Aguila happy to be back home

Chris Aguila, a former star at Reno's McQueen High School, is off to a strong start this season with the 51s, batting .311 and leading the team in doubles (six) despite having played in only 12 games.

Had the 31-year-old outfielder enjoyed a similar start last season for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, he probably would have stayed in Japan for another year.

But after hitting .095 (4-for-42) in 14 games, Aguila was demoted to the minors. He remained mired there for the rest of the season, and then his contract was bought out.

Aguila, who has a .230 batting average in 149 games in the major leagues, said Japanese teams have unrealistic expectations for American players.

"It's crazy over there. I talked to a buddy there the other day, and after his second start he got sent to the minors," Aguila said Thursday before going 2-for-4 with a double and run scored in the 51s' 3-1 win over Colorado Springs at Cashman Field. "They think 0-for-4 is a slump over there."

A third-round draft pick of Florida in 1997, Aguila made his major league debut with the Marlins in 2004 and also played for them in 2005 and 2006 before joining the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 2007.

He played in eight games for the New York Mets in 2008 after batting .295 with a career-high 29 homers and 73 RBIs in 116 games for their Triple-A affiliate, the New Orleans Zephyrs.

With his big league dreams realized and his wife, Kristina, pregnant with their first child last year, Aguila said he couldn't pass up the chance to sign a lucrative, guaranteed contract in Japan.

"I knew I could lock up a little bit of money for my family, and that was No. 1 for me," he said.

While Aguila would have been grateful for the chance to continue his 14-year career with any major league organization this season, he's glad he ended up in Las Vegas, where he lives with his wife and their 15-month-old daughter, Maaeva. Aguila's uncle and older brother Troy also live here.

"To have family around and to have some type of normalcy for the minor league season, it's definitely nice," he said.

Aguila tied a national high school record for home runs in a season in 1997, when he hit 29 in 39 games for the Lancers.

A 5-foot-11-inch, 180-pound right-handed hitter who can play all three outfield spots, Aguila led off the bottom of the first inning with a double and scored. He also threw out Sky Sox center fielder Chris Frey at the plate from right field in the second.

"He's solid defensively," 51s manager Dan Rohn said. "We use him as the leadoff hitter because he's one of the few guys we have who can run a little bit.

"He's got a chance to play in the big leagues. He's just got to be in the right place at the right time."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0354.