Five Numbers That Sum Up The Season
PA |
OPS |
BB/AB |
BAbip |
CS% |
333 |
.656 |
.122 |
.278 |
32% |
What It All Means
Alex Avila posted a respectable first full season with the big league club, highlighted by a slow start that slowly came around in the second half of the season. The two most encouraging aspects of his 2010 campaign: his walk rate remained excellent, and with a lower BAbip it’s possible he’ll see an uptick in his 2011 batting average. Basically it means that while Avila wasn’t a stud at the plate, all the tools were there to indicate a continued ability to at least hold his own as a big league hitter. In addition, he saw his caught stealing percentage jump to 32% while allowing just six passed balls; some even insinuate that his offense struggled so much in the first half of the year because he was overly focused on his defense. Either way, it showed, as there were no longer concerns about his ability to call games, block pitches in the dirt and keep runners honest.
What Does the Future Hold
The Tigers made their decision clear on the last day of the season; Avila would be returning to be the Tigers’ primary catcher, and Gerald Laird would be looking for work elsewhere. Avila showed enough strides in his defense that the Tigers are now confident he can handle himself and the pitching staff there, and rightly believe that he’s at minimum capable of holding his own as a hitter. The team will likely pursue another quality catcher to either back up or potentially platoon with Avila, but the end result is clear; Avila will be catching for the Tigers in 2011.