Let me first go on record saying that I enjoy Kevin Youkilis, and loved the fact that his first major league hit was a home run. I also loved the silent treatment the Red Sox gave him, and Youk high-fiving imaginary people. I love the fact that Pedro Martinez signed two balls for two Blue Jay fans (one who had no idea who Pedro was) to get Youk that ball.
But why was Kevin Youkilis brought up?
Earl Snyder (career), 28 years of age, is a first baseman and third baseman. He has two options left, so we could have brought him up. He has not been the primary third baseman for Pawtucket this year because of Youkilis, but he was last year.
Snyder, in 115 at-bats this year, has hit .261 with 10 HRs, 10 walks, 18 runs, and 28 RBI.
Youkilis (career), in 112 AB, is hitting .268 with 3 HR, 12 walks, 16 runs, and 12 RBI.
Either they brought Youkilis up to add a jolt of energy to the team, a rookie, so to say. This is a reasonable argument, but not so much when you take a look at Snyder’s statistics. Snyder is a third baseman and would be able to fill in for two to three games while Bill Mueller nurses a sore knee, wouldn’t he?
Perhaps they brought him up to showcase him. Either to showcase him to teams, every team, so he can be a trading chip, or they are showcasing him for the Kansas City Royals. There has been a trade rumor whispering in the wind for a while now, in which Freddy Garcia and a minor league prospect would be sent to Boston in exchange for Johnny Damon and Byung-Hyun Kim. Garcia would then be turned around and shipped to KC for Carlos Beltran. Clearly, the last part of that deal needs some work – perhaps that minor leaguer Seattle will send to Boston will be part of the trade to KC and … Youkilis.
Kevin Youkilis is batting .500 after two games, going for a total of 4 hits in 8 trips. He has yet to take a walk, which is a little shocking because he has had 270 walks in 3 hundred odd games. We are sure the walks will come! Three singles and one home-run and he is already over a third of the way to matching Cesar Crespo’s season hit total in 56 at bats.
I fully intend to enjoy the beginnings of the Kevin Youkilis era, no matter where he ends up in the short future – Kansas City or Pawtucket. I personally hope he stays in a Red Sox uniform, because he can be a viable major leaguer due to his obscene batting eye and could average around a .260-.270 average each year with developing power. He would be a rock-solid third baseman for us – never costing us too much and always giving us good statistics.
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