The third baseman makes it clear that he wants very much to be with Boston when camp breaks, but the Sox may send him to Pawtucket so he gets more playing time.

01:00 AM EST on Sunday, February 27, 2005

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- His roster spot won't necessarily hinge on how well he hits this spring. Nor will it depend solely upon how well he can play first base.

No, the decision as to whether Kevin Youkilis, a third baseman by trade, will be in Boston or Pawtucket is going to revolve around how much big-league playing time the Red Sox' brass thinks he might get if he goes north with the big club.

Youkilis, of course, would much rather stay in Boston than be shipped down to Pawtucket.

"Without a question, I wouldn't want to go to Pawtucket. That's a no-brainer," said Youkilis, who played in 72 games in two tours of duty for the Red Sox after an injury to Bill Mueller prompted his initial promotion from the Pawsox on May 15.

"Ask anybody where they'd rather be -- in the majors or the minors -- and that's what they would say. Guys (in Triple A) are always miserable, (saying) 'I don't want to be here.' You want to be in the major leagues," said Youkilis,

who batted .260 with 7 homers, 35 RBI and 33 walks in 72 big-league games.

Certainly, Boston manager Terry Francona can appreciate Youkilis' thought process. But he and the organization are looking out for the long-term future of Youkilis, who will turn 26 on March 15.

"We all know he did a good job for us last year," said Francona after the team's workout yesterday at the Sox' minor-league complex.

"He'll be here with us at the end of camp. He may go with us (to start the season), he may not. It depends on how much playing time we think we'll be able to get him. If he doesn't make the team, it's not that we didn't like him. We don't want him to sit on the bench. But that doesn't mean he won't make the team," said Francona.

Youkilis, meanwhile, will do his best this spring to convince the Sox that they should take him.

He's expecting to see playing time at third because Boston will bring Mueller along slowly after the early February arthroscopy on his right knee. And Youkilis has been working out at first base, too. The Sox want to see if he can increase his versatility now that the team has traded away defensive specialist Doug Mientkiewicz, leaving defensively challenged Kevin Millar and David Ortiz as the team's main men at the position.

"Any time you can play more than one position, your chances of making the team are bigger," said Youkilis.

Youkilis, of course, made a name for himself by being touted as the quintissential on-base machine that is coveted by so many general managers. Oakland GM Billy Beane referred to Youkilis as the "Greek God of Walks," in the acclaimed Michael Lewis book, MoneyBall, a detailed behind-the-scenes look at Beane and the Athletics that came out over a year ago.

His eagle-eye at the plate, which produced a combined 104 walks in 126 games for Portland and Pawtucket in 2003, accounts for the "God of Walks" part.

Youkilis, by the way, is not Greek. He is Romanian, much to the confusion of the Sox' fans last year.

"I feel bad about that. There would be people who come up to me and starting speaking Greek, and I don't speak Greek. I didn't know what they were saying. I'd have to say, 'Sorry, I don't speak Greek,' " said Youkilis.

His play on the field, meanwhile, spoke of a rookie trying to learn the ropes in the big leagues.

He broke in with a splash, hitting a homer off Pat Hentgen on May 15 in Toronto in his second big-league at-bat. He batted .284 with a .397 on-base percentage in 32 games in filling in for Mueller. But once Mueller returned, Youkilis batted .209 and spent two weeks on the disabled list after bruising his right ankle in a home-plate collision with Chicago's Sandy Alomar Jr. on Aug. 15.

So Youkilis, who was an early arrival in camp, will be striving for more consistency at the plate this spring. And he has dusted off the cobwebs on his first baseman's mitt. He played the position as a senior in high school and for one month in the minors.

"That makes it a lot easier for me," said Youkilis of his previous experience at first base. "It's just the feel for the position I'm trying to get back."

In the meantime, he is hoping he doesn't get sent back to Pawtucket.

"It's all about feeling comfortable. Everyone wants a comfort level, and I feel that this spring. I got to know the players last year, got to know Boston and the major leagues. That helps a lot," said Youkilis, an eighth-round pick in the 2001 draft.

"I feel comfortable knowing I have a chance to make the team," added the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder.

He'll feel even better, he said, if he does make the team.

"I was in the major leagues a lot last year and it was better than being in Triple A," said Youkilis. "It would be tough to go down and play. Hopefully that doesn't happen and I can stay here."