FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Another spring training day, another heaping of praise for Jose Iglesias. This time the kudos emanated from Jupiter, where the Red Sox shortstop tripled while dazzling folks with the kind of glovework rarely seen on any level.

“That was a great play. That ball was scalded," said Sox starter Josh Beckett, referencing a play made by Iglesias on a David Freese grounder in the hole. "It’s nice when they make the great play, but I think when a guy hits a ball that hard, if he’d missed that, I would have understood. He’s pretty sick. I can definitely see why they gave him all that money.”

"That money" was a $6 million signing bonus, along with a four-year, $8.25 million major league deal. So far, Iglesias has looked like a sound investment.

But when the glare of Iglesias' star dims a bit, people might want to alter their focus and start understanding who the Red Sox will most likely have at shortstop when the first meaningful pitch is thrown in Detroit.

Let us introduce him: Mike Aviles. Shortstop. Boston Red Sox.

His signing bonus was $1,000. He has made about $7 million less than Iglesias (who is nine years younger). And the number of "pretty sick" bouquets from pitchers probably is going to fall well short of his shortstop-playing counterpart.

But here is the reality: Aviles has done nothing this spring to suggest he shouldn't be the Opening Day shortstop for the Red Sox. It's just that most haven't been able to take their eyes off Iglesias long enough to realize it.

"I don't worry about what people say. I actually like it," said Aviles, who is vying for the starting shortstop job with Nick Punto and Iglesias. "When people doubt me it adds a little fuel to the fire and helps me out. It gives me something to prove. I've been playing my entire life with something to prove. When you sign for $1,000, nobody expects you to be in the big leagues. Every year I've come to camp fighting for a position. It's nothing new for me. It's not uncharted territory. It would be kind of weird if I came to camp knowing I'm the everyday starter."

Many don't realize that Aviles has lived the life of starting shortstop before, playing 91 games at the position for Kansas City in 2008. But then came Tommy John surgery, and since then he has been bounced around the infield (and even the outfield), pushing back any perception that he is a tried-and-true shortstop.

Now, there is no question. There has been a hardcore re-introduction to the position Aviles played his whole life until '08. When he played nine innings in the field for a March 7 game (as was the case in Dunedin on Wednesday), it offered a reminder of how the Red Sox are planning to put him to the test.

Thus far, all questions have been answered.

"He hasn't played in the position in three years at the major league levels, but he's had some time there. All we're trying to do is prepare him for April," said Red Sox third base and infield coach Jerry Royster. "He's learning on the job, or re-learning on the job, because he's been there before.

"We obviously need him to be a good shortstop. Everybody knows his hitting ability. Especially in our lineup, he can be a big piece. But we really need him to be a good player at the position."

One of the reasons the Red Sox traded Marco Scutaro was because they believed they had a player who could deliver production on par with what they were giving up, even defensively.

The feeling was that Aviles could be a better offensive player, with potentially more pop, while manning the position at a fairly similar defensive level. Scutaro's hands might have the edge, but Aviles' range isn't all that different, with his arm rating among the best at the position.

After watching Aviles through three games in spring thus far, there has been little to alter any positive opinions. A career .379 spring training hitter, he has continued to impress offensively (4-for-10), while making every defensive play thrown his way.

The biggest problem? He is not Jose Iglesias.

"That's just how things are," said Aviles, who is actually playing at five pounds lighter than his last go-round as a starting shortstop four years ago. "There's no way to please everybody all the time. In all honesty, that's just how baseball is. For me, I'm not Iggy. He's unbelievable with the glove. Truly unbelievable. My main focus when I'm playing short is make the routine play, not be too fancy and get the out. Try and secure the ball, that's my main focus. 

"The last time I checked, over the course of my career, I've been a pretty decent shortstop."

Another part of the perception problem when it comes to the idea of Aviles serving as the Red Sox' everyday shortstop is that Red Sox fans only know him as the guy who came over in July for Yamaico Navarro and played a bunch of infield positions. There were 22 games at third base, eight at short, seven at second and five in the outfield.

But the idea of Aviles as a shortstop? Images of Wil Cordero and John Valentin awkwardly switching positions in spring training have scarred Sox fans, along with living life with Julio Lugo's uneasy existence at the position.

Ask the average Red Sox fan, and they'll clamor for the player perceived as the best defensive option to come along since Alex Gonzalez left town. What isn't being factored in is the ability Aviles has shown at the position thus far, along with the notion that despite Iglesias' offensive progression this spring, he has still played just 171 professional games, having totaled an on-base percentage of .285 in Triple-A Pawtucket last year.

The Red Sox need to buy some time when it comes to Iglesias, and judging by what Aviles has shown thus far, he can do that and then some.

"Out of all the positions, the one that feels the easiest for things to come back naturally has been short for me," Aviles said. "It's one position I feel like I can take the least amount of reps and get the most comfortable quicker. Third, second or even the outfield, I feel like I have to take more reps to feel comfortable, whereas at short I can take a couple of days of ground balls and feel right at home. I'm starting to feel comfortable playing the game.

"I'm not saying I'm the best player in the world, but I'm definitely not the worst. I can make the routine play and I can be a very good shortstop, I feel."