Mike Aviles
Encyclopedia
Michael Anthony Avilés [ah-ve-les' ] (born March 13, 1981) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball
infielder
with the Boston Red Sox
of Major League Baseball
.
, to a Puerto Rican
family. He graduated from Middletown High School
in Middletown, New York
in 1999 and was a Division II All-American shortstop at Concordia College
, in Bronxville, New York
. He was named Division II player of the year in 2003, after hitting .500 with 83 runs, 22 homers and 65 RBI in 45 games.
by the Kansas City Royals and offered an "insulting" $1,000 signing bonus. He spent with the Wilmington Blue Rocks
in the Carolina League
and with the Wichita Wranglers
in the Texas League
. He then spent and with the Omaha Royals
of the Pacific Coast League
, becoming the Royals' Minor League Player of The Year in 2007. He started in the minors, batting
.338 with 10 home run
s and 42 RBI
in just 50 games with Omaha.
Billy Butler
on the roster. He finished his rookie season with a .325 batting average in 102 games, with 10 home runs and 51 runs batted in. If Avilés had recorded a sufficient number of plate appearances to qualify for the American League
batting title, his .325 average would have ranked third among all AL hitters and sixth-best in the Major Leagues. On November 11, 2008, the Royals named Avilés their 2008 Player of the Year. Avilés finished fourth in the American League
Rookie of the Year standings, ending in fourth place behind Evan Longoria
(Tampa Bay Rays
), Alexei Ramírez
(Chicago White Sox
) and Jacoby Ellsbury
(Boston Red Sox
).
Avilés strained his arm playing for Puerto Rico
in the 2009 World Baseball Classic
which caused him to have Tommy John surgery
in May which ended his 2009 season.
Avilés began the season as the Royals' starting third baseman but was optioned to AAA Omaha when the Royals called up top prospect Mike Moustakas
.
and pitching prospect Kendal Volz. Aviles hit his first homerun as a member of the Red Sox on September 16. He hit the ball so hard that it put a hole through the Sports Authority
sign on the Green Monster
.
His uncle, Ramón Avilés
, was a backup infielder
with the Boston Red Sox (1977) and Philadelphia Phillies
(1979–1981).
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
Education and college career
Avilés was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, to a Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
family. He graduated from Middletown High School
Middletown High School (New York)
Middletown High School educates students in grades 9-12 from the Enlarged City School District of Middletown, which covers that city as well as adjacent portions of the towns of Wallkill and Wawayanda in Orange County, New York, USA...
in Middletown, New York
Middletown, Orange County, New York
Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New York. The city's population was 25,388 at the 2000 census...
in 1999 and was a Division II All-American shortstop at Concordia College
Concordia College, Bronxville
Concordia College is a four-year coeducational liberal arts college located in the village of Bronxville, in Westchester County, New York, United States....
, in Bronxville, New York
Bronxville, New York
Bronxville is an affluent village within the town of Eastchester, New York, in the United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately north of midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County. At the 2010 census, Bronxville had a population of 6,323...
. He was named Division II player of the year in 2003, after hitting .500 with 83 runs, 22 homers and 65 RBI in 45 games.
Minor leagues
His professional baseball career began when he was chosen in the 7th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft2003 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2003 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 3 and 4. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.Source: -First round selections:...
by the Kansas City Royals and offered an "insulting" $1,000 signing bonus. He spent with the Wilmington Blue Rocks
Wilmington Blue Rocks
The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team located in Wilmington, Delaware. The Blue Rocks play in the Northern Division of the Carolina League.-Franchise history:...
in the Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
and with the Wichita Wranglers
Wichita Wranglers
The Wichita Wranglers were a minor league baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team, which played in the Texas League, was the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major-league club from 1995 to 2007, and of the San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1994. The Wranglers played in...
in the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. He then spent and with the Omaha Royals
Omaha Royals
The Omaha Storm Chasers are a United States minor league baseball team currently based in the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebraska. The team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major league club and has been a member of the expanded Pacific Coast League since 1998. From 1969 to 1997,...
of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, becoming the Royals' Minor League Player of The Year in 2007. He started in the minors, batting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.338 with 10 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 42 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in just 50 games with Omaha.
Kansas City Royals
Avilés was called up from Triple-A on May 29, 2008, to replace designated hitterDesignated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
Billy Butler
Billy Butler (baseball)
Billy Ray Butler is a Major League Baseball Designated Hitter for the Kansas City Royals. He has also played first base, left field and right field...
on the roster. He finished his rookie season with a .325 batting average in 102 games, with 10 home runs and 51 runs batted in. If Avilés had recorded a sufficient number of plate appearances to qualify for the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
batting title, his .325 average would have ranked third among all AL hitters and sixth-best in the Major Leagues. On November 11, 2008, the Royals named Avilés their 2008 Player of the Year. Avilés finished fourth in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Rookie of the Year standings, ending in fourth place behind Evan Longoria
Evan Longoria
Evan Michael Longoria is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Formerly, Longoria was a star infielder for the Long Beach State University baseball team, the Cape Cod League MVP, and the Big West Co-Player of the Year.He made his major league debut for the Rays in , and...
(Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
), Alexei Ramírez
Alexei Ramírez
Alexei Fernando Ramírez is a Major League Baseball second baseman and shortstop for the Chicago White Sox...
(Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
) and Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ; born September 11, 1983) is an American professional baseball center fielder with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball....
(Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
).
Avilés strained his arm playing for Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico national baseball team
The Puerto Rico National Baseball Team is a team that is selected by the Puerto Rican Baseball Federation to compete in major international events in representation of Puerto Rico...
in the 2009 World Baseball Classic
2009 World Baseball Classic
The 2009 World Baseball Classic was an international baseball competition. It is the only international baseball tournament to feature a large number of players from the major leagues of North America and Asia. It began on March 5, 2009, and finished March 23, 2009.Japan emerged victorious for the...
which caused him to have Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery
Tommy John surgery, known in medical practice as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body...
in May which ended his 2009 season.
Avilés began the season as the Royals' starting third baseman but was optioned to AAA Omaha when the Royals called up top prospect Mike Moustakas
Mike Moustakas
Michael Christopher Moustakas is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. He was drafted second overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft....
.
Boston Red Sox
On July 30, 2011, the Royals traded Aviles to the Red Sox for shortstop Yamaico NavarroYamaico Navarro
Yamaico Navarro Pérez is a Dominican professional baseball infielder for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball....
and pitching prospect Kendal Volz. Aviles hit his first homerun as a member of the Red Sox on September 16. He hit the ball so hard that it put a hole through the Sports Authority
Sports Authority
The Sports Authority, Inc. is one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the United States. It is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, and operates more than 460 stores in 45 U.S...
sign on the Green Monster
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...
.
Personal life
Avilés is married to Jessy Poulsen and the couple have twin girls. He also has a daughter with his ex-wife.His uncle, Ramón Avilés
Ramón Avilés
Ramón Antonio Avilés Miranda is a former backup infielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies...
, was a backup infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
with the Boston Red Sox (1977) and Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1979–1981).