Mike Aviles Heads to Spring Training In Position to Seize Starting Shortstop Spot

by abournenesn

Feb 5, 2012

Mike Aviles Heads to Spring Training In Position to Seize Starting Shortstop SpotHeading into the offseason, the Red Sox were set at shortstop. For all the overhaul in the organization, there were no short-term questions surrounding starter Marco Scutaro and utility man Jed Lowrie.

Then one by one, change occurred. In December, general manager Ben Cherington shipped Lowrie to Houston in exchange for reliever Mark Melancon. A month later, the team traded Scutaro for essentially financial flexibility.

Now, on the verge of spring training, the Red Sox are saddled up at shortstop with Nick Punto and Mike Aviles. Who would’ve predicted that?

Although Punto is an exceptional defender — and a World Series champion with St. Louis in 2011 — this is Aviles’ time to shine and start. For a long time, the Red Sox brainstormed ways to slide the 30-year-old’s bat in the lineup.

“He’s a guy we want to try to get on the field because we think he can hit,” Cherington said last month when the Red Sox planned to place Aviles in the outfield. “We think he can help us.”

When given the opportunity, Aviles has posted decent numbers. In four years in the majors, he’s a lifetime .288 hitter and has notched a .419 slugging percentage, both higher averages than Scutaro, Lowrie and Punto have owned.

Aviles could have padded his home run and RBI numbers, but the infielder has never completed a full season. He eclipsed the 100-game mark in just two of his four seasons after dabbling in the minors during stints in Kansas City.

His defense is certainly comparable with his counterparts. After four years, Aviles has tallied a .973 fielding percentage, just one percentage point shy of Scutaro and Punto’s career total.

This is the moment for Aviles to prove his worth. For the foreseeable future, Jose Iglesias will remain in Triple-A, working to sharpen his hitting skills. Meanwhile, Punto lacks power — he’s unloaded 14 homers in 11 seasons — and is mostly regarded for his defensive prowess.

Considering Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine doesn’t believe in the concept of a platoon, Aviles’ chances to win the job outright only improve. “I’m not averse to sharing positions,” Valentine said of his philosophy. “But I don’t like to limit my players and say, ‘He’s only going to be just hitting against right-handers or left-handers.’ Sometimes that’s just the way it works out.”

It could work out in Aviles’ favor. Like all his predecessors since Nomar Garciaparra left in 2004, he is capable of being a sturdy stopgap at shortstop.

Aviles just needs to seize the opportunity in Fort Myers.

Have a question for Didier Morais? Send it to him via Twitter at @DidierMorais or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.

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