Kevin Youkilis, relief third baseman for the New York Yankees, played for over eight years with the Boston Red Sox before being traded to the Chicago White Sox in June, 2012. Youkilis was first signed by the Boston Red Sox in 2001 after setting baseball records in college. He had the most home runs and walks of any University of Cincinnati baseball player and he batted .366 during his college years.
Marco Scutaro, second baseman for the San Francisco Giants, is playing with his sixth major league team since 2002. In those 11 years, he has played all infield positions and occasionally as an outfielder. Although Scutaro was first signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1994, he never played with them. In August, 2000, after playing in the minor leagues, the Indians traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers. However, he never played with the Brewers either because they put him on waivers in the Spring of 2002 after playing only with their minor league teams.
Aramis Ramirez, third baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers, was first signed at the age of 16 by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1994. He made his first appearance in the major leagues in 1998, but he spent his first three seasons split between the minor leagues and the Pirates, playing in 72 games with them in 1998, 18 games in 1999, and 73 games in 2000.
Erick Aybar, shortstop for the Los Angeles Angels, is the younger brother of Willy Aybar, former player for the Tampa Bay Rays. The younger Aybar was signed by the Angels in 2002 and he had his first appearance with them in 2006, playing in 34 games with the Angels. It took several years, however, before Aybar became a regular player, playing in just 79 games in 2007 and 98 games in 2008.
Jimmy Rollins, shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies, comes from a family of athletes, including a brother who played baseball in the minor leagues. Rollins also played in the minors after being drafted by the Phillies in 1996. He made his first appearance with the Phillies in 2000, playing in just 14 games with them that year. In 2001, Rollins had a strong rookie year, batting .274 with 180 hits, 29 doubles, 12 triples, 14 home runs, and 46 stolen bases.
Elvis Andrus, shortstop for the Texas Rangers, started his professional baseball career in the minor leagues for the Atlanta Braves in 2006. After a year, the Braves traded Andrus to the Texas Rangers on July 31, 2007. The Rangers kept him in the minor leagues until 2009 when he became their starting shortstop at the age of 20. In April, 2013, the Rangers showed their confidence in Andrus' talent by giving him an eight-year, $120 million contract extension.
JJ Hardy, shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles, was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2001. He didn't get a start in the major leagues until 2005, having played in the minors from 2001 through 2003 and sitting out the 2004 season due to injuries. In his first season as the starting shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers, Hardy batted .247 and had 92 hits, 22 doubles, and 9 home runs in 124 games. The following season, Hardy was again injured and he played in just 35 games in 2006.
Michael Young, the new Philadelphia Phillies third baseman, played for 12 seasons with the Texas Rangers. He was first signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 but they traded him to the Rangers three years later. From 1997 through 2000, Young played in the minor leagues with the exception of two games that he played with the Rangers in 2000. The Rangers started him in the minors in 2001 but they called him up on May 25th. Young played with the Rangers until they traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies after the 2012 season ended.
Prince Fielder, first baseman for the Detroit Tigers, grew up with a father who was a successful major league baseball player. Cecil Fielder played for 13 years in the majors, hitting 319 home runs. Young Prince often joined his father in the ballpark and at batting practice. He played baseball throughout his school years and in his senior year in high school, the younger Fielder batted .524, with 13 doubles, 10 home runs, and 41 RBIs.
Nick Swisher, first baseman for the Cleveland Indians, was first drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 2002. After spending a couple of seasons in the minor leagues, Swisher was called up by the Athletics in 2004 for 20 games. In his 2005 rookie season, Swisher batted .236 with 109 hits, 32 doubles, and 21 home runs in 131 games.