The Kevin Youkilis era in Boston is officially over today, as Youk has changed his "Sox" and is headed for the South Side of the Windy City. Youk has been an unforgettable character in his nearly eight years in Boston, from the viking beard to the bobble-body batting stance to the televised altercation with Manny in the dugout to the clutch hits and sparkling defense at first base. With the emergence of Will Middlebrooks at third base, combined with injuries taking a toll on his offensive and defensive play, the time had come to part ways with the guy whose name inspired a cheer that sounded an awful lot like booing.
Youk made his Red Sox debut in 2004, filling in for an injured Bill Mueller. His role in the 2004 Championship season was limited, but he made a good enough impression to be called up when needed in 2005. In 2006, when the Sox got Mike Lowell (along with Josh Beckett, of course) in a trade with the Marlins, Youk made the move across the diamond to first base, where he was the starter through the 2010 season. In his prime, Youk regularly hit over .300 and in 2008, he placed third in the AL MVP vote, while his teammate Pedey won the title. He played a key role in the 2007 playoffs, where he hit 4 home runs, one in the ALDS against the Angels and three in the ALCS against the Indians. In the World Series, his playing time was limited to the first two games due to Big Papi having to play first base at Coors Field to keep his bat in the lineup. He continued playing at a very high level until his season-ending thumb injury in 2010. Switching back to playing third base in 2011 due to the acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez, Youk's numbers suffered, hitting just .258 on the season. Playing the more physically demanding third base took a toll on his body and he had to have surgery in the offseason to fix a sports hernia.
In his Red Sox career, Youk batted .286, with 133 HR, 563 RBI and an OBP of .388. He was a 3-time All Star. So far in 2012, he has hit .233 with 4 HR and 15 RBI. The White Sox needed an offensive upgrade at third base and the Red Sox needed to have Middlebrooks starting at third every day without juggling infielders and placing Gonzo in right field. Middlebrooks right now is hitting .326 and giving the Angels' Mike Trout a run for Rookie of the Year. In exchange for Youk, the Red Sox got super-ute Brent Lillibridge and pitching prospect Zach Stewart from the White Sox. Lillibridge takes Youk's spot on the 25-man roster and Stewart is headed to Pawtucket. Lillibridge hits for a low average, but has some pop, plays good defense, and is versatile.
Youk's last game as a Red Sox was a memorable one, as he went 2 for 4 with an infield single and an RBI triple that fell in no man's land between Michael Bourn and Jason Heyward. After he reached third base on the triple, he was pinch-run for by Nick Punto and received another standing ovation (he received one before his first plate appearance of the game in the second inning) and was urged by his manager, teammates, and the crowd to come out for a curtain call. At that time, supposedly the deal had been done and it was officially his last at-bat in a Red Sox uniform. It was a touching and classy send-off for a guy who has done so much for his team from 2004 until today.
In other Red Sox news, healing thoughts go out to Clay Buchholz, who is in the hospital for gastrointestinal bleeding. He was scratched from today's start, with Aaron Cook pitching in his stead, and placed on the 15-day DL. Buch had been turning his season around recently and I hope he feels better and is released from the hospital very soon.
