How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a
one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San
Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the
players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the
postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general
manager. Part seven tells us the story of the interesting Aubrey Huff.
Aubrey Huff III was born on December 20, 1976, in Marion, Ohio. He grew up in Mineral Wells, Texas, and from age six onward, had the misfortune of living in a one-parent household after a tragic domestic dispute claimed the life of his father, who was a bystander when the altercation occurred. Despite the early scars, Huff was able to continue a life in sports, and at both Mineral Wells High School and Brewer High School in Fort Worth, Texas, he played baseball and basketball. Huff split his college time between Vernon College, and was named 1996 Most Valuable Player, before transferring to the University of Miami for his last two years. At University of Miami, he had the following accomplishments to his name: single game runs record (5), most doubles in a game (4), both in his junior year, and in his senior year he had the fourth-best batting average for a single season at .412, second best slugging percentage, .768, twenty-one home runs (fifth best), and a record ninety-five runs batted in. Baseball America, The Sporting News, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named him a first team All-American. His career .400 batting average and .719 slugging percentage at University of Miami earned him a spot in their Sports Hall of Fame. In 1998, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays drafted him in the fifth round. He spent time during that season at the Class A level Charleston RiverDogs, in the South Atlantic League. In 1999, he played the full season with the Class AA Orlando Rays of the Southern League. His numbers remained strong at both levels, as he held his average over .300 and hit for a modest amount of power and run production. In 2000, he made another step up to play with the Class AAA Durham Bulls of Durham, North Carolina in the International League. He was with them until the beginning of August, again posting numbers north of .300 with twenty home runs and seventy-six runs batted in. From August 1st to the end of the year, Huff was with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, playing mostly third base in a starting role, where he hit .287 with four home runs and fourteen runs batted in during the two-month span of time. He began the 2001 season in Durham again, but joined the Rays on April 13th, manning the corner infield positions and occasionally appearing as the designated hitter as well. His numbers fell off dramatically for the whole season, as he struggled to hit the ground running in his first full season, and he was even sent back to Durham in late August. It was his worst season at the time. He again started the season at Durham in 2002, after spending time on the disabled list due to a broken cheekbone. He started very strong in Durham, and earned a late May call-up, resulting in him staying with Tampa Bay for the rest of the season. He hit .313 with twenty-three home runs and fifty-nine runs batted in throughout the year in a very strong rebound campaign. His home run total led the team despite his missing the first two months of the season. In 2003, he had two new things happen. First, he began the year and played the entire season with the Devil Rays, appearing in all 162 games. He also became the starting right fielder, his first professional experience in the outfield. This was a defining season for Huff, who batted .311 with thirty-four home runs and 107 runs batted in, falling just two hits short of two hundred. His total numbers for the year have been matched only by eleven players in the history of the major leagues. In 2004, Huff went back to third base, and his numbers experienced a negligible decline, hitting .297 with twenty-nine home runs and 104 runs batted in. His 398 game streak of starts ended on August 22nd, when he sat out with a back injury. The 2005 season saw Huff go back to right field, but his numbers took a second drop, with a .261 batting average, twenty-two home runs, and ninety-two runs batted in. He did achieve his 100th home run and first grand slam during the season, but overall it was a disappointing effort for the versatile Huff. For the 2006 season, Huff transitioned back to third base, and his numbers made a slight improvement. He made his first appearance on the disabled list on April 12th with a knee injury, and he made his rehabilitation appearances with Visalia Oaks in the Class A Advanced California League. He hit .283 with the Devils Rays during this time, but he was deemed expendable on July 12, 2006, as he was traded with cash to the Houston Astros in exchange for Mitch Talbot and eventual utility man Ben Zobrist. His numbers with the Astros were worse than those he had with Tampa Bay, and he struggled to find his form for the rest of the year. On January 3, 2007, he signed a free agent deal with the Baltimore Orioles. With the Orioles, he played some first base and served time as the designated hitter. He rebounded here, hitting .280 in his first season, and he also hit fifteen home runs with seventy-two runs batted in. On June 29th, he became the fourth Orioles player to hit for the cycle, and also recorded his 1,000th hit and 200th double in the same game. In 2008, he switched his number in honor of a former teammate, Joe Kennedy, which saw Huff wear number 17. Huff played inspired baseball that season, regaining his early career numbers in full fashion by hitting .304 with thirty-two home runs and 108 runs batted in. He was designated the team's Most Valuable Player, and was also the designated hitter of the year as recognized by the Edgar Martinez award. Alas, he failed to hold onto the strong numbers and suffered a very forgettable 2009 season. With the Orioles, he only managed a .253 average, and on August 17th, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for minor-leaguer Brett Jacobson. His limited time with the Tigers was even worse, and they did not bring him back for the 2010 season. The San Francisco Giants took the chance for 2010 with Huff, where he played first base, left field, and right field depending on the needs the lineup presented. The change of scenery served Huff well, as he helped the Giants reach the playoffs by posting a .290 average with twenty-six home runs and eighty-six runs batted in. He wasn't as effective in the playoffs, but his contribution of a .268 average with a home run and eight runs batted in were enough to help the Giants to the World Series Championship that year, and also earned him a contract extension. He also coined the phrase "Rally Thong" for the Giants postseason run, as he revealed he wore a red thong when the Giants needed a big win. In 2011, he continued to play for San Francisco, but the championship hangover appeared to wear on him a bit. Altogether, his numbers slumped drastically, and as regression (along with a key injury to Buster Posey) hit the Giants, they all failed to make the playoffs for a chance to defend their title. San Francisco made the rebound in 2012, but Huff was not on board, and his numbers dipped even lower, falling below the Mendoza line for the first time in a full season in his career. He spent three stints on the disabled list, struggling with anxiety issues and knee tendinitis. While his numbers were far from usual, he was still brought along for the ride on the postseason roster, making his appearances as a pinch hitter. His production in the postseason was also below average, but his presence on the roster earned him his second championship in three years. Considering all that he's been through, I wish him the best as he makes an attempt to rebound somewhere new next season.
As an aside, since we are now one week into this project, I would like to give credit where credit is due. I get my information and season statistics from Yahoo! Sports, personal information and accomplishments from Wikipedia.org, and minor league statistics, transaction information, and position information from Baseball-Reference.com. Without these well operated websites, this project would not be possible and I thank their dedication to accurate information for allowing me to dabble in the art of journalism. If you would like to cite my articles from the How They Got Here series, please also mention the above websites. Thank You.
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.
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