Alex Avila
Alexander Thomas Avila (born January 29, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Between 2009 and 2021 he played for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals. Avila is the son of former Tigers general manager Al Avila.
| Alex Avila | |
|---|---|
Avila with the Washington Nationals in 2021 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: January 29, 1987 Hialeah, Florida, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 6, 2009, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 2021, for the Washington Nationals | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .233 |
| Home runs | 105 |
| Runs batted in | 397 |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Avila was the Tigers' starting catcher for the team's four straight American League Central Division titles, which included catching Cy Young Award seasons for starting pitchers Justin Verlander in 2011 and Max Scherzer in 2013.
Nicknamed "The Titanium Catcher" for the perception among many baseball fans that he was unusually likely to be hit by foul tips, Avila has a history of concussions and concussion-like symptoms. He spent time on the disabled list for a concussion in 2013 and missed games on at least two occasions in 2014 for concussion-like symptoms after taking blows to the head. His most recent reported concussion occurred in the clinching Game 3 of the 2014 American League Division Series when a tipped foul ball hit him in the mask, knocking him out of the game and ending his season three innings early.