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Going into his 11th year in MLB, “the Mayor”, as he is called by some fans, has done the unthinkable in the mind of today’s modern athlete. He has opted to take a lesser role to play on a winning team in contention for another World Series title (it would be their second in a row and their 3rd since 2004). He admittedly had offers on the table as a starting First baseman for a handful of teams, but in the end, he choose a one year contract for less money for the opportunity to play in Boston.
After all, he is a lifetime .301 hitter as is seen below and he’s no slouch with the leather either! He was an All Star three times (in 1999, 2001 & 2004). So why, at age 33, has he signed with the Red Sox as a back up? The simple answer is, taken from a radio interview I heard last week on Boston’s WEEI, he wants a chance to win a ring. He is rated as one of the nicest men in baseball by his peers as well as a great teammate.
I can see the point of view of the Red Sox, every day 1B Kevin Youkilis usually slows down after the All Star break and Casey would be in place to give him a much needed rest during the first half so that he’s not so tired or worn down in the second half. Also, this could also spell some relief for aging Third baseman Mike Lowell this year as Youkilis, a former Third baseman, can relieve Lowell more with Casey playing First!
I mean, with the exception of his numbers in only 53 games with Detroit in 2006, does this look like the numbers of a back up?
| Year | TEAM | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP |
| 1997 | Cle | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .200 | .333 |
| 1998 | Cin | 44 | 82 | 21 | 1 | 7 | 52 | 43 | 45 | 1 | .272 | .365 |
| 1999 | Cin | 103 | 197 | 42 | 3 | 25 | 99 | 61 | 88 | 0 | .332 | .399 |
| 2000 | Cin | 69 | 151 | 33 | 2 | 20 | 85 | 52 | 80 | 1 | .315 | .385 |
| 2001 | Cin | 69 | 165 | 40 | 0 | 13 | 89 | 43 | 63 | 3 | .310 | .369 |
| 2002 | Cin | 56 | 111 | 25 | 0 | 6 | 42 | 43 | 47 | 2 | .261 | .334 |
| 2003 | Cin | 71 | 167 | 19 | 3 | 14 | 80 | 51 | 58 | 4 | .291 | .350 |
| 2004 | Cin | 101 | 185 | 44 | 2 | 24 | 99 | 46 | 36 | 2 | .324 | .381 |
| 2005 | Cin | 75 | 165 | 32 | 0 | 9 | 58 | 48 | 48 | 2 | .312 | .371 |
| 2006 | Det | 17 | 45 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 10 | 21 | 0 | .245 | .286 |
| 2006 | Pit | 30 | 63 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 23 | 22 | 0 | .296 | .377 |
| 2007 | Det | 40 | 134 | 30 | 1 | 4 | 54 | 39 | 42 | 2 | .296 | .353 |
| Total | — | 676 | 1467 | 308 | 12 | 130 | 718 | 460 | 552 | 17 | .301 | .366 |
**If you know of any other player in the majors that has shown this type of selflessness, please add them to the comments section!**
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