Kevin Youkilis Used Criticism of Body as Motivation to Make Major Leagues

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Mar 22, 2010

Kevin Youkilis Used Criticism of Body as Motivation to Make Major LeaguesFORT MYERS, Fla. — Kevin Youkilis was a happy man one morning last week in the Red Sox clubhouse.

Now firmly embedded as a leader in the locker room and enjoying another spring as smooth as the top of his head, he was having a great time with teammates old and new over an upcoming alteration to his look.

Conducting promotional on-camera interviews with catcher Victor Martinez, manager Terry Francona and center fielder Mike Cameron, Youkilis was all smiles. He showed each man a picture of the four facial hair options and got some laughable replies — Martinez said the Fu Manchu made Youkilis look like a seal and made the noise of one to emphasize his point.

The effort goes to a great cause — his charity, Hits for Kids — something which brings out the serious side in the Sox first baseman.

"Little things like this can raise so much money, it's amazing," he said of the vote to chose how the first baseman will present himself on Opening Day. "It shows the heart of Red Sox Nation and baseball fans out there."

Through Sunday, the results made it look as if the clean-shaven look would win in a runaway, giving the fan favorite a fresh start for his seventh season in Boston.

But while his face will draw plenty of attention to start the season, Youkilis talked at length about the way his body was perceived over the years — not at the clubs by the ladies, but by scouts who look for the next great athlete to sign on the dotted line.

It's not as if the .292 career hitter is unathletic. Far from it. But when compared to muscle-bound freaks he played with over the years, Youkilis had to find other ways to stand out.

Essentially, it was hard work and a commitment to basics and fundamentals.

"That was my whole life from high school on," Youkilis said of having to work hard to get attention. "In college, they said I didn't have the body type and all that. But it's baseball. This isn't muscle fitness and bodybuilding. This is baseball. If you're a baseball player, you're a baseball player."

Comfortable in the skin of a two-time All-Star, Youkilis said he has gotten past that issue, but uses the wisdom gained from outworking his peers to pass on lessons to others in the Red Sox system.

They are the same lessons he gleaned from his father while growing up in Cincinnati, surrounded by other great high school athletes who had the body but not the work ethic.

"You can't change your genetics, but you can change who you are on the field and get better at the game, and for me, that's what I did," Youkilis said. "I learned and keep learning every day how to better myself to help this team win.

"Ever since I was a kid, I loved playing the game. My dad's a very hard worker, and I learned a lot from him and family members. … We work hard in life."

It is this attitude which has cemented Youkilis as a sure thing, this just a handful of years after the Red Sox  drafted what Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane described as nothing more than a "fat kid" in the eighth round of the 2001 amateur draft.

Count Francona as one who actually appreciates the criticisms. Without them, Youkilis might not have a Gold Glove-winning first baseman who has averaged 28 home runs and 105 RBIs the last two seasons.

"Let's be honest, he's not blessed with a track star's body," Francona said. "He's worked hard. I think Youk has used that to drive him a little bit."

With hard work comes rewards. If you need proof, just look at the smile on Kevin Youkilis's face.

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