The Tigers have signed catcher Alex Avila to a one-year deal, per a club announcement. He’ll receive a $2MM guarantee, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag tweets. To create 40-man space, the club designated righty Angel Nesbitt for assignment.
Avila, who is the son of Tigers GM Al Avila, returns to Detroit after a one-year stint with the White Sox. The lefty swinging 29-year-old seems likely to function in a platoon role with James McCann, who has played in over 100 games in each of the last two seasons and may well do so again in 2017.
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Though it had seemed Avila might be too expensive for the Tigers, the sides have found a way to make it work. He hit a solid .213/.359/.373 with seven home runs over 209 plate appearances last year, though the University of Alabama product continued to be limited almost exclusively to facing right-handed pitching.
Avila carries huge platoon splits over his career, though that still makes him a plenty useful part-time piece, especially since he hits from the left side. All told, over his eight seasons of MLB action — seven of which have come with Detroit — he owns a .247/.357/.418 batting line against opposing righties.
There are some questions, though. Avila missed time last year with a hamstring issue and, more worryingly, has dealt with concussion problems. Avila’s defensive work, too, isn’t necessarily a strong suit, though that’s always difficult to assess for a backstop. He draws rather poor ratings as a pitch-framer, per both StatCorner and Baseball Prospectus (subscription link), and the latter publication also has traditionally graded Avila as a somewhat below-average performer in terms of throwing and blocking.
As for Nesbitt, 26, he’ll lose his roster spot after throwing 47 2/3 innings of 4.91 ERA ball at Triple-A in 2016, where he averaged 7.9 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. He received 24 major-league appearances in the prior campaign, but managed only a 5.40 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. Nesbitt did show a 93.9 mph average heater and manage a solid 48.5% groundball rate, but the results just haven’t been there.
Well that just sucks…would have preferred about anyone over him. We’ve been down this path before and it’s awfully bumpy and full of potholes
Mom just wanted him around to bake cookies for the grandkids.
I never understood why the w sox signed him. Oh sorry I forgot it was Williams genius move.
I guess that will show the Tribe, matching the EE deal!
Where did they find the money for this? Pretty sure this is going to push them into the 2nd tier tax bracket.
Although, AA’s great for the staff. $2M for a backup catcher who will most assuredly get hurt is a bad move. Would rather of spent $2M on another RP. Or, signed Brayan Pena for $900k and save $1.1M.
I knew he’d be back. He’s awful. What a GM.
Here at the Tigers we promote family values almost as much as family members!
This is a good deal idk what all of you are talking about. Alex can catch and brings a lefty bat on the bench
A lefty bat? He hit .198. He’s there to give McCann a break and fill a roster spot.
David Ross will do better then him and is 45
Avila had a .359 OBP in 2016 and .346 for his career. He was the best all around option available of LHH catchers. Will keep the lineup moving. Avila knows the Detroit staff very well and as a veteran, will help their young pitchers. He is nothing to get real excited about or to scream like your hair is on fire. As a reserve, his injury history is minimized.
If they just spent $6MM total, they could have landed the LHH centerfielder Revere too.
I don’t know about Avila being the best LHH catcher available. I like Steve Clevenger better and he may have been cheaper. As for calling Ben Revere a CF, I wouldn’t. Revere might be able to handle CF as a back up, but really, he’s a good Leftfielder, with a weak arm. If the Tigers want a good defensive CF, he’s not the answer. Still hoping on Jankowski.
Revere is one of the worst defensive outfielders in baseball, actually, and Clevenger probably has burned his major-league bridges.
Name 3 pitchers Avila has caught on this team. Verlander, Hardy, and Rondon. Don’t give me that “knows the staff” bs
K-Rod.
He’s never caught KRod
Nope, K-Rod was only on the team last year, when Avila was with the Sox. He did see Norris and Boyd briefly, and the other Wilson. Farmer in spring training. I would say he knows the pitching coach’s philosophy, but that position was changed as well.
He didn’t catch K-Rod last year which was his first as a Tiger. He caught Norris, Sanchez and Wilson though and probably Boyd….still would rather have someone else even if they hit right handed instead of left
Why? Just because of comments? Chapman got a 2nd chance. Clevenger deserves as much.
Clevenger was a fringe player anyway, Chapman wasn’t.
Really? You have to be kidding me… bring back Salty not this guy.
White Sox should have tryed to bring him back for his defense
Father son discount?
Perhaps the Tigers need hat special catcher to get the most out of pitchers Mike Pelfrey and Mark Lowe.
Awful move. He’s one concussion away from retirement.
Not an awful move, pretty cheap and has a history of helping pitchers. Just a non factor at this point
If he retires, they get their money back, so how’s that a bad move?
If he retires due to injury then the contract is guaranteed.
They say there’s nepotism in politics….. I think daddy just wanted son paid because no one else was going to.
Avila was hurt for much of his year with the White Sox. He benefits on the open market because so many teams seem to be looking for catchers. Why is it that MLB has so much trouble developing premium catchers who can also hit?
Because catching is hard. It takes a certain body type. There are numerous specialized skills that no other position has to deal with – pitch calling, framing, throwing out baserunners, blocking the plate, positioning the defense. There’s a reason most managers are ex-catchers.
Adding offense to that is a luxury; always has been. Throughout baseball history there are far fewer good offensive catchers relative to other players in the league, and often the really good offensive catchers – bryce Harper, joe Mauer, even going back to Joe Torre – get moved off the position because of the wear and tear it takes on a player.
Can he play CF?
While admitting I didn’t see him play much this year, I will take issue with two items the article brings up. First, having seen him during his time in Detroit, I have always thought he was great at blocking balls in the dirt, and he was decent/average at throwing out baserunners. Second, since when is a line of .213/.359/.373 considered “solid”? Mario Mendoza could manage those numbers.
A 740 OPS? That’s pretty good for a catcher. Mendoza’ career OPS was 500, btw. There’s more to life than batting average.
Mario Mendoza had a career OPS of 500. A 740 OPS is pretty good for a catcher. Life isn’t just batting average.
I’m glad you are impressed. I’m not. When he walks he clogs the bases, and all he does it take pitches. His offense is unimpressive. I’d take the OBA if more of it was moving the baserunners home. Its never the fast players, like Gose or Iglesias, that walk a lot.
If you’re looking for a speedy backup catcher who can hit, you may be out of luck. The offensive bar for backup catchers is unbelievably low. Erik Kratz hit something like .096 last season. Jeff Mathis is an awful hitter. Tim Federowicz gets a job every year and he can’t hit at all. AJ Ellis, same thing. If you can get a backup catcher that can do even one thing well offensively you’re way ahead of almost every other team in baseball. Hell, the Indians almost won the World Series with two of the very worst offensive players in the game squatting behind the plate.
359 obp for a hitter who hits 213 is impressive
Walks with hits is more impressive, than just walks. They shift him, and he hits into it. If runners are on, its a double play. It will be fun seeing who runs to first faster, Avila or Victor?
Both will be winded about 1/2 way down the base line. Maybe one can pass the baton to the other.
Avila hit into exactly 3 double plays last season. The most important skill in baseball is getting on base, not hitting for a high batting average. A 740 OPS is fine for a backup catcher.
Big surprise
ITT: a bunch of dumb Tigers fans who don’t know what you’re talking about.
Oh snap.
Love this move for three reasons:
1. Einstein once told me in one of those Internet memes that a walk is as good as a hit. Alex is an OBP machine. He was a 1 bWAR player in only 57 games. His caught stealing dipped to 22%, from a career average of 29%, but the sample was small. Not a big issue.
2. He knows and gets along with the team. He is experienced enough to be a second coach.
3. His Tigers Shirsey was likely down to only $5 at the clearance rack. Arbitrage opportunity before the stores catch on!
The Tigers, already one of the slowest teams in the game, did not nee Avila clogging the bases. They let Davis leave, then traded Maybin. Gose is in the doghouse. Avila, Victor, Cabrera and Castellanos. Lots of runners with little scoring because it will be one base at a time.
Just trying to understand. You are hoping to get speed out of your backup catcher? Know any 30 steal catchers out there?
I love everybody’s over reaction of the signing of a back up catcher.
Alex Avila “hit a solid .213/.359/.373 with seven home runs over 209 plate appearances last year.”
Solid? Perhaps a century ago in the dead-ball era, not 2016.
Guess I’d call slightly above average (104 wRC+) hitting from a reserve catcher “solid.” Because I did call it that. And continue to believe that it is.
Have you looked at the backup catchers in baseball? Heck, or even the starters? A 740 OPS puts Avila way ahead of the likes of Derek Norris, AJ Ellis, Jeff Mathis, Travis D’Arnaud, AJ Pierzynski, Rene Rivera, Martin Maldonado, Jose Lobaton …you get the point. The bar for offense at catcher is – and has always been very low. Getting any offense at all from the backup, especially a 360 OBP is pretty good.