| Rich Aurilia | |
|---|---|
 Aurilia with the Giants in July 2007 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born: (1971-09-02)September 2, 1971 (age 54) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 6, 1995, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 4, 2009, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .275 |
| Home runs | 186 |
| Runs batted in | 756 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Richard Santo Aurilia (/əˈriːliə/; born September 2, 1971) is an American former professionalbaseballshortstop. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) between 1995 and 2009 for theSan Francisco Giants,Seattle Mariners,San Diego Padres, andCincinnati Reds.
Aurilia was born inBrooklyn, New York and grew up aNew York Mets fan. Before being drafted by Texas, Aurilia was a standout atSt. John's University, where he represented the Red Storm as an All-Big East selection in 1992. In 1991, he playedcollegiate summer baseball in theCape Cod Baseball League for theHyannis Mets.[1]
Aurilia is also a graduate ofXaverian High School inBrooklyn, New York.[2] He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame, and his number 22 was retired by his local baseball league, Our Lady of Grace, where he played as a youngster in Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York.
The 24th round pick of theTexas Rangers in the1992 Major League Baseball draft, Aurilia played in the Rangers minor league system before being traded along withDesi Wilson to theSan Francisco Giants forJohn Burkett on December 22, 1994.[3] He had worked as astagehand at theMetropolitan Opera House during the 1993–94 baseball offseason.[4]
Aurilia made his Major League debut on September 6, 1995, as a defensive replacement in a game against theMontreal Expos. This would begin his long, solid run as the Giantsshortstop. On June 14, 1997, during his first stint with the Giants, Aurilia hit the first-evergrand slam ininterleague play at the expense of theAnaheim Angels'Allen Watson, a former teammate. The Giants went on to win the game 10–3. 2001 would prove to be a banner year for Aurilia as he collected aNational League best 206hits, all leading to a .324batting average with 37home runs, 97RBI, an NL All-Star nod, and aSilver Slugger Award. However, his career best 37 home run year in 2001 was overshadowed by teammateBarry Bonds' record breaking 73 home runs in the same season.
From 1999 to 2001, he led NL shortstops in home runs. Production trailed off in 2002, but Aurilia shined once again in San Francisco's failed 2002 run for aWorld Series Championship. In 14 postseason games that season, he batted .296, with 5 home runs and 14 RBI (an NL record for a shortstop in thepostseason). He also was aRoberto Clemente Award nominee.
After offensive stagnation in 2003, the Giants severed their nine-year relation with the shortstop, granting himfree agency on October 27. Soon after, Aurilia signed on with theSeattle Mariners to patrol the M's infield.
The lifetimeNational Leaguer could not get a grip onAmerican League pitching, and was dealt to theSan Diego Padres in July 2004. He continued to struggle in spaciousPetco Park, and was not tendered a contract for 2005.
Needing a veteran infielder, the Reds signed Aurilia to a minor league contract on January 22, 2005. The versatile infielder played well for the Reds, collecting 14 home runs and 68 RBI while playing games at shortstop,second base, andthird base. The Reds then re-signed him on January 8, 2006.
Aurilia served as an everyday player rotating between shortstop, second base, first base and third base for the Reds in 2006. He finished the year with 23 home runs, 70 RBI, and a batting average of exactly .300—his highest in all three categories since 2001.
In the 2006 offseason, Aurilia signed a two-year, $8 million contract with his old team, the Giants. During the 2007 season, he appeared in 99 games (mostly at first base), starting in 81 of them. Aurilia was placed on the 15-daydisabled list with a neck injury that had been slow to heal, limiting his range of movement and causing headaches. At the time, he was batting only .236 with two home runs. Aurilia returned to the Giants' lineup on July 4, hitting a home run in a 9–5 win over theCincinnati Reds. He finished the season batting .252 with five home runs, 33 RBI, and a .304on-base percentage. Aurilia posted better numbers in each of those categories during the 2008 season, where he remained generally healthy throughout the year, one factor that led him to have considerably more playing time (99 games started).
On February 9, 2009, Aurilia re-signed with theSan Francisco Giants to a minor league deal.[5] It was announced on April 4 that Aurilia had made the Giants final roster.[6] He went on to appear in 60 games during the 2009 season, starting in 22 of them, playing either first or third base. There was considerable uncertainty whether Aurilia would stay with the team for the entire season, but he was placed on the DL twice in order to free up a roster spot long enough for the September roster expansion. Knowing that the organization would not be bringing him back for the 2010 season, Aurilia played his final game as a Giant on October 1 at home against theArizona Diamondbacks, receiving standing ovations from the home fans in appreciation for 12 years with the team.
Aurilia announced his retirement on April 11, 2010.[7] He is currently a member ofNBC Sports Bay Area.[8]
In 1652 games over 15 seasons, Aurilia posted a .275batting average (1576-for-5721) with 745runs, 301doubles, 22triples, 186home runs, 756RBI, 450bases on balls, .328on-base percentage and .433slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .976fielding percentage playing at shortstop, first, second and third base. In 25 postseason games, he hit .224 (22-for-98) with 17 runs, 6 doubles, 6 home runs, 18 RBI and 7 walks.[9]
He finished second in a pro on pro challenge on Guy's Grocery Games on September 20, 2015. His charity was the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[10]
Aurilia married Raquel Garcia on January 18, 1997, with whom he has two sons: Chaz Aiden, (born August 18, 2001) and Gavin Shea, (born October 1, 2003).[11] Both he and his wife appeared as Jurors No. 9 and 10 in episodes ofGeneral Hospital which aired on December 11 and 12, 2003. The storyline was the trial ofSonny Corinthos, played byMaurice Benard who made the arrangement possible and is a cousin of Aurilia's Giants teammateMarvin Benard.[12]
He and his family reside in homes inHealdsburg, California andPhoenix, Arizona.[13]
Johnson will be joined by analysts Rich Aurilia, Shawn Estes, Tim Flannery, Bill Laskey and Randy Winn.
Pro athletes Rich Aurilia, Jennifer Lacy, Marcel Reece and Takeo Spikes team up with celebrity chefs Lorena Garcia, Robert Irvine, Brian Malarkey and Marc Murphy for the biggest All-Star lineup Guy's Grocery Games has ever seen!
· Baseball Almanac