Youkilis is ready to start the Show

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- He was optioned to Triple A Pawtucket April 13 (Curt Schilling came off the disabled list). Recalled April 30 (Schilling went on the DL). Optioned July 13 (Schilling came off the DL). Recalled July 18 (Mark Bellhorn went on the DL). Optioned July 20 (the Red Sox acquired Tony Graffanino). Recalled Aug. 8 (the Sox designated Jose Cruz Jr.). Optioned Aug. 17 (John Olerud came off the DL). Recalled, for good, Aug. 31 (the Sox optioned Manny Delcarmen to Pawtucket).

Kevin Youkilis, in 2005, was that guy, the one with minor league options remaining, giving the Red Sox the license to demote and promote as needed. But this year will be different. Surely, when Youkilis rolled into Sox camp recently, well ahead of the required reporting date, his manager told him so.

''Actually," Youkilis said yesterday, sitting at a picnic table outside City of Palms Park, ''he told me I have another option."

Sure enough, the team, for one more season, maintains the right to issue Youkilis as many passes to the Lou Merloni Shuttle (Boston to Pawtucket, with occasional return service) as it wishes without having to expose him to waivers. But Terry Francona, who enjoys levitating a clubhouse as much as he does managing one, was joking.

''He's going to play a lot," Francona said earlier this week. ''We have J.T. Snow to complement him. Who gets the majority of at-bats, we don't know. J.T. [will soon be] 38. We think Youk's ready to assume some responsibility and be a regular major league player. We think he deserves it."

Youkilis has waited his turn. He turns 27 March 15, not young for a player getting his introduction to regular duty. It's a fact he's conscious of, to the point that he said it ''felt really good" last week when he was asked for his ID while buying beer, amazing in itself given the look of his head (almost bald) and chin (obscured by a dark goatee).

''I look at this," he said, ''as my time to show I can play."

Despite a World Series ring and a name bellowed by fans at home and on the road, Youkilis hasn't played that much. He's compiled only 287 major league at-bats, or the same number Johnny Damon amassed between April 3 and June 25 of last season.

Youkilis has, he accepts, been more of a curiosity, and a likable curiosity, than anything else, and he's been that for what he views as three reasons.

''I get paid the least," he said. ''I have that going for me. If I do well it's, 'Good.' If I don't, well, it's, 'We're not paying him anything.' They can chant my name easily. And they miss Lou Merloni. I swear, it's because they miss Lou. They can't chant 'Louuuuu,' so they chant 'Youuuuk.' "

This year, that stands to change. Youkilis, who started 20 games last season (14 at third base, five at first base, and one at second base), is expected to start more games than he doesn't, and will do so across the diamond, in the vacuum created when Kevin Millar's contract, and the pop in his bat, concurrently ran out.

''I hope it comes out to 500 at-bats," Youkilis said. ''I'd love to have 500 at-bats in the major leagues."

Projecting his totals in 287 major league at-bats over 500 at-bats, Youkilis's season might look like this: .265, 14 home runs, 31 doubles, 77 RBIs. Millar, by way of comparison, had 449 at-bats last season, and hit .272 with 9 homers, 28 doubles, and 50 RBIs.

But, Youkilis figures to outperform those projections, given that regular duty should sharpen his focus and enhance his confidence.

''The hardest thing is consistency," he said. ''Playing every day in 2004 I had seven home runs in 200 [actually 208] at-bats. That's pretty good. Last year I had nine home runs but only one in the major leagues. That's 79 at-bats. You don't get a feel."

Youkilis hit .278 last year (22 for 79), but, extract his pinch-hitting appearances (0 for 7), which are a platform for failure, and he hit .306 (22 for 72). He can build off that. He can build off his .400 on-base percentage last season. He can build off the 4.68 pitches per plate appearance he saw last season, best of any Sox player with at least 50 at-bats. (The Phillies' Bobby Abreu led major league qualifiers in this category at 4.39.)

Patience has been Youkilis's virtue, but he hopes to swing the bat a bit, too.

''You can't teach yourself to hit home runs," said Youkilis, who reported at 225 pounds, just about all good ones. ''You can teach yourself to drive the ball better on certain pitches."

He worked on that last year in Pawtucket, where he was the team's best hitter, and therefore was pitched to quite consciously, seeing an inordinate number of offspeed offerings. He handled that well, homering eight times in 152 Triple A at-bats.

But, his more monitored progress this season may be at and around the first base bag. Departed third base coach Dale Sveum assured Youkilis last year that his footwork is adequate, but he's still learning other basic tenets of the position.

''Aligning myself, cutting the ball at home, I have to remember how to do all that," he said. ''What situations do they want me to take a chance on a scoop? When do they want me to knock the ball down?"

John Olerud imparted to Youkilis the proper way to scoop a throw in the dirt, and he believes Snow will be another excellent resource. But Snow, like Olerud, won't be ideal, for one reason.

''The hardest thing is he's lefthanded," Youkilis said. ''Dave McCarty tried to teach me stuff and couldn't. The little things that any first baseman needs to knows, when to block a ball, holding runners, that's what I'm going to try to get out of J.T."

Olerud also taught Youkilis one ''how not to" lesson.

Olerud, during his rookie season, was playing first when Kirby Puckett reached base. Puckett asked Olerud a question. Olerud answered him. Puckett, pretending not to hear, asked, ''What did you say?" Olerud began to repeat himself when the pitcher stepped off and whizzed an attempted pickoff throw by Olerud, with Puckett taking third.

''It went right by Olerud's head," Youkilis recalled. ''The media asked what happened. Olerud said, 'Oh my, total rookie mistake.' Kirby was asked. Kirby said, 'I don't know what you're talking about. I never asked him anything.' "

Still, Youkilis is prepared to embrace a position populated by characters (for example, Millar, Jason Giambi, Sean Casey).

''I'm definitely talkative enough," Youkilis said. ''And people find me somewhat funny on the team."

But, he will not be Millar. Which, as he found out last year, is OK.

''Last year," Youkilis said, ''my first game starting at first base, I asked [Francona], 'Am I supposed to go out there and yell and scream a lot?' He said, 'No, just go out and field the ball and throw the ball.' "

And that will be enough.