Kevin Youkilis
Bourne 2000
Third Baseman
Cincinnati
In his bestselling book Moneyball, Michael Lewis tells of Oakland’s fascination with Kevin Youkilis, then a minor-leaguer in the Red Sox system. Members of the A’s front office dubbed him “The Greek God of Walks.”
He fit their style perfectly. Every step of the way, he’d shown a remarkable amount of plate discipline and an uncanny ability to get on base.
Every step of the way.
After his junior year at Cincinnati, Youkilis headed to Bourne, where he did his thing for the Braves. He hit .309 with 11 extra-base hits, three home runs and 14 RBI. Most notably, he led the league with 40 walks and a .488 on-base percentage. That mark still stands as the best on-base percentage of the decade.
Is it any wonder Youkilis is the one holding that record?
Youkilis’ summer didn’t vault him immediately into upper-echelon status. But after he went undrafted after his junior year, Youkilis’ performance on the Cape and his big senior season paved the way for the Red Sox to pick him in the eighth round in 2001.
After the Cape
I feel like you probably know. Youkilis has become one of the most successful alums of the decade.
After ascending through the Red Sox system, Youkilis grabbed a starting spot in 2007 and he hasn’t let go. He had his best season in 2008, when he hit .312 with 29 home runs and 115 RBI.
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I’m assuming Youkilis was still rocking his horrible stance on the Cape that he had while he was playing for the UC Bearcats. His MLB stance is nothing compared to the horrid thing that he was rocking in college. Yet, he still somehow figured out a way to hit the ball all the time.
By the way, this is an awesome list. I’ll check in occasionally and provide comments on the guys I’ve seen come through the Midwest League in the last four years.