Kevin Youkilis

From SoSH

Kevin Edmund Youkilis is a right-handed batter who debuted for the Boston Red Sox during the 2004 season. He was signed by the Sox on June 11, 2001, six days after being drafted. He debuted with the Red Sox on May 15, 2004.

Contents 1 Minor League Career 2 Overall Career 3 Moment in the Sun 4 Trivia 5 Nicknames 6 Quotes 7 Awards 8 External Links

Minor League Career

Overall Career

• Kevin Youkilis first gained national attention after Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane's nickname for Youkilis, "The Greek God of Walks," was mentioned in Michael Lewis' groundbreaking book Moneyball. Youkilis caught Beane's eye due his prowess for walking and very high on base percentage. In his minor league career Youkilis posted an OBP well over .400 nearly every year.

• The Red Sox drafted Youkilis, a two time All-American, out of the University of Cincinnati, in the 8th round of the 2001 Amateur Draft. In his senior season Youkilis posted a .410 batting average and an OPS of 1.263

• In 2003, between Portland and Pawtucket, Youkilis reached base in 71 consecutive games, 63 of which were at Portland before being called up to AAA.

• Youkilis was first called up to the Boston Red Sox from Pawtucket in 2004 but was a victim of having too many option years remaining to stay on the 25 man roster. For the next two season Youkilis was repeatedly sent down to Pawtucket and then back to Boston due to injuries of full-time Boston players. Youkilis was named American League Rookie of the Month in May 2004 after posting a .318 batting average and a .446 OBP in his first month in the major leagues.

• In 2006 Youkilis made the switch from playing third base to first after the Red Sox acquired Mike Lowell as part of the Josh Beckett trade. In 2006, Youkilis' first full season in the Major Leagues he batted .279 with an OBP of .381 and a .429 Slugging Percentage. In 147 games he had 159 Hits,42 DBL's and 13 HR's with 72 RBI's.

• Every time Youkilis comes to bat at Fenway or any other stadium with a large Sox fan base, the sound of what seems to be "Boo" emanates from the crowd. In reality the crowd is cheering "Yoooouuukkkk", a cheer reminiscent of what Dwight Evans ("Dewey") received when he wore the Red Sox uniform, and more recently popular during Lou Merloni's frequent appearances at Fenway.

Moment in the Sun

• On June 2, 2006, Youkilis hit a two-out, two-run homerun in the ninth inning off of Detroit Tigers closer Todd Jones. The Red Sox went on to win the game 3-2.

Trivia

• Youkilis, known for his patience at the plate, was nicknamed "Euclis: The Greek God of Walks." by Oakland Athletics Assistant GM Paul DePodesta in Michael Lewis' book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game."

• Despite his Greek nickname, Kevin Youkilis descends from a Jewish Romanian family.

• Following up, Beane, the Oakland Athletics general manager, tried unsuccessfully to acquire Youkilis in a deal saying "He's a guy who walks a ton," Beane said, "He's an on-base machine."

• Youkilis was a member of the 1994 Sycamore High School team that won the AAU National Championship.

• Youkilis's first major league hit (in his second plate appearance) was a solo home run against the Toronto Blue Jays. When his veteran teammates ignored the rookie upon his return to the dugout, Youkilis gave out air high-fives until they acknowledged him.

• Set Red Sox team record for consecutive games at 1B without an error.

• Set American League record for consecutive games at 1B without an error (179 games).

• Youkilis' vision is 20/11.

Nicknames

• Youks
• Jelly (on account of his initials)
• Euclis
• The Greek God of Walks
• You-kill-us (For no particular reason besides how his last name sounds)

Quotes

"I've seen him in the shower and, let me tell you, he's not the Greek God of anything," Terry Francona.

"If you're not a good hitter, you're not going to walk. I mean, you'll find most of the guys that have the most walks are pretty good hitters. Otherwise, the pitchers would throw it right down the middle every time. Getting walks is something that is challenging the pitcher, or just being smart and selective at the plate. I think that's one of the attributes of walking, is going up there and being able to hit certain pitches. You get to be a good hitter before you get a lot of walks, that's the way I see it. You take a lot of pitches. You can be smart and selective at the plate, and that helps attribute to walks." - Kevin Youkilis

Awards

• 2007 American League Gold Glove (1B)
• 2006 Hank and Sandy Most Valuable Jewish Player Award
• 2004 American League Rookie of the Month for May
• 2003 International League Post-Season All-Star
• 2003 Futures Game All-Star
• 2003 Eastern League All-Star
• 2002 Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year
• 2002 Trenton Player of the Year
• 2001 Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year
• 2001 Collegiate All-American (Second Team)
• 2001 Conference USA All-Star
• 2000 Conference USA All-Star
• 1999 All-American Collegiate Player

External Links

• The Baseball Cube Player Page
• RedSox.com - Player Page
• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
• Kevin Youkilis - minor league information courtesy of Sox Prospects
• Wikipedia Page
• Daughters of Kevin Youkilis
• 2005 Interview from The Hardball Times
• SI.Com: Making a name for himself-Kevin Youkilis has become a folk hero in Boston