Chris Aguila
Encyclopedia
Christopher Louis Aguila (born February 23, 1979 in Redwood City, California
) is a Major League Baseball
outfielder
. He has played parts of three seasons in the majors with the Florida Marlins
(-) and part of the season with the New York Mets
. He plays all three outfield
positions.
in Reno, Nevada
, where he set a single-season home run
record. As a senior, he was a first-team High School All-American as a designated hitter.
The Marlins selected Aguila as a third baseman in the third round of the MLB draft out of McQueen High School
in Reno, Nevada
; he had set a single-season home run
record while at McQueen. Although he was initially a highly-regarded prospect, he spent two seasons playing rookie ball in the Gulf Coast League
and 2½ more seasons in Single-A before he was promoted to the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs
. He became an outfielder during the 1999 season, when he played for the Kane County Cougars
. When he started playing for Portland in , he was in his fifth professional season, but was still only 22 years old. He batted
.257 in 64 games with Portland. He returned to the Sea Dogs in and posted a .294 average. The Marlins switched their Double-A affiliation to the Carolina Mudcats
the following year, and Aguila spent with the Mudcats, posting a .320 batting average in 93 games. It was then that Aguila once again showed his potential as a hitter, and the Marlins would invite him to their spring training
in .
, and he batted .312 for Triple-A Albuquerque
. He had two stints in the Majors in 2004, paving the way for him to make the Marlins' opening day roster in .
In 2005, Aguila was named the Marlins' fifth outfielder (behind Miguel Cabrera
, Juan Pierre
, Juan Encarnación
, and Jeff Conine
), but was used mainly in a pinch-hitting
role. He logged only 16 at bat
s in the first two months of the season, and he was sent back to Albuquerque on May 27. While in Albuquerque, he regained his everyday role as the team's center fielder
. He batted .351 with 7 home runs and 25 RBI
in 35 games with Albuquerque, and he was promoted back to the Major Leagues on July 7, when the Marlins placed Josh Willingham
on the disabled list
. He spent the rest of the season in the Major Leagues, mainly as a pinch hitter; he started only 12 games all year, most of them while Encarnación was injured. He finished the 2005 season with a .244 batting average, no home runs, and 4 RBI in 78 at bats. Following the 2005 season, he played for Gigantes del Cibao
in the Dominican Winter League.
Several signs pointed to Aguila's receiving more playing time in . Toward the end of the season, teammate A.J. Burnett ripped Marlins manager Jack McKeon
for several reasons, one of which was that McKeon gave most of the available playing time to aging veterans, rather than to younger players such as Aguila, Willingham, and Jeremy Hermida
, who had proven themselves already in the minor leagues, but had not received extended playing time in the Majors. Also, Encarnación became a free agent
following the 2005 season, and Juan Pierre
was traded to the Chicago Cubs
, so Aguila was put in a position to compete for a starting job in the Marlins' outfield in 2006. In addition, McKeon retired after the last game of the 2005 season, and the Marlins named 41-year-old Joe Girardi
as his replacement.
Aguila made the Marlins' opening-day roster again in 2006. While Hermida was sidelined, Aguila got most of the at bats in right field until the Marlins signed Joe Borchard
; afterwards, Aguila was part of a platoon in center field with Eric Reed
and Reggie Abercrombie
. (Although Willingham occasionally started at catcher, he started most of the Marlins' games in left field) Reed struggled, going 4-for-35 (.114) at the plate, and was sent down to Albuquerque. Meanwhile, Abercrombie went on an 11-game hitting streak, which further decreased the amount of playing time Aguila was receiving; Aguila started in only three of the club's next 16 games after May 3. On May 26, the Marlins acquired Cody Ross
from the Cincinnati Reds
for a player to be named later; to free a roster spot for Ross, they optioned Aguila to Albuquerque. During his time with the Marlins up to that point, he had batted .229 (19-for-83) with two stolen base
s, seven doubles
, a triple
, no home runs, and seven RBI. In 13 games with Albuquerque, he batted .383 (18-for-47) with one home run (a grand slam
) and drove in 13 runs, before he was recalled by the Marlins to replace Willingham, who had gone on the disabled list. After a second stint with the Marlins, he returned to Albuquerque for the rest of the Isotopes' season, where he finished the year there with a .318 batting average, 11 home runs, and 59 RBI in 77 games. After the Isotopes' season ended, the Marlins placed him back on their Major League roster. He appeared in eight games with the Marlins in September, batting 3-for-9 to raise his batting average for the year to .232. He did not start any more games for the Marlins in 2006 after returning to the majors, but he did hit 2-for-3 with a single and a double in their season-ending win against the Philadelphia Phillies
.
on December 10, 2006, with an invitation to spring training. He joined the Pirates in spring training as a non-roster invitee, but did not make the team out of camp; and played for their Triple-A club, the Indianapolis Indians
, where he hit (.250/.291/.360/651 in 172 at bats).
. On June 11, Aguila was called up from Triple-A New Orleans to the Major League team to replace Abraham Núñez who was designated for assignment, but he too was designated for assignment after appearing in only three games. On July 11 Aguila was again designated for assignment, and on July 15 he was sent outright to the minors. He became a minor league free agent at the end of the season and was signed by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
.
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
) is a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
. He has played parts of three seasons in the majors with the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
(-) and part of the season with the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. He plays all three outfield
Outfield
The outfield is a sporting term used in cricket and baseball to refer to the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield...
positions.
Minor league career (1997–2003)
Aguila played high school baseball for McQueen High SchoolRobert McQueen High School
Robert McQueen High School is a public secondary school in Reno, Nevada, USA. It is part of the Washoe County School District.-History:The school was named for Dr. Robert McQueen, emeritus professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. During his tenure from 1955–1991, Dr...
in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, where he set a single-season home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
record. As a senior, he was a first-team High School All-American as a designated hitter.
The Marlins selected Aguila as a third baseman in the third round of the MLB draft out of McQueen High School
Robert McQueen High School
Robert McQueen High School is a public secondary school in Reno, Nevada, USA. It is part of the Washoe County School District.-History:The school was named for Dr. Robert McQueen, emeritus professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. During his tenure from 1955–1991, Dr...
in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
; he had set a single-season home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
record while at McQueen. Although he was initially a highly-regarded prospect, he spent two seasons playing rookie ball in the Gulf Coast League
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...
and 2½ more seasons in Single-A before he was promoted to the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs
Portland Sea Dogs
The Portland Sea Dogs are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Established in 1994 and based in Portland, Maine, the Sea Dogs play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League....
. He became an outfielder during the 1999 season, when he played for the Kane County Cougars
Kane County Cougars
The Kane County Cougars are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Kansas City Royals, that plays in the Midwest League. Their home games are played in Geneva, Illinois, about 35 miles west of Chicago....
. When he started playing for Portland in , he was in his fifth professional season, but was still only 22 years old. He batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.257 in 64 games with Portland. He returned to the Sea Dogs in and posted a .294 average. The Marlins switched their Double-A affiliation to the Carolina Mudcats
Carolina Mudcats
The Carolina Mudcats are a minor league baseball team based in the eastern suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the Carolina League, are the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians major-league club beginning in 2012.-History:...
the following year, and Aguila spent with the Mudcats, posting a .320 batting average in 93 games. It was then that Aguila once again showed his potential as a hitter, and the Marlins would invite him to their spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in .
Florida Marlins and Albuquerque Isotopes (2004–2006)
Although Aguila did not make the Marlins' opening day roster in 2004, he impressed Marlins manager Jack McKeonJack McKeon
John Aloysius McKeon , nicknamed Trader Jack, is a former Major League Baseball manager. In 2003, he won a World Series with the Florida Marlins...
, and he batted .312 for Triple-A Albuquerque
Albuquerque Isotopes
The Albuquerque Isotopes are a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers...
. He had two stints in the Majors in 2004, paving the way for him to make the Marlins' opening day roster in .
In 2005, Aguila was named the Marlins' fifth outfielder (behind Miguel Cabrera
Miguel Cabrera
José Miguel Cabrera Torres nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
, Juan Pierre
Juan Pierre
Juan D'Vaughn Pierre is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws left-handed....
, Juan Encarnación
Juan Encarnación
Juan De Dios Encarnación is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. His last major league team was the St. Louis Cardinals...
, and Jeff Conine
Jeff Conine
Jeffrey Guy Conine is a former Major League Baseball first baseman/outfielder who played several years with the Florida Marlins. Previously, Conine played with the Kansas City Royals , Florida Marlins , Baltimore Orioles , Philadelphia Phillies , Cincinnati Reds , and New York Mets . He batted and...
), but was used mainly in a pinch-hitting
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
role. He logged only 16 at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s in the first two months of the season, and he was sent back to Albuquerque on May 27. While in Albuquerque, he regained his everyday role as the team's center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
. He batted .351 with 7 home runs and 25 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in 35 games with Albuquerque, and he was promoted back to the Major Leagues on July 7, when the Marlins placed Josh Willingham
Josh Willingham
Joshua David Willingham is an American Major League Baseball left fielder. He has played for the Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics.-Early years:...
on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
. He spent the rest of the season in the Major Leagues, mainly as a pinch hitter; he started only 12 games all year, most of them while Encarnación was injured. He finished the 2005 season with a .244 batting average, no home runs, and 4 RBI in 78 at bats. Following the 2005 season, he played for Gigantes del Cibao
Gigantes del Cibao
The Gigantes del Cibao are a baseball team that plays in the Dominican Winter League. The Gigantes have produced a number of successful major league ballplayers, including Albert Pujols and José Reyes....
in the Dominican Winter League.
Several signs pointed to Aguila's receiving more playing time in . Toward the end of the season, teammate A.J. Burnett ripped Marlins manager Jack McKeon
Jack McKeon
John Aloysius McKeon , nicknamed Trader Jack, is a former Major League Baseball manager. In 2003, he won a World Series with the Florida Marlins...
for several reasons, one of which was that McKeon gave most of the available playing time to aging veterans, rather than to younger players such as Aguila, Willingham, and Jeremy Hermida
Jeremy Hermida
Jeremy Ryan Hermida is an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.-Early career:...
, who had proven themselves already in the minor leagues, but had not received extended playing time in the Majors. Also, Encarnación became a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
following the 2005 season, and Juan Pierre
Juan Pierre
Juan D'Vaughn Pierre is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. He bats and throws left-handed....
was traded to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
, so Aguila was put in a position to compete for a starting job in the Marlins' outfield in 2006. In addition, McKeon retired after the last game of the 2005 season, and the Marlins named 41-year-old Joe Girardi
Joe Girardi
Joseph Elliott Girardi is a former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager of the New York Yankees. During a 15-year playing career, he played from 1989–2003 for the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies, the New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals...
as his replacement.
Aguila made the Marlins' opening-day roster again in 2006. While Hermida was sidelined, Aguila got most of the at bats in right field until the Marlins signed Joe Borchard
Joe Borchard
Joseph Edward Borchard is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He last played in the major leagues in 2007. Borchard was the 12th pick of the first round in the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft out of Stanford University by the Chicago White Sox...
; afterwards, Aguila was part of a platoon in center field with Eric Reed
Eric Reed
Eric Shane Reed is a Major League Baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He is an alumnus of Texas A&M University...
and Reggie Abercrombie
Reggie Abercrombie
Reginald Damascus Abercrombie is a former Major League Baseball outfielder now playing for the Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.-Professional career:...
. (Although Willingham occasionally started at catcher, he started most of the Marlins' games in left field) Reed struggled, going 4-for-35 (.114) at the plate, and was sent down to Albuquerque. Meanwhile, Abercrombie went on an 11-game hitting streak, which further decreased the amount of playing time Aguila was receiving; Aguila started in only three of the club's next 16 games after May 3. On May 26, the Marlins acquired Cody Ross
Cody Ross
Cody Joseph Ross is an American professional baseball outfielder. He has played with the Detroit Tigers , Los Angeles Dodgers , Cincinnati Reds , and Florida Marlins and San Francisco Giants...
from the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
for a player to be named later; to free a roster spot for Ross, they optioned Aguila to Albuquerque. During his time with the Marlins up to that point, he had batted .229 (19-for-83) with two stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s, seven doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, a triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, no home runs, and seven RBI. In 13 games with Albuquerque, he batted .383 (18-for-47) with one home run (a grand slam
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
) and drove in 13 runs, before he was recalled by the Marlins to replace Willingham, who had gone on the disabled list. After a second stint with the Marlins, he returned to Albuquerque for the rest of the Isotopes' season, where he finished the year there with a .318 batting average, 11 home runs, and 59 RBI in 77 games. After the Isotopes' season ended, the Marlins placed him back on their Major League roster. He appeared in eight games with the Marlins in September, batting 3-for-9 to raise his batting average for the year to .232. He did not start any more games for the Marlins in 2006 after returning to the majors, but he did hit 2-for-3 with a single and a double in their season-ending win against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
Pittsburgh Pirates (2006–2007)
On October 13, 2006, the Marlins outrighted Aguila to Albuquerque, which removed him from their 40-man roster. Since he was out of options on his contract, he needed to make the Marlins' opening day roster in in order to remain in their organization for a 10th season. Instead of remaining with the Marlins, he signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
on December 10, 2006, with an invitation to spring training. He joined the Pirates in spring training as a non-roster invitee, but did not make the team out of camp; and played for their Triple-A club, the Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
, where he hit (.250/.291/.360/651 in 172 at bats).
New York Mets (2008)
Aguila was signed by the Mets in March 2008, and he was assigned to their Triple-A team, New Orleans ZephyrsNew Orleans Zephyrs
The New Orleans Zephyrs are a minor league baseball team based in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. The Zephyrs play in the Pacific Coast League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Zephyrs play their home games at Zephyr Field....
. On June 11, Aguila was called up from Triple-A New Orleans to the Major League team to replace Abraham Núñez who was designated for assignment, but he too was designated for assignment after appearing in only three games. On July 11 Aguila was again designated for assignment, and on July 15 he was sent outright to the minors. He became a minor league free agent at the end of the season and was signed by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...
.