Avilés was born in New York City to a Puerto Rican family, and raised in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx. Aviles later moved with his family to Middletown, New York shortly before starting high school, graduating from Middletown High School in 1999. Aviles was a Division II All-American shortstop at Concordia College, in Bronxville, New York, and was named Division II Player of the Year in 2003, after hitting .500 with 83 runs, 22 home runs and 65 runs batted in (RBI) in 45 games.\n', '

Aviles was chosen in the seventh round of the 2003 Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Royals and offered an "insulting" $1,000 signing bonus. He spent 2004 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks in the Carolina League and 2005 with the Wichita Wranglers in the Texas League. He then spent 2006 and 2007 with the Omaha Royals of the Pacific Coast League, becoming the Royals\' Minor League Player of The Year in 2007. He started 2008 in the minors, batting .338 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI in 50 games with Omaha.\n', '

Avilés was called up from Triple-A on May 29, 2008, to replace designated hitter Billy Butler on the roster. He finished his rookie season with a .325 batting average in 102 games, with 10 home runs and 51 RBI. If Avilés had recorded a sufficient number of plate appearances to qualify for the American League (AL) batting title, his .325 average would have ranked third among all AL hitters and sixth-best in the major leagues. On November 11, 2008, the Royals named Avilés their 2008 Player of the Year. Avilés finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year standings, ending in fourth place behind Evan Longoria, Alexei Ramírez and Jacoby Ellsbury.\n', '

Return to Mike Aviles Autograph Profile