St. Louis Cardinals: Dear Aaron Miles

For many St. Louis Cardinals fans, Aaron Miles was just a passing player. But to me, Aaron Miles was one of my all-time favorite players.

During the broadcast of one of the games this past week, I overheard our announcers discuss the St. Louis Cardinals’ promotional game on August 9. This promotion, Budweiser Bash #8, includes what is to me the best promotion of the season: an Aaron Miles bobblehead!

I collect bobbleheads of the Cardinals players and Aaron Miles is one of my favorite all-time players! A quick note of background, Miles is one of my favorites for very simple reasons: same last name and same jersey number (Miles wore 12 with the Cardinals which was the jersey number I wore when I played baseball as a youth).

In preparation for this glorious event at Busch Stadium (for more information, see the Cards Conclave promotional listings), I have written the following letter to the great Aaron Miles.

Dear Mr. Miles,

I am so excited for your promotional event at Busch Stadium this season. I am excited because you are one of my all-time favorite St. Louis Cardinal. During your time with the Cardinals, you wore number 12 which is the same number I wore when I played baseball in my younger days. Also, you played second base which was my original position– another similarity that leads to my admiration.

Adding to these similarities, I found you to be an outstanding super utility player which is my favorite type of player. When you joined the Cardinals in 2006, you came to us playing second, shortstop, and one game at third. At second you posted a .975 fielding percentage appearing in 88 games. At shortstop that season, you posted a .959 fielding percentage appearing in 39 games.

In 2006- a World Series year for my favorite club- you contributed offensively to the tune of .263/.324/.347. While these are not statistics that today would bring down the house, your scrappiness was completely unmatched that season. In this above-the-Mendoza-line slash line, you amassed 20 doubles, five triples, two home runs, 30 RBI, and two stolen bases. And, all-in-all, you earned a World Series ring with this outstanding club.

Brought back in 2007, you increased your numbers and showed how well you could contribute. Your slash line posted as .290/.328/.348 in 133 games. In 2007, you appeared at second base, shortstop, third base, outfield, and- AND- in two games atop the pitcher’s mound in two innings. What an outstanding super utility player!

In 2008, you returned to all of these positions once, yes, including the pitcher’s mound for one inning. You posted a 2008 slash line of .317/.355/.398 in 134 games. Sadly, though, we lost you to the Cubs- difficult to even type- but you came back to us in 2010 for only 79 games as you were winding down your career.