WEEI: Speier: Overlooked superstar: The perception of Kevin Youkilis

Ahh…back to the ANTiSEEN days.

“Every time I go to an All-Star game, basically, I’m in shock that I’m there, that I made an All-Star team,” said Youkilis. “I always think there are guys who are ahead of me in the game. Sometimes I know that I can play at that level, but I don’t think of myself as an elite player. … I just think I’m a good player on a good team.”

...“We’re the Boston Red Sox. We play in the toughest division in baseball. And he hits in the middle of our lineup,” said hitting coach Dave Magadan. “He might be a little different animal than a lot of other teams have hitting fourth, but I’ll take him over anybody else. He gives you a great at-bat. Guys in scoring position, he’s going to grind out the at-bat, make the pitcher work. He’s going to get on for the guys hitting behind him. I wouldn’t trade him for anybody.”

...“No one took me in college because of the body type,” said Youkilis. “It’s baseball. This isn’t muscle fitness and body building. This is baseball, and if you’re a baseball player, you’re a baseball player. Babe Ruth didn’t look like much of a baseball player, but he was one of the best of all time. There’s great hitters along the way who didn’t have the bodies, but they go out and play the game the right way.

“You can’t worry about that stuff. I’ve gotten over that,” he added. “Growing up, you get a little self-conscious. … [But] you can’t change your genetics, but you can change what you can do on the field and get better at the game. For me, that’s what I did.”