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==Background and Early Career==
==Background and Early Career==


Youkilis was raised by a pack of wild wolves in the West Andes. Youkilis is the son of a [[Jewish]] jewelry wholesaler of [[Romanian]] heritage.<ref>{{cite web | title=God of Walks | work=sfgate.com | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/05/27/SPGQS6SHQ01.DTL | accessdate=2007-06-10}}</ref> As a 14-year-old he had an uncredited one-line speaking role in the romantic comedy film ''[[Milk Money (film)|Milk Money]]''. He attended [[Sycamore High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)|Sycamore High School]] in the north-eastern suburbs of Cincinnati where he was a member of the school team that won the [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] National Championship in 1994.
Youkilis is the son of a [[Jewish]] jewelry wholesaler of [[Romanian]] heritage.<ref>{{cite web | title=God of Walks | work=sfgate.com | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/05/27/SPGQS6SHQ01.DTL | accessdate=2007-06-10}}</ref> As a 14-year-old he had an uncredited one-line speaking role in the romantic comedy film ''[[Milk Money (film)|Milk Money]]''. He attended [[Sycamore High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)|Sycamore High School]] in the north-eastern suburbs of Cincinnati where he was a member of the school team that won the [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] National Championship in 1994.


===College===
===College===

Revision as of 18:31, 25 May 2009

Kevin Youkilis
Boston Red Sox – No. 20
First baseman/Third baseman
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
debut
May 15, 2004, for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics
(through May 10, 2009)
Batting average.293
Home runs72
Runs batted in334
On-base percentage.391
Slugging percentage.483
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Kevin Edmund Youkilis (Template:PronEng) (born March 15, 1979, in Cincinnati, Ohio), is an All Star Major League Baseball player, who has played with the Boston Red Sox and its minor league affiliates throughout his professional career which began in 2001. A Gold Glove award winning first baseman (in 2007),[1] Youkilis holds baseball's all-time record for most consecutive errorless games at first base.[2] He is the team's players' representative.[3] His nickname is "Youk" (Template:PronEng), and he has also been called "Euclis, The Greek God of Walks" in the book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.

Background and Early Career

Youkilis is the son of a Jewish jewelry wholesaler of Romanian heritage.[4] As a 14-year-old he had an uncredited one-line speaking role in the romantic comedy film Milk Money. He attended Sycamore High School in the north-eastern suburbs of Cincinnati where he was a member of the school team that won the AAU National Championship in 1994.

College

At the University of Cincinnati, he was a second-team All-American in 2000 and 2001. He set school records for home runs (53), walks (206), slugging percentage (.627), and on base percentage (.499).[5] In 2001, the Boston Red Sox drafted Youkilis in the 8th round (243rd overall).

Minor leagues

In 2001, Youkilis made his professional debut as a catcher with the Lowell Spinners, a Short-Season A Class franchise in the New York - Penn League. He went on to hit for a .317 batting average and scored 58 runs in 59 games. After leaving Lowell, he played five games with the Augusta GreenJackets of the South Atlantic League, a Low-A Class league.

In 2002, Youkilis appeared in 15 games for Augusta, in 76 games for the Sarasota Sox,[6] and in 44 games for the Trenton Thunder.[7] Youkilis hit .310 with 8 home runs and 80 RBIs for the year. His 80 walks were seventh-most in the minors in 2002.[8] In recognition of his performance on the field, the Boston Red Sox named Youkilis their 2002 Minor League Player of the Year.

In 2003, Youkilis started the season with the Portland Sea Dogs. In 94 games, he had a .487 on base percentage. Later, he earned a spot on the Eastern League All-Star team. After Portland, Youkilis moved up to play for the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Boston Red Sox Class-AAA franchise. During his time with Pawtucket, Youkilis managed to complete a streak he started while in Portland; he reached base in 71 consecutive games, tying future teammate Kevin Millar's minor league record for consecutive games reaching base.[9] His 104 walks were third-most in the minors in 2003.[10]

In 2004, Youkilis appeared in 32 games for Pawtucket, hitting .258 with three home runs, and a .347 on-base percentage, before being called up to the Red Sox on May 15th. He played a further 43 games for Pawtuckett in 2005 before being called up again permanently.

Major League Career - Boston Red Sox

2004

On May 15, 2004, when Red Sox regular starting third baseman Bill Mueller was placed on the disabled list, Youkilis was called up for the first time. In his first major league game (at Toronto), batting 8th, Youkilis had 2 hits in 4 at-bats. In his second at-bat, he homered against 1996 Cy Young Award winner Pat Hentgen.[11] On September 24 that year, which was Yom Kippur, Youkilis was in uniform in the dugout but did not participate in the game out of deference to the religious holiday.[12] Youkilis was named the club's Rookie of the Year by the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.[13] He was on the roster for the Red Sox for all of their post-season series including the World Series, making his sole appearance in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Angels.

2005

In 2005, Youkilis hit for a .278 batting average with a .400 on base percentage in 79 at bats while with the Boston Red Sox.

2006

In 2006, his first full season in the majors, Youkilis became a regular first baseman (127 games in that position). Until that time, he was primarily a third baseman, although he did play 9 games at first base with the Red Sox in 2005 and 56 games at first base in his minor league career. Also in 2006 he played in the outfield for the first time in his professional career, 18 games in left field.[14] Despite his inexperience in the outfield, Youkilis did not commit a defensive error while in the field; however, he did commit a total of eight errors in infield positions.

Youkilis tied for the major league lead in sacrifice flies (11) and saw 4.42 pitches per plate appearance - Bobby Abreu led the majors with 4.45. Also that year, Youkilis ranked in the American League's top ten in bases on balls (91), doubles (42), walk percentage (13.8%),[15] and times on base (259). He scored 100 runs, hit for a .325 batting average with runners in scoring position, a .375 Batting Average with Runners in Scoring Position with two out, and 4 first inning leadoff home runs.[16]

2007

Starting on May 5, 2007, and ending on June 2, 2007, Youkilis had a career-high 23-game hitting streak in which he hit .426 (43-101) with 13 doubles, 6 HRs, 21 RBIs, and a .468 OBP.[17]. At one point during the hitting streak, he had 9 straight games with at least 2 hits (tying a Red Sox record set by Jim Rice in 1978) and became the first Red Sox hitter since Trot Nixon to hit an inside-the-park home run.[18] Although the hit streak ended on June 2, he did walk 3 times in an 11-6 win over the Yankees. He was 6th in the league in pitches per plate appearance (4.27). Leading the league with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, Youkilis won the 2007 AL Gold Glove award for first basemen.

During the hitting streak, on May 20, he hit what would be the shortest homer by a Sox player during the season -- a 321-foot homer around the Pesky Pole. The home run would not have cleared the fence at any of the other 29 ballparks in baseball.[19]

In 2007, Youkilis was 6th in the American League with 15 HBP (hit by pitch). On June 1, Youkilis was struck on his helmet by a 94 mph fastball thrown by Yankees pitcher Scott Proctor. Proctor was ejected from the game for the incident. On August 30, New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain was ejected following a pair of pitches thrown over Youkilis's head. Chamberlain was later suspended two games for his actions. On September 15, Youkilis was struck on the right wrist by a pitch thrown by Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang. Youkilis left the game, and did not play until September 25, pinch-hitting for Eric Hinske in the 5th inning.

In the first inning of Game 1 of the ALDS against the Angels he hit his first post-season home run. In the World Series against Colorado he batted .222 with two doubles (both in Game 1), but had limited opportunities in Games 3 and 4 as David Ortiz played first base in the National League park.


2008

Youkilis in Houston, June, 2008

In 2007 Youkilis had made $424,500, the fourth-lowest salary on the club.[20] In February 2008, Youkilis signed a one-year contract for $3 million, avoiding salary arbitration.[21]

In March 2008, his role as the designated player representative of the Red Sox became known during a dispute regarding non-payment of coaches and staff for the Red Sox trip to Japan.[3] The dispute was later resolved.

In 2008, Youkilis was 3rd in the AL in slugging percentage (.569) and sacrifice flies (9), 4th in RBI (115), extra base hits (76), and OPS (.958); 5th in hit by pitch (12); 6th in batting average (.312) and on-base percentage (.390); 7th in doubles (43); 8th in total bases (306), 10th in at-bats per home run (18.6), and 12th in home runs (29). He was voted a starter on the 2008 AL All Star Team, and was mentioned as a possible MVP candidate by reporters for MLB.com,[22] The Sporting News,[23] The New York Times,[24] the San Francisco Chronicle,[25] the Fort Worth Star-Telegram,[26] and the Boston Herald.[27] Youkilis ultimately finished third in the balloting, while his teammate Dustin Pedroia won.[28] Youkilis also batted .356 against relief pitchers, .358 with men on base, and .374 with runners in scoring position.[29] He drew seven intentional walks during the 2008 season, the first season he had garnered any, and also led the AL with a .353 batting average after the sixth inning.[30]

In the ALCS Game 5 vs. the Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox were down by seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Youkilis scored the winning run for the Red Sox to complete the second-largest comeback in MLB postseason history. Before Game 4 of the 2008 World Series, he was named the winner of the AL Hank Aaron Award for the best offensive performance of the 2008 season.[31]

2009

In 2009, he was voted # 36 on the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest active baseball players, voted on by a panel that included members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.[32]

Youkilis signed a four-year, $41.25 million contract with the Boston Red Sox on Jan. 15, 2009. The deal also included a team option (at $14 million, with a $1.25 million buyout) for 2013.[33]

Youkilis played for Team USA in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, tying for the lead among all WBC players in home runs (3) and runs (9), and tying for second on the team in RBIs (6) and walks (6), through the first two rounds.[34] He had to leave the team with a left ankle sprain, however, before the WBC semifinals.[35]

Youkilis hit a walk off home run against the Yankees April 24, 2009. "He has skills, man," said David Ortiz. "I don't know how he do it. He just do it."[36]

Through May 1, Youkilis was leading the AL in batting (.395), OBP (.505), and OPS (1.203), 4th in doubles (8) and slugging percentage (.697), 5th in runs (20), and 9th in walks (14).[37][38] He was placed on the disabled list but returned to play on May 20.

First Basemen's Fielding Record

On June 25, 2007, Youkilis played in his 120th consecutive game at first base without an error, breaking the prior Red Sox record set in 1921 by Stuffy McInnis.[39] On September 7, he played in his 179th consecutive game at first base without an error, which broke the prior American League record set in 1973 by Mike Hegan.[40]

Youkilis's streak at the end of the regular season was 190 games; while he was charged with a fielding error in the sixth inning of an October 16, 2007, playoff game against the Cleveland Indians, postseason games are not included in the record. Youkilis said, "I’m not worried about making the error. I’m worried about trying to help the team win and trying to get an out any way we can."[41]

On April 2, 2008, on an unassisted game-ending play against the Oakland A's, Youkilis broke the Major League record for most consecutive errorless games by a first baseman, at 194 games, breaking the previous record held by Steve Garvey.[42] The streak, which started on July 4, 2006, was snapped at 238 games (2,002 fielding attempts) on June 7, 2008 against the Seattle Mariners.[43]

Moneyball

Main article: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

In the year 2003, author Michael Lewis wrote the book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. The book focused on Oakland Athletics' General Manager Billy Beane and his use of Sabermetrics as an integral part of evaluation process for a prospect's potential. In the book, Lewis mentions Youkilis and referred to him as "Euclis, the Greek God of Walks." Ironically, Youkilis is not of Greek extraction (see "Jewish heritage" below).

"I've seen Youkilis in the shower, and I wouldn't call him the Greek god of anything."[44]

--Red Sox manager Terry Francona, referring to his nickname, the "Greek God of Walks"

Lewis also revealed that Beane repeatedly tried to trade for Youkilis before Youkilis reached the major-league level. These attempts were blocked by Beane admirer and now Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, who had already gained the favor of Red Sox management.

Religion and Community Service

Career Highlights as a Jewish Baseballer

On August 8, 2005, while playing for the Red Sox, Youkilis took the field in the 9th inning along with Adam Stern and Gabe Kapler, setting a "record" for the most Jewish players on the field at one time in American League history, and the most in Major League Baseball history since four Jewish players took the field for the New York Giants in a game in 1941.[45]

Youkilis was featured in the 2008 Hank Greenberg 75th Anniversary edition of Jewish Major Leaguers Baseball Cards, published in affiliation with Fleer Trading Cards and the American Jewish Historical Society, commemorating the Jewish Major Leaguers from 1871 through 2008.[46] He joined, among other Jewish major leaguers, Ryan Braun, Brad Ausmus, Ian Kinsler, Brian Horwitz, Gabe Kapler, Jason Marquis, Jason Hirsh, John Grabow, Craig Breslow, and Scott Schoeneweis. Youkilis was one of three Jewish players in the 2008 All-Star Game, joining Braun and Kinsler, and one of three Jewish players on the Team USA 2009 World Baseball Classic team, joining Braun and Grabow.[47][48] Kinsler says that "Youkilis always says something to me on the bases. 'Happy Passover,' he'll throw something at me."[49]

Youkilis was named the Jewish MVP for 2008, beating out fellow all-stars Braun and Kinsler.[50] Through April 25, 2009, his .294 batting average placed him 8th on the all-time list (directly ahead of Ron Blomberg, and behind Kinsler) for batting average by Jewish major leaguers, and his 71 home runs placed him 10th on the all-time list (directly ahead of Art Shamsky and Lou Boudreau, and behind Braun).[51]

Website URL Issue

It was noticed in 2007 that various baseball websites had been using "youkike" as part of their urls for Youkilis's statistical webpages. "Kike" is a slur for a Jewish person. This unforeseen formatting occurred on sites that employ an automatic url-creating program which combine the first five letters of a player's surname with the first two letters of his first name. Baseball-Reference.com had already changed its Youkilis reference to "youklke" before the quirk was noticed, and Baseball Prospectus subsequently changed its reference to "youki___3_____ke."[52]

Philanthropy

Kevin Youkilis Hits for Kids is a charitable organization established by Youkilis in 2007. Youkilis's foundation focuses on raising support and awareness for the health, advocacy, safety, and medical healing of children across Massachusetts, in his hometown of Cincinnati, and beyond. Rallying the support of volunteers, local business, and the heart of Red Sox Nation, Kevin Youkilis Hits for Kids teams with existing, community-based children's charities and medical research efforts that lack sufficient funding and awareness. One organization that Hits for Kids works with is the Joslin Diabetes Center's Pediatric Health Services.[53]

"In my religion, the Jewish religion, that's one of the biggest things that's taught, is giving a mitzvah, forming a mitzvah", said Youkilis. "I was always taught as a kid giving to charity. You're supposed to give a good amount of charity each and every year.... It's just a great thing when you can make a kid smile that's going through some hard times in life.... I wish more people, not just athletes, would give people just a little bit of their time. It doesn't take much.... It can make a huge difference." [54]

After the first game of the ALDS, Youkilis re-shaved his head for good luck in a sign of solidarity with cancer patient Mitt Campbell. Following the team's 2007 World Series victory, Youkilis shaved his goatee for a $5,000 donation by Gillette to his foundation.

His charity wine Sauvign Blanc released in 2008 supports Hits for Kids in entirety.

Family

In November 2008, Youkilis married Enza Sambataro in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The ceremony was attended by Red Sox teammates Mike Lowell, David Ortiz, and Dustin Pedroia. Sambataro, a Newton, MA native, is the CEO of Youkilis's charity Hits for Kids.[55][56]

Awards & Distinctions

Statistics

Year Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG
2004 BOS 74 208 38 54 11 0 7 35 0 33 45 .260 .367 .413
2005 BOS 44 79 11 22 7 0 1 9 0 14 19 .278 .400 .405
2006 BOS 147 569 100 159 42 2 13 72 5 91 120 .279 .381 .429
2007 BOS 145 525 85 152 35 2 16 83 4 77 105 .288 .390 .453
2008 BOS 145 538 91 168 43 4 29 115 3 62 108 .312 .390 .569
Total 5 years 553 1,922 325 555 138 8 66 314 12 277 397 .289 .385 .472

References & notes

  1. ^ Silva, Steve (November 6, 2007). "Youk wins Gold Glove". Boston.com. Retrieved November 6 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  2. ^ Boston Red Sox @ fenwayfanatics.com » Youkilis Sets New Consecutive Error-Free Games Record
  3. ^ a b http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/wires/03/19/2010.ap.bba.red.sox.boycott.13th.ld.writethru.0765/
  4. ^ "God of Walks". sfgate.com. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  5. ^ "The Official Site of The Boston Red Sox: Team: Player Information : Biography and Career Highlights". Major League Baseball. Retrieved April 6 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  6. ^ The Sarasota Red Sox are no longer an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox organization. In 2005, the franchise signed on as an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds
  7. ^ In 2002, Trenton was a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox organization. In 2003, Trenton signed with the New York Yankees. As a result, the Red Sox affiliated themselves with the Portland Sea Dogs, another Eastern League franchise.
  8. ^ http://minors.baseball-reference.com/bat_leaders.cgi?yid=2002&lvl=&lid=&sort=BB
  9. ^ "Youkilis Streak". enquirer.com. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  10. ^ http://minors.baseball-reference.com/bat_leaders.cgi?yid=2003&lvl=&lid=&sort=BB
  11. ^ "Youkilis Debut". espn.go.com. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  12. ^ from an interview with Youkilis
  13. ^ http://www.youkskids.org/Kevin-Youkilis-Charity.html
  14. ^ "Minor League Stats". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  15. ^ "Fangraph Leaders". fangraphs.com. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  16. ^ "CBS Player Splits". sportsline.com. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
  17. ^ "Only winning streak matters to Youkilis". mlb.com. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  18. ^ "Youkilis' Inside the Park". mlb.com. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  19. ^ Baseball fan brings home run measurement to new heights - The Boston Globe
  20. ^ For Youkilis, money is secondary to winning | Boston Red Sox | projo.com | The Providence Journal
  21. ^ Benjamin, Amalie (February 11, 2008). "Youkilis signs for $3 million". Boston.com. Retrieved April 6 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  22. ^ mlb.com
  23. ^ The Sporting News
  24. ^ The New York Times, 8/27/08
  25. ^ The San Francisco Chronicle
  26. ^ The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
  27. ^ The Boston Herald
  28. ^ [1]
  29. ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/bsplit.cgi?n1=youklke01&year=2008
  30. ^ Chuck, Bill. 100 random things about the Red Sox, Rays, and Yankees, The Boston Globe. Published April 2, 2009.
  31. ^ Rosen, Harvey. Jewish ballplayers tune up at spring training, The Canadian Jewish News. Published March 12, 2009.
  32. ^ "Sporting News' Top 50 MLB Players". Sporting News. 2009-05-21. Retrieved 2009-05-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ Browne, Ian. Youkilis, Sox agree to four-year deal, Major League Baseball. Published January 16, 2009.
  34. ^ World Baseball Classic: Statistics
  35. ^ Verducci, Tom. Youkilis out of World Baseball Classic with sprained ankle, Sports Illustrated. Published March 18, 2009.
  36. ^ Kilgore, Adam. Easy does it for Youkilis, The Boston Globe. Published April 24, 2009.
  37. ^ Kevin Youkilis, ESPN.
  38. ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/youklke01.shtml?redir
  39. ^ "Kevin Youkilis archive". mlb.com and Boston Herald. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
  40. ^ "Youkilis' Defense as Good as Gold". redsox.com. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  41. ^ Scout.com: Red Sox Quotes Of The Year (Part One)
  42. ^ "Error Records by First Basemen". baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  43. ^ "Youk's late error halts streak". redsox.com. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  44. ^ Boston.com / Sports / Baseball / Cards appear to be stacked
  45. ^ jt-050929-21
  46. ^ "Shedding light on baseball's Jewish history," The MetroWest Daily News, 5/19/08, accessed 6/16/08
  47. ^ Sports gallery, The San Diego Union-Tribune. Published March 15, 2009.
  48. ^ There is No Joy In Caracas, St. Louis Jewish Light.
  49. ^ Edes, Gordon. Pedroia has taken to scene, The Boston Globe. Published July 15, 2008.
  50. ^ Kaplan, Gabe. Youkilis, Grabow, Kapler named best Jewish Major Leaguers, New Jersey Jewish News. Published January 1, 2009.
  51. ^ Jewish Major Leaguers Career Leaders
  52. ^ Baseball Think Factory
  53. ^ http://www.youkskids.org/Childrens-Charity.html
  54. ^ Intensity is Youkilis' trademark | MLB.com: News
  55. ^ Steve Silva (2006-11-10). "Youk ties the knot; will work out at API". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
  56. ^ Shanahan, Mark & Paysha Rhone. Keeping up with Kim, The Boston Globe. Published November 10, 2008.
Awards
Preceded by AL Gold Glove (First Base)
2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by AL Hank Aaron Award
2008 		Succeeded by

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| #default = 1979 births

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|| LIVING  = 
| MISSING  = 
| UNKNOWN  = 
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