Five Numbers That Sum Up The Season
OPS |
Games Caught |
XBH |
BAbip |
Playoff OPS |
.895 |
133 |
56 |
.366 |
.263 |
What It All Means
Coming into the season, it was discussed frequently how the Tigers could really use another complete hitter; someone that would post a .300/.400/.500 line that could in theory fit perfectly into the three spot in front of Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez. Almost no one guessed that Avila could be that guy, but that’s exactly what he turned out to be in 2011, with an OPS of almost .900 en route to an All-Star season and being named the Silver Slugger among catchers. However, the lack of an available backup clearly took its toll – Avila caught over 130 games over the course of the season, and by the time the playoffs came around, he had little left in the tank, and managed just three hits. But despite the late tailspin, you would be hard pressed to find anyone disappointed with Avila’s production in 2011.
What Does the Future Hold
When you have an All-Star starter who is just 24-years old, you do everything you can to take care of him, and that’s exactly what the Tigers plan on doing. Avila will still be the team’s everyday catcher, however in 2012 everyday won’t actually mean every day. On the laundry list for Dave Dombrowski this winter will be to find a suitable backup catcher that can catch 40+ games over the course of the season and hopefully help keep Avila healthy and able to produce all season long, and into October.
Contract Status
With just over two years of service time, Avila is not yet arbitration eligible. There has also been no indication yet that the Tigers plan to begin discussions about a contract extension. The Tigers will again have one of the best catchers in the game, and will have him at a bargain rate in 2012.