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2007 The Greek God of Walks finally spent a full year in the majors in 2006, three years after becoming a cause c?l?bre among statheads, and hit in the vicinity of his 60th percentile PECOTA projection. Factor in above-average defense and a salary just above $350,000, and it`s tempting to pat the Red Sox on the back here and focus on other concerns. However, Youkilis is already 28, and the move to first base raised the offensive bar; that .381 OBP was tasty, but due to a lack of power, his Positional Marginal Lineup Value rate was negative (-0.052), even below that of Kevin Millar (-0.030), the man he replaced. In other words, relative to other AL first basemen, he costs his team runs. His bat fits in better across the diamond, but with Mike Lowell, the Sox have that base covered. There`s no reason to punt Youkilis while he`s cheap, but the Sox needn`t become overly enamored. 2006 Francona does not like to use his bench except in rigid patterns, like a platoon in right field or Mirabelli catching Wakefield. Having Youkilis around to spell Mueller once a week, play some first base, pinch hit for the middle infielders-that was not a role that seemed to interest Francona. As a result, Youkilis spent much of the season in Pawtucket, where he mashed, but he also hit well in his Boston stints. Mueller has moved on, but the team acquired two more third basemen-Lowell and Andy Marte. Youkilis is penciled in as the Sox` starting first baseman, pending the inevitable counterproductive job challenge from J.T. Snow. 2005 Youkilis' season was all about injuries, but not always his own. He took over at third in mid-May when Mueller had arthroscopic knee surgery and played well through mid-August. He then went on the DL with a bone bruise after a collision with Sandy Alomar. Youkilis played very well in Boston, hitting more home runs than he had at any level since college and erasing many of the fears after his flop in Pawtucket late last year. The Sox picked up Mueller's option for 2005, but with Youkilis looking ready to contribute at the major league level, look for one of these two to be moved by year's end.
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