St. John's University Athletics
Catching up with... Rich Aurilia
11/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
St. John's product Rich Aurilia of the San Francisco Giants leads the balloting for the shortstop position in the 2001 All-Star Game. He was named to All-Big East honors in 1992, representing the Red Storm, before beginning his professional career later that year with Butte of the Pioneer League.
Born in Brooklyn, he attended Xavier High there, graduating in 1989 before attending SJU, where he developed fond relationships with then athletic moderator Fr. Robert Rivard, C.M. and AD Jack Kaiser, whom he credits as keys in his athletic and personal development among other faculty and staff at the University.
Although his family's home was not far from the Jamaica campus, Aurilia rented a place to live off-campus while attending St. John's.
"It gave me a sense of independence," he notes, "Being away from home yet close at the same time! That really helped me develop!"
He has emerged as one of the finest shortstops in the National League, leading in home runs and RBI at that position in the 1999 and 2000 seasons., and is only the second Giant shortstop to achieve multiple 20-homer seasons; the other was Alvin Dark who played for the team when its home was at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan ('53 and '54).
All Aurilia's major league experience has been with San Francisco, which acquired him from Texas with infielder Desi Wilson in exchange for right-handed pitcher John Burkett at the end of 1994; prior to the current season he signed a contract through 2003.
His major league batting average through 2000 is .270 over 575 games with 1919 at-bats, more than respectable for a shortstop although his 2001 stats so far are considerably higher.
As of June 27 his batting average was .349 in 73 games with 289 at-bats with 12 homers and 31 RBI. No wonder he led the balloting for shortstop in the midsummer classic.
A special to Redstormsports.com from George Devine, a freelance writer based in San Francisco.