Local Baseball Star Traded Into Rivalry

Although Concordia College in Bronxville has had four baseball players go on to have Major League careers – with one of them even earning a World Series ring with the Yankees in 1977 – former Clipper star Mike Aviles may yet move to the forefront of all of them.

This past Saturday, Aviles was traded from the Kansas City Royals to the Boston Red Sox, and promptly appeared in the team’s next game at shortstop, going 1-3 and scoring a run. In a matter of 24 hours, Aviles found himself in the midst of the American League East pennant race. Even better for him, he will be facing his hometown New York Yankees when the Red Sox take on their hated AL East rivals in a three-game set starting this Friday.

As soon as the report hit the media on Saturday that he had been traded to the Red Sox, Aviles said his cell phone lit up with congratulatory text messages from friends and family.

"I've gotten like nine million texts and phone calls over the last few days," Aviles said earlier this week. "They are definitely happy for me, but they have been joking and saying 'don't talk to me' and stuff like that. The Yankee fans say they will cheer for me, but they won't wear my jersey. It's exciting, especially with a series coming up with the Yankees this weekend. I know what the rivalry is all about."

Aviles, 30, began playing baseball in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx where his grandparents lived only a few blocks from Yankee Stadium. He starred in high school at Middletown High School in Orange County, New York and then at Concordia College, where he proved formidable as a power hitter and infielder/outfielder.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona was quoted after the trade as saying that Aviles could see time in the outfield, a position he hasn't played since his days at Concordia. Francona also told Boston reporters that the Red Sox have liked Aviles for some time because of his versatility — he has played second base, third and shortstop, and has potential power.

Aviles, an NCAA All-America player at Concordia, was drafted in the seventh round in 2003 by Kansas City. He made his major-league debut in May 2008 and hit .325 that season. Aviles was the Royals' player of the year and finished fourth in the AL rookie of the year voting. He batted .304 last season after returning from major elbow surgery.

Concordia College, which has a strong baseball tradition, has had a number of players picked in the Major League Baseball draft, including former Clipper stars John Doherty, a pitcher in the 90’s for the Detroit Tigers out of Eastchester High School; Scott Leius, a shortstop for the Minnesota Twins who hit a game-winning home run in the 1991 World Series; and Dell Alston, from Yonkers High School, who played for the 1977 World Series Champion New York Yankees.

Aviles and the Boston Red Sox will next be in action tonight at 7:10 p.m. ET when they take on the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park.

Editor's Note: Bronxville-Eastchester Patch has reached out to Mike Aviles following his trade, and hope to feature him in the near future as part of the column.