The Tigers have exercised their club option on catcher Alex Avila for the 2015 season, the team announced. Avila will earn $5.4MM in 2015 rather than being bought out for $200K, though he still would’ve been arbitration-eligible and under team control had Detroit chosen to buy him out. Avila is represented by Excel Sports Management.
Avila broke out with an .895 OPS season in 2011 but hasn’t been nearly as productive at the plate since, posting only a .705 OPS in 1270 plate appearances in 2012-14 and hitting .218/.327/.359 over 457 PA in 2014. Injuries have played a role in Avila’s struggles, as he has battled knee and hamstring issues and (most troubling) multiple concussions. After suffering his latest concussion during the ALDS, Avila said he’d passed his medical tests and was ready to keep playing.
While Detroit now has Avila officially in place for next season, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe recently reported that the Tigers were listening to trade offers for the catcher. This could be due diligence on the Tigers’ part or a hint that they’re looking for an upgrade due to Avila’s injury history and lack of hitting. James McCann, a second-rounder from the 2011 draft, hit .295/.343/.427 in 460 PA at Triple-A Toledo last season and made his MLB debut for Detroit, though if the Tigers did make a move at catcher, you’d expect they would look to replace Avila with a veteran rather than entrust the position to a rookie. A platoon could also be an option, as Avila and McCann hit from opposite sides of the plate.
Not surprising considering his father is one of the men making the decision on exercising the option.
His father didn’t even want him to be drafted by Detroit. The nepotism is highly overstated.
Unclear what the difference would be between exercising the option and not. Weird situation.
If management didn’t exercise the option they could go through arbitration with Avila. The problem with arbitration is that if they do not agree, they go to an arbitration hearing which is much later in the year. If the Tiger’s want to keep options open in trading him, best to have Avila signed onto a contract today.
He could have feasibly made more through arbitration.
Plus the 200K buyout
Who else do fans want catching? Russell Martin would be nice but realistically, who else than Avila because the Tigers do not have an infinite cashflow.
McCann/Avila platoon is the best option… with McCann getting the majority of starts.. McCann (age 24) is ready.
Agreed.
Avila is one of the best defensive catchers in MLB and when he’s healthy he can hit. While McCann can hit, he just needs time at the MLB level.
I wonder what they would do with Holaday then. A strong point about him is that he can bunt and surprise you every now and then.
Avila’s defense is enough to keep him in place. That and how well he’s been able to handle the staff. It is also good to have a veteran for when McCann comes up.
If Avila could improve his plate approach and stay healthy, he could be an all-star. His selfish at bats just killed this team last year. So many times opposing teams put a shift on and Alex refused to hit opposite field or bunt.
If hitting the opposite way for easy singles was as simple as you make it sound, batters facing the shift would hit .500 yearly.
It just doesnt work like that.
worked for Tony Gwynn for what 20 years or so?
Gwynns speed vs Avila/Ortiz or most other players regularly shifted on…
I never said it was easy but you would think for $5+M next year he could spend some time this off season and work on it. There were several games last year when he could have at least “tried” to lay down a bunt down third base line and he was swinging for the fence in right field…..that’s a selfish at bat and he had more than one.
No, no its not.
There was some excellent statistical research done recently i think by FanGraphs, showing just how hard it is for very good bunters (nevermind run poorly catchers) to lay down a bunt just where they want it, even with open grass in front of them.
Long and short of it, the odds of getting on base are far lower when trying this as compared to when swinging away normally even against the shift, so no, its not selfish in the slightest.
Dont kid yourself that teams arent aware of these numbers either, the Tigers included, so thankfully they dont have Avila trying something that is proven numbers wise to be very unlikely to come off and help the team at all.
I wouldn’t call him selfish. He had over 60 walks and a 327 OBP. He does work the count, something few Tiger hitters do.
Teams put the shift on him to take away what he does well, power to the alleys and down the right field line, and to make him try to do something he can’t, hit to the opposite field and bunt.
I agree with you though. He needs to find an answer to the shift, and soon.