 2012 Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday, while the Royals' 2012 Player of the Year will be unveiled the following day.