Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine Batter's Box Interactive Magazine
Photo of the Day Ay-Carumba!

A birthday boy is the focus of today's POTD.



Erick Aybar of the Angels looks perturbed about having to return to second after Vladimir Guerrero fouled off a pitch during first inning action at the Rogers Centre August 21st.  Jays second baseman Aaron Hill stays close to the bag.  

Aybar takes off while Jays third baseman Jose Bautista gets ready to apply the tag.  

Aybar is still safe but he will have to retreat to second because Guerrero hit a foul ball down the third base line.  Aybar and Bautista meet face to face and it almost looks like they want to rumble!  The Jays did go on to win this game by a score of 5-4.

Aybar is celebrating his 26th birthday today.  The switch-hitting Dominican shortstop enjoyed a career season with the Angels in 2009.  He had a batting line of .312/.353/.423 with 23 doubles, nine triples, five homers, 58 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases in 21 attempts.  His .312 batting average placed him eighth in the American League.  The younger brother of the Tampa Bay Rays Willy Aybar also batted. 290 in the post-season as he helped the Angels knock off the Red Sox in the American League Divisional Series before they lost to the Yankees in the ALCS.

Aybar was reportedly on the Jays radar during trade talks with the Angels for Roy Halladay but the Halos didn't want to deal their talented shortsop.  Aybar is set to begin his fifth year in the bigs in 2010.

Posted by #2JBrumfield on Thursday, January 14 2010 @ 07:02 AM EST.
Ay-Carumba! | 2 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Richard S.S. - Thursday, January 14 2010 @ 09:05 AM EST (#211111) #
Erick Aybar is starting his first year of arbitration, the expensive time in a players life.   The Jays would have to pay him before he would played here.   How much would be fair?   Would an Aaron Hill type deal be appropriate?   He's a free agent after 2012, just three years away, at age 29.   I just didn't think we would get fair value from a deal with LAA.
[ Reply to This ]
TheBunk - Thursday, January 14 2010 @ 10:41 PM EST (#211134) #
Agreed Richard, I just don't think a deal with the angels made much sense for the jay blues, the centerpieces of a deal(weaver, aybar) are nearing arb and are going to get expensive in a hurry and they just didn't have enough good bets in the minors to be impact players. Philly really was the perfect match.
[ Reply to This ]
Ay-Carumba! | 2 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.