# 33 Steve Avery

Steve Avery has been one of my favorite players for a long time. Truthfully I don't remember when I first started liking him, but by the 1992 season he was already one of my favorite players.

Steve is a gifted pitcher, a noted prankster, and drop-dead gorgeous to top it off. He was one of the Fab Four in Atlanta, where he was extremely successful until injury problems. Beset by injuries since 1994, Steve has struggled, but pitched well enough in 1998 to win 10 games for the Red Sox. He has signed with the Reds and is playing well.

Anyway, enough babbling, here's some stuff about Steve:

Full Name: Steven Thomas Avery
Nickname: Aves, Poison Avery
Team: Cincinnati Reds
How Acquired: Signed as free agent in 1998 offseason
Position: Starting pitcher
Bats/Throws: Left/Left
Pitching Arsenal: Sinking fastball, cut fastball, slider, curveball, changeup
ML Seasons: 8 (Actual ML service time is a little over six years)
Birthdate: April 14, 1970
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 205
Birthplace: Trenton, Michigan
Residence: Taylor, Michigan
Contract Status: Under $3.9 million contract for 1998
Uniform Number: 33. As a rookie Steve was first given #42 but has worn #33 since 1991
Family: Father Ken Sr., mother Connie, older brothers Ken Jr. and Mike, younger sister Jennifer.
Marital Status: Married to Heather (in November 1991) with son and daughter.
High School: John F. Kennedy High School in Taylor, Michigan
Drafted: First round third overall pick by the Atlanta Braves in June 1988
Minors: 1988-Rookie League Pulaski, 7-1, 1.50 ERA; 1989-Single-A Durham, 6-4, 1.45 ERA, Double-A Greenville, 6-3, 2.77 ERA, 1990-Triple-A Richmond, 5-5, 3.50 ERA. Rehabs: 1996-Greenville, 1997-Sarasota, Pawtucket.
Interesting Notes (from Steve's pre-majors days): Steve's dad, Ken Avery, was a minor-league pitcher. Steve started pitching at age nine. His favorite player as a kid was Kirk Gibson. Steve was 29-4 in his high school career with 376 strikeouts and a 1.11 ERA and a .411 batting average. He was the male player of the year in Michigan and also male athlete of the year for the state in 1988. Declined a baseball scholarship with Stanford to sign with the Braves.

Steve Avery's Career Firsts:

First ML start and loss: 6/13/90 @Cincinnati
First ML win: 6/26/90 vs. Los Angeles
First Road win: 4/13/90 @Cincinnati
First ML complete game: 8/24/90 vs. Chicago Cubs
First ML shutout: 9/20/91 @Los Angeles

Steve Avery's Career Bests

Most wins: 18, 1991 and 1993
Best ERA: 2.94, 1993
Best win percentage: .750, 1993
Most innings: 233.2, 1992
Most strikeouts (season): 141, 1995
Most complete games: 3, 1991, 1993, 1995
Most shutouts: 2, 1992
Most strikeouts (game): 8/8/94 @ Cincinnati, 9/23/95 vs. Montreal

Honors Steve has earned: Steve was the youngest NLCS MVP in 1991 when he blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates twice, earning him the nickname "Poison Avery." He is a three-time All-Star (1991, 1992, 1993). Earned a world championship ring with the Braves in 1995.
Steve's Hobbies that I know of: Playing golf, listening to rock music.

Links:

Pictures of Steve Avery

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