Alex Avila

by jmplmol on Aug 9, 2009 8:15 PM EDT

Do you fellas think Avila is for real?

At AA this year he had gone .264/.365/.450 with 12 hr in 93 games; too many K's (77) but offset by 52 bb's

He hit .305 last year with weaker peripherals and power

I had never heard of him until he got called up and started hitting like Babe Ruth (in 8 at bats, of course)

Is he the Tigers' catcher of the future? If so, what kind of stats do you think he'll put up?

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Under the Radar

Avila was a relatively well thought of prospect (I think 10th round ‘08 off the top) who hit relatively well in his draft year. The fact he was in AA one year after his draft year and OPS’ing 800+ to me was very impressive. He definitely has all the tools to stick as an everyday catcher. I certainly don’t think he’s babe ruth, but he should play.

So the question is, what is for real? I think his baseline performance could be somewhere around .275/.350/.430, which for a catcher can look pretty good considering his defense.

by thudean on Aug 10, 2009 8:54 AM EDT reply actions

5th round '08

He’s the son of Tigers assistant GM Al Avila, which made things interesting as a few wondered if the pick was nepotism. Hit well at Low A last year, pretty good at AA, but everyone was really surprised when he was called up. Most Tiger people were figuring he’d be the starter in ‘11 tho. He’ll be catching Porcello and Galarraga exclusively for the near future.

The bat should play, he’ll never be Pudge Rodriguez but he could be above league average for his position. The .275/.350/.430 line sounds about right. He’s already improved behind the plate, that was kind of the biggest question with him. Moved to catcher when he got to college. The arm looks fine, but there might be issues with his receiving/game calling?

by The Fume on Aug 10, 2009 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions

Tough Call

It’s another example of how aggressive Detroit is with it’s prospects. I think the main reason he’s “under the radar” is because he hasn’t spent enough time in the lower minors to get on the radar. The big concern (from what I’ve been hearing) is how well his defense holds up. I’ve read that he’s not likely to be a plus defender. The walk rate is good enough to make Avila useful at the big league level provided he can stick behind the plate. At 22 I don’t think unreasonable to think he’ll develop a little more power. Regardless, I think .275/.350/.430 is feasible and useful given the position.

by tonyinstl on Aug 10, 2009 3:15 PM EDT reply actions