It seemed relatively certain that Alex Avila had played his final game in a Detroit Tigers uniform.
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The White Sox upgraded their catching Wednesday by agreeing to terms with free agent Alex Avila on a one-year, $2.5 million contract. In seven seasons with the Tigers, Avila batted.
The signing forms a reunion of sorts between Avila and White Sox closer David Robertson, who were teammates in 2006 at the University of Alabama. “He is a well-respected leader in the clubhouse who we believe will make us stronger”.
Avila, regarded as a very good defensive catcher, had his best season in 2011 when he was an American League All-Star and Silver Slugger Award victor after he hit. He hit. 191 with four homers and 13 RBIs.
For his career, Avila is a lifetime.242/.345/.397 hitter with 66 home runs in 683 games.
In the seasons since, his offense has declined – he hit. Avila has had three official concussions in the big leagues, and he’s had to leave several more games than that because of blows to the head from foul tips or batters’ backswings.
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This past season, White Sox catchers combined to finish ninth in the AL in batting average (.230), 11th in OBP (.293) and 10th in slugging percentage (.376). The White Sox recently lost catcher Geovany Soto to the Los Angeles Angels.
