A New Streak Beginning For Mike Aviles?

Mike Aviles wowed fans and management alike after a an April that saw him hit bat .291 with 5 home runs and 17 RBIs. This was the man who was acquired from Kansas City for almost nothing last  July and was merely a backup plan until Marco Scutaro was traded to the Rockies. Jed Lowrie had found a new home in Houston earlier in the offseason so it was Mike Aviles that found himself as the Opening Day shortstop. After Jacoby Ellsbury dislocated his shoulder sliding into second base, Aviles found himself as the leadoff hitter and actually excelled in that role.

Well, that was until May came. In a very shaky month of May for Aviles– he batted just .246 and saw all his other stats fall as well. Never a patient hitter, Aviles only walked twice in May and reached base at an unimpressive .254 clip. He also watched his slugging percentage fall ridiculously as he slugged at a .385 rate, as opposed to a .535 mark in April. By the end of May, his total stats on the season showed a Carl Crawford-like slash line of .264/.288/.447. However, he would end May with a four-game hitting streak including a 3-4, 2 RBI game against the Tigers.

That success carried into June– where in four games to start the month, he is batting .333. Over the last pair of games against Baltimore and Toronto, Aviles has hit at a 5-9 clip which leads to a 6-18 mark on the month. If Aviles is going to have another April-like month, then the Red Sox could be in for a treat. A run producing shortstop is a huge asset to have and if Aviles is hot, the Red Sox have one. He could take on the leadoff spot, but with Scott Podsednik doing well there, he could move to a bottom of the order run producing spot like #7. Wherever he is, a hot Mike Aviles is a very valuable tool and hopefully the Red Sox have just that.