Vital Statistics:

Before The Bigs:

• Played third base, shortstop, first base and the outfield for Sycamore High School in Cincinnati. Played for an AAU national champion in 1994.
• Attended the University of Cincinnatil, and was a second-team All-American in 2000, when he hit 19 home runs. Set school career records for home runs, walks, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, and hit .366.

• Was undrafted in the MLB draft as a junior, and was an eighth-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in the 2001 draft.
• Was named the Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year in 2001, when he hit .308 with an on-base percentage of .504.
• Batted .310 in his second pro season with 8 homers and 80 RBI for three teams, including .344 in 44 games for Double-A Trenton in 2002.
• Started 2003 with Double-A Portland and had a .487 on-base percentage in 94 games, and made the U.S. Roster for the All-Star Futures game.
• Reached base in 71 consecutive games in 2003, spanning games in Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket.
• In the minors in 2003, he gained recognition as "Euclis, the Greek God of Walks" in the best-selling book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game." (However, Youkilis isn't Greek - he's Jewish and of Romanian descent.)

Career Highlights:

• Known as one of the toughest outs in the major leagues and for his ability to get on base, he was a part of two World Series-winning teams in Boston.
• Also held a record for most consecutive errorless games at first base at 232 games, breaking a record held by Steve Garvey. It's a record that since has been broken by Casey Kotchman. Youkilis fielded 2,002 consecutive attempts without an error from July 4, 2006 to June 7, 2008.

• A three-time American League All-Star as of 2012.
• Called up in 2004, he hit a home run in his second at-bat. Named the AL Rookie of the Month for May 2004, hitting .318 with a .446 on-base percentage. Hit .260 with seven homers in 72 games that season.
• Was on the roster, but did not play in the World Series, when the Red Sox broke their 86-year drought in 2004.
• Up and down from the minors in 2005, he batted .322 with eight homers and 27 RBI in 43 games. He made the Red Sox for good that August.
• Became the Red Sox's regular first baseman in 2006, and won a Gold Glove in 2007, when the Red Sox won the World Series.
• Had his best season offensively in 2008, when he finished in third in AL MVP balloting and started at first base in the All-Star Game, voted in by fans in his first year on the ballot. He hit .312 with 29 homers, 115 RBI and a .958 OPS that season.
• Scored the winning run as the Red Sox rallied from a seven-run deficit in the seventh inning in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.
• Signed a four-year, $41.25 million contract before the 2009 season, with a team option of $14 million for 2013.
• Hit .305 with 27 homers in 2009 and was second in the AL in OPS (.961). He finished sixth in MVP balloting.
• Hit .307 with 19 homers in 2010.
• When the team traded for National League All-Star Adrian Gonzalez before the 2010 season, Youkilis became the third baseman. Made a career-high nine errors in 112 games in a season that ended early because of a sports hernia.
• Made his third All-Star team in 2011, but slumped to a .258 average.