When Youk was with the Sea Dogs, he walked 86 times in 94 games. He got on base so much while he was in the Minor Leagues that his team nicknamed him ‘The Greek Of God of Walks.” Kevin reaches base half of the times he’s up to bat. In that season, Youk walked so much that he tied the Minor League record for reaching base in consecutive games–an amazing string of 71.
In June, 2001, Youkilis made his MiLB debut. ‘The day you make it to the major leagues is the day I’ll be there.'” I don’t know if he can be a professional athlete.'” However, Youk’s high school friend and college roommate always believed in him: “He told me. As Youkilis would recount, “People told me throughout my college years that, ‘I don’t know. I just think he’s a really smart guy who had a great feel for what he had to do.”Įven with Kevin’s collegiate success and unmistakable work ethic, some people never thought he would make it to the bigs. Any time we said anything to him, he was already a step ahead. Youk excelled all four years he played at UC and would become one of the few All-Americans to play as a Bearcat. At a winter camp the Bearcats Manager (Brian Cleary) spotted Youkilis and would later recount his impressions of the young player this way: “I looked at him and said, ‘Well, we need somebody.’ I’d love to tell you I saw something no one else did, but he was just better than what we had.” Indeed he was. The UC Bearcats had just had a terrible season of 12-46. Youk chose Cincinnati over Butler University, because both his father and his long-time idol, Sandy Kofax, had attended UC.
Youkilis is the older kid taking money from the younger kids.Īfter he graduated from Sycamore High School in 1997, two Division 1 schools recruited him: Butler University and his ultimate choice, the University of Cincinnati. He simply would never quit.” ( Cincinnati Enquirer, Ted Schumacher, October 26, 2007.)īox Set.com– Thu, May 29 10 second clip of Red Sox 1st baseman Kevin Youkilis at age 11 in the 1994 movie Milk Money with Ed Harris and Melanie Griffith. Yet his work ethic and passion were second to none. Kevin was a steady performer but far from sensational. “Kevin was the most enthusiastic player that I can ever remember in three decades of coachng,” Ted Schumacher said. Kevin Youkilis was born March 15, 1979, in Cincinnati Ohio.
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