Alex Avila

Born: 1/29/1987 in Hialeah, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 2009-08-06 | Final Game: 2021-10-03

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 228 lbs

Full name: Alexander Thomas Avila

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Biography

Alex Avila, born in 1987, was a professional baseball player who had a notable career as a position player from 2009 until his retirement in 2021. Over the course of 1,052 games, Avila established himself as a reliable catcher known for his defensive skills and ability to handle a pitching staff. He recorded 714 hits, 105 home runs, and 397 RBIs, finishing his career with a batting average of .233. His contributions on the field were recognized with an All-Star selection, highlighting his status among the top players in Major League Baseball during his peak years. Avila's playing style was characterized by his strong game management behind the plate and his capacity to contribute offensively when needed. He played a significant role during his tenure with the Detroit Tigers, where he became a fan favorite and part of a competitive team that made multiple playoff appearances in the early 2010s. As a member of the generation that bridged the gap between traditional baseball and the analytics-driven approach of the modern game, Avila's career serves as a reflection of the evolving role of catchers in baseball, blending defensive prowess with offensive potential. His legacy includes not only his individual achievements but also his impact on the teams he played for and the players he mentored throughout his career.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
0	0	3	0	0	0	0	4.0	3	1	0	1	1	2.25	0

Career ERA 2.25 vs. league average 4.33 across their career seasons — 48.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
2018	AZ	NL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2.0	1	0	0	0	0.00	—	-
2019	AZ	NL	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2.0	2	1	1	1	4.50	—	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1052	3060	352	714	155	9	105	397	8	528	1068	0.233	0.348	0.393	0.740	2691.1

Career AVG .233 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 7.9% below league average.

Career OBP .348 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — +8.3% above league average.

Career SLG .393 vs. league average .409 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.740 vs. league average 0.730 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
2009	DET	AL	29	61	9	17	4	0	5	14	0	10	18	0.279	.262 (+6%)	.332 (+13%)	.417 (+41%)	.750 (+29%)	300.8
2010	DET	AL	104	294	28	67	12	0	7	31	2	36	71	0.228	.257 (-11%)	.325 (-3%)	.402 (-16%)	.728 (-10%)	-467.4
2011	DET	AL	141	464	63	137	33	4	19	82	3	73	131	0.295	.255 (+16%)	.320 (+21%)	.399 (+27%)	.719 (+24%)	2396.5
2012	DET	AL	116	367	42	89	21	2	9	48	2	61	104	0.243	.254 (-5%)	.318 (+10%)	.405 (-5%)	.724 (+2%)	301.6
2013	DET	AL	102	330	39	75	14	1	11	47	0	44	112	0.227	.253 (-10%)	.317 (avg)	.396 (-5%)	.714 (-3%)	-125.7
2014	DET	AL	124	390	44	85	22	0	11	47	0	61	151	0.218	.251 (-13%)	.313 (+4%)	.386 (-7%)	.700 (-2%)	18.6
2015	DET	AL	67	178	21	34	5	0	4	13	0	40	66	0.191	.254 (-25%)	.316 (+7%)	.404 (-29%)	.721 (-13%)	-253.0
2016	CHW	AL	57	169	19	36	6	0	7	11	0	38	78	0.213	.255 (-17%)	.321 (+12%)	.417 (-11%)	.738 (-1%)	103.5
2017	DET	AL	77	219	30	60	11	0	11	32	0	43	80	0.274	.254 (+7%)	.324 (+21%)	.425 (+11%)	.750 (+16%)	804.7
2017	CHC	NL	35	92	11	22	2	1	3	17	0	19	40	0.239	.254 (-6%)	.324 (+14%)	.425 (-11%)	.750 (avg)	804.7
2018	AZ	NL	80	194	13	32	6	0	7	20	0	37	90	0.165	.247 (-33%)	.318 (-6%)	.409 (-26%)	.727 (-17%)	-538.9
2019	AZ	NL	63	164	22	34	8	0	9	24	1	36	68	0.207	.252 (-18%)	.322 (+9%)	.434 (-3%)	.757 (+2%)	166.9
2020	MIN	AL	23	49	6	9	2	0	1	2	0	11	22	0.184	—	—	—	—	-61.1
2021	WAS	NL	34	89	5	17	9	1	1	9	0	19	37	0.191	.243 (-22%)	.317 (+9%)	.410 (-15%)	.727 (-5%)	-19.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
36	111	6	17	2	0	3	7	11	43	0.153

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2020	ALWC3	MIN	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
2017	NLCS	CHN	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1.000
2014	ALDS2	DET	3	9	0	2	1	0	0	0	4	0.222
2013	ALCS	DET	6	16	2	3	0	1	3	4	6	0.188
2013	ALDS2	DET	5	15	1	2	0	0	1	4	5	0.133
2012	ALCS	DET	3	10	0	2	0	0	0	0	4	0.200
2012	ALDS2	DET	4	12	2	3	1	1	1	0	6	0.250
2012	WS	DET	2	7	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	0.143
2011	ALCS	DET	6	25	1	2	0	1	1	0	9	0.080
2011	ALDS1	DET	5	16	0	1	0	0	1	2	7	0.062

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	46	24	207	12	1	24
2B	1	1	1	1	0	0
3B	1	1	0	1	1	0
C	929	867	6658	407	38	59
P	3	0	0	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2009	DET	C	25	17	101	7	0	0
2010	DET	C	98	84	556	34	4	5
2011	DET	3B	1	1	0	1	1	0
2011	DET	C	133	130	940	73	5	14
2012	DET	C	113	107	897	57	6	7
2013	DET	C	98	96	815	29	6	4
2014	DET	1B	1	0	0	0	0	0
2014	DET	C	122	116	883	52	5	9
2015	DET	1B	23	13	120	9	1	12
2015	DET	C	44	43	291	18	0	3
2016	CHA	C	54	52	414	21	2	3
2017	DET	1B	16	10	71	2	0	10
2017	DET	C	50	46	323	18	1	4
2017	CHN	1B	3	1	8	1	0	1
2017	CHN	C	28	24	210	15	2	2
2018	ARI	1B	3	0	8	0	0	1
2018	ARI	C	61	57	456	39	1	2
2018	ARI	P	1	0	0	0	0	0
2019	ARI	C	54	49	384	29	2	2
2019	ARI	P	2	0	0	0	0	0
2020	MIN	C	22	19	153	6	3	1
2021	WAS	2B	1	1	1	1	0	0
2021	WAS	C	27	27	235	9	1	3

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Pitcher	3
Catcher	929
First Base	46
Second Base	1
Third Base	1
Designated Hitter	18

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
2011	Silver Slugger	C

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
2016	CHA	AL	$2,500,000
2015	DET	AL	$5,400,000
2014	DET	AL	$4,150,000
2013	DET	AL	$2,950,000
2012	DET	AL	$510,000
2011	DET	AL	$425,000
2010	DET	AL	$404,900
Total Career Earnings			$16,339,900