Mike Aviles

At 34, Aviles' days in the big leagues are likely nearing an end. Each full campaign that he's spent in the big leagues has been part of a steady decline, while his extremely low walk rate (career 4.0% BB%) has kept his on-base percentage well below .300 in each of the past four seasons. The Indians chose to pick up an option on Aviles' contract for 2015, which may give him a short-term run as a veteran mentor or placeholder for top prospect Francisco Lindor. Beyond that, his value comes mostly from his ability to cover a variety of different positions, although the Indians seem unlikely to give him another 20-plus games in left field. Don't be surprised if he fails to accumulate 300 at-bats this season, given the imminent arrival of Lindor and the organization's younger depth available to contribute around the infield.

Aviles split most of his time between shortstop and third base for the Indians in 2013, logging 124 games for the season. That figure is likely to dip if Lonnie Chisenhall can make some strides at the plate, though an eventual trade of Asdrubal Cabrera could open up some playing time for Aviles until Francisco Lindor is ready to take over at shortstop for the Tribe. Aviles offers moderate pop for a middle infielder if he can carve out a steady role, but he'll likely remain a versatile bench option with a subpar on-base percentage, as he continues to walk at an extremely limited clip.

Aviles had the most productive year of his career in Boston in 2012, appearing in a career-high 136 games. While he does not possess the on-base ability the baseball industry values, Aviles proved he can handle a full-season role, whether it be shortstop or second base. And it looked like Aviles was headed for a similar role in in Boston in 2013, because shortstop Jose Iglesias showed very little in his September audition for the job. Unfortunately, he will not get that opportunity. The Red Sox used him in the deal to sign new manager John Farrell from Toronto. The Blue Jays then traded Aviles to the Indians, who are set at both shortstop and second base, and he will be the utility infielder in Cleveland barring additional trades by the Tribe.

Aviles split time between Kansas City and Boston as a utility player, seeing time at second base, third base, shortstop and both corner-outfield spots. He played in the outfield in Puerto Rico this offseason, looking to establish himself as more than just an infielder. He can run and hit a little, and the Red Sox need a stopgap at short for at least the 2012 season as Jose Iglesias is not ready to hit in the big leagues. As a result, Aviles should regain shortstop eligibility in April while sharing time at the position with Nick Punto.

After riding the bench for the season's first week, Aviles was sent down to Triple-A for almost a month before being recalled to the Royals in 2010. He responded by playing in a career-high 110 games while sporting a .304/.335/.413 line, which is comparable, though a tick below, to his 2008 campaign. Aviles is 30, but he's played in just two full major-league seasons, which makes him somewhat of a wild card. The Royals will move him around the infield, as he played at least five games at three positions last year and figures to see more time at third base this year, giving his owners plenty of versatility along with some speed on the basepaths.

After a breakout 2008, hitting .325 with 10 home runs and 51 RBI and being named the Royals' Player of the Year, Aviles had high expectations entering 2009. However, after only 36 games, Aviles was placed on the disabled list with a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. Aviles underwent Tommy John surgery on July 8 officially ending his 2009 campaign. He hopes to be ready for the start of spring training, however competition for the starting middle-infield spots is strong in Kansas City. Yuniesky Betancourt was acquired from Seattle after Aviles' injury and Albert Callaspo is coming off a career year. Additionally, with the Royals acquiring Chris Getz in an offseason trade with the White Sox, playing time for Aviles is not a guarantee.

The Royals promoted Aviles to the major league roster at the end of May when they realized Tony Pena wouldn't hit his way out of a slump, and he became the team's starting shortstop permanently in June. Despite the late start, he got in 419 at-bats and amassed a .325/.354/.480 line to go with 41 extra-base hits. It's hard to tell if he will be able to keep up his high .357 BABIP. He is reluctant to take a walk (just 14 non-intentional walks last year and 151 walks in 624 minor league games), but he also doesn't strike out all that much (58 K last year, never more than 64 in any minor league season). This means he should consistently put the ball in play and hopefully keep up the .357 BABIP from last year. He is more of a doubles hitter than a home-run hitter, and it would be unrealistic to expect a power surge as he turns 28 before the 2009 season. He is an adequate fielder at both second base and short, and it was unclear at press time which position he would play, but he is a lock for the No. 2 spot in the Royals' order.