Kevin Youkilis

From BR Bullpen

Kevin Edmund Youkilis (Greek God of Walks)

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 1", Weight 220 lb.
High School Sycamore High School
School University of Cincinnati
Debut May 15, 2004
Born March 15, 1979 in Cincinnati, OH USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Kevin Youkilis was already a well-known player when he played in his first full season in major league baseball in 2006. This is due to his playing on the high-profile Boston Red Sox, his proclivity to take walks, and due to his being one of the prominent players in the book Moneyball, which gave him the nickname the "The Greek God of Walks". Youkilis is not Greek, but Jewish, of Romanian lineage. Some have opined that Greek-Canadian catcher George Kottaras would be a much more appropriate Greek God of Walks.

Youkilis was born in Cincinnati, OH and attended high school and college in the city. He was an All-American in 1999 and 2001 at the University of Cincinnati, and set several college records, including ones for home runs, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. In his last season there, he posted averages of .405/.549/.714.

Drafted in the 8th round of the 2001 amateur draft by the Red Sox, his first stop was Lowell of the Single A New York-Penn League, where he posted an on-base percentage of over .500. Moved up to Augusta of the South Atlantic League, he was there for only 20 games before moving up again to Sarasota of the Florida State League, where he had an on-base percentage of .422. So the Red Sox moved him up again to Trenton in the Double A Eastern League, where he posted .344/.462/.500 line. He was named Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year for 2002.

The Red Sox have a reputation for keeping players in the minors a long time, as was the case with Wade Boggs. Of course, since the Red Sox are a competitive team, they usually have good players at many positions, and it's tough for a youngster to break into their line-up. Youkilis, in spite of dominating the Eastern League in 2002, went back there in 2003.

In the Eastern League in 2003, this time at Portland, Youkilis had an even higher on-base percentage, as he put up averages of .327/.487/.465. Moved up near the end of the season to Pawtucket of the Triple A International League, he hit only .165 in 32 games. That got him a ticket back there the next season.

In 2004, he played with Pawtucket, and also with the Red Sox. His averages were pretty similar in both places. At Pawtucket, he hit .266/.350/.403. With Boston, he hit .260/.367/.413. Of course, hitting in Fenway Park is not the same as hitting in Pawtucket. He was on the Red Sox's post-season roster and played one game in the ALDS against the Anaheim Angels, going hitless in two at-bats. He was not used for the remainder of the post-season as the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years. His first Major League hit was a home run.

The next year, 2005, Youkilis showed that he had learned how to master the International League. He posted a batting line of .322/.459/.592 in 43 games and came back up to the Red Sox, where he improved from his previous season to .278/.400/.405.

In 2006, at the age of 27, he did even better. He hit .279 in 569 at-bats, with an on-base percentage of .381, and a slugging-percentage of .429. He hit 13 home runs and 42 doubles, showing an increase in power from his previous major league play, and scored an even 100 runs. Whereas he played primarily third base in 2004 and 2005 with the Red Sox, in 2006 he played first base. In 2006, he was typically the lead-off batter for the Red Sox, something that is somewhat unusual for a first baseman.

Youkilis set a new MLB record for consecutive errorless games by a first baseman when he reached 194 in early 2008. He broke Steve Garvey's record.

[edit] Notable Achievements

AL All-Star (2008)
AL Gold Glove Winner (2007)
100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (2006)
Won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox (2004 & 2007; he did not play in the 2004 World Series)