Happy Birthday Mike Aviles!
by Freneau on Mar 13, 2009 5:49 PM EDT
in Kansas City Royals News
Email
PrintA year ago Mike Aviles was an obscure minor league infielder. Today, he's a fixture of the Royals' future and the subject of more fantasy baseball mailbag questions than 95% of the people on the planet. Today, he's 28 years old.
Mike was born on March 13, 1981, in New York, NY.
Last season, Aviles probably should have won the AL Rookie of the Year Award, and was a borderline down-ballot MVP candidate, hitting .325/.354/.480, with good defense at shortstop. He was 26th in the AL in total VORP alone, in various position adjusted stats, he was much higher.
Of course, the amazing thing is that Tony Pena Jr. had to hit under .170 for three months for any of this to happen. If Pena hits, say, .210, I'm convinced Aviles maybe gets 75 PAs last season.
Happy Birthday, Mike!
23 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Sometimes lightning strikes:
In a good place.
by hunter s. royal on Mar 13, 2009 6:19 PM EDT reply actions
AVILANCHE
Bringing you more-or-less replacement level analysis and commentary to Driveline Mechanics and elsewhere since sometime in 2008.
Great shortstop?
Or the greatest shortstop of all-time?
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Just remember
during today’s broadcast Ryan made his pitch, again, that TPJ should be starting at SS and Aviles at 2B. AND, that the Royals will continue to search for LEGITIMATE SS and 2B and that we are likely to be in this SAME POSITION again next year.
WTF is his deal with Aviles? Well, and TPJ for that matter.
The General Theory of Royaltivity
He's an unreflective ultra-traditionalist
He grew up being told that a successful team needs great defense up the middle. And he doesn’t question anything. Also, he probably believes in baseball’s traditional body-type-for-position mythology. And Aviles doesn’t have the kind of body you’d expect from a good defensive SS. Keith Law would have probably made him into a catcher long ago.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Mar 13, 2009 10:59 PM EDT up reply actions
My personal theory...
is that he is irrationally and unfairly bigoted against players who sport Chin Strap beards.
"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae
by Sweep_the_Leg on Mar 14, 2009 12:33 AM EDT up reply actions
I think you're probably pretty close...
I just see Lefebvre as a quintessential little scrappy, gritty, player’s/coach’s son. He thinks that certain positions are just for guys who “play the game the right way” and you don’t really need any offensive production (or even offensive mediocrity) out of them. These sorts of players look like TPJ if they’re going to play SS. And they look like Gload if they’re going to be a scrappy utility guy/1B. After all, this is the guy who was also regularly saying that Rossie should be called “Ichigload” during TV broadcasts last season. For what reason, I have no idea.
Bottom line, you’re absolutely right that he clearly has preconceived ("traditional") notions about what he likes in baseball players, and he refuses to acknowledge the facts regarding their actual performance…even when they’re slapping him in the face.
"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae
by Sweep_the_Leg on Mar 14, 2009 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Like 95% of sports announcers, Ryan lives and dies by the conventional wisdom
He brings nothing else to the table. He doesn’t even try.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Mar 14, 2009 12:43 AM EDT up reply actions
I'm surprised that he hasn't been ranting about...
the travesty that TPJ was not selected for the Dominican’s WBC team. Hanley just has too much power—shortstops aren’t supposed to hit that many HR’s. And Reyes clearly devotes too much time worrying about getting on base and being a steal threat. If the DR had just gone with a solid gloveman like TPJ, then they wouldn’t have gotten so distracted with all that offensive stuff, and they’d probably still be in the tourney.
"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae
by Sweep_the_Leg on Mar 14, 2009 12:51 AM EDT up reply actions
has anyone ever compared Hanley Ramirez to Frank White?
I rest Ryan’s case
Bringing you more-or-less replacement level analysis and commentary to Driveline Mechanics and elsewhere since sometime in 2008.
by Matt Klaassen on Mar 14, 2009 2:09 AM EDT up reply actions
not least because he/they doesn't/don't dare go against what the atheletes believe or spout themselves
Bringing you more-or-less replacement level analysis and commentary to Driveline Mechanics and elsewhere since sometime in 2008.
by Matt Klaassen on Mar 14, 2009 2:09 AM EDT up reply actions
I guess
But it is just about everyone in baseball (except for many FO personnel) and the mainstream sports media who spout this stuff. The managers, coaches, broadcasters, commentators and analysts regurgitate this stuff over and over again. And, quite frankly, standard GM-speak includes many of these old axioms, probably whether the GM believes it or not. I think PBP and color guys are more willing to go against the players than the managers, coaches or GM’s who they see as the “brains” of the operation: the grey-haired men who have lived the game and know it better than anyone else on the planet.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Mar 14, 2009 2:17 AM EDT up reply actions
the thing that makes it the worst
is that he’s a young guy, who seems bright and even funny at times, and yet…
I will say this in Lefebvreverere's defense...
He’s a quantum leap forward compared to Bob Davis.
My biggest problem with Davis...
other than sounding like he should have topped out at calling the local Missouri 2A small-town basketball game…is that he doesn’t change up his commentating from his radio style to a “less-is-more” style that you have to have for TV. It’s like he forgets that everyone can see what he is seeing when he does TV broadcasts. He overdescribes everything and will absolutely not let more than 1 full second of dead air time go by. Good TV guys know that they don’t have to tell people exactly what they are watching. And they also realize that they don’t have to constantly be talking…unlike radio.
"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae
by Sweep_the_Leg on Mar 14, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions
BTW
Happy Birthday Mike. Keep up the good work. Please listen to Ryan Lefdweeber and play with a grudge and keep proving yourself.
I’ll keep my mancrush going.
The General Theory of Royaltivity
BTW, have you seen Aviles's ST stats?
Bad in ST. Awful so far in the WBC. I fear something has gone horribly wrong.
;)
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Mar 14, 2009 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Royals Review
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
