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St. Louis Cardinals: Five Potential Backup Catchers for Yadier Molina in 2017
5. Alex Avila – 29 Years Old
Lastly, the St. Louis Cardinals could take a shot at Alex Avila. Avila was an all-star in 2011 but has failed to reach that mark again. In 2011 Avila had a WAR of 5.1, but in the 5 years since then, he has a combined WAR of only 6.2. Following his 2011 Campaign, Avila had a season marked with inconsistency and nagging injuries. But he did still manage to catch the fourth most games in the American League.
2014 was a solid year for him behind the plate, but not in the batters box. Avila’s struggles offensively continued, but he was a success with his defense, finishing as a finalist for the 2014 Gold Glove. During this season, Avila allowed only 3 passed balls in 122 games, and threw out 34% of base runners, the highest rate of his career.
2015 was the worst season of his career. Avila struggled heavily with the bat, slashing a mere .191/.339/.287 and he didn’t find any success behind the plate either. On an almost sad note, Avila’s father was hired to be the teams GM that following off season, and chose not to pursue his son in free agency. Which, I mean, if that doesn’t sum up sport management in one sentence, I don’t know what does. Baseball is a business, nothing is personal.
However, the Chicago White Sox took a chance on him in 2016. Fortunately, Avila rebounded slightly at the plate, hitting .213/.359/.373, and blasting 7 home runs in only 209 PA’s.
With Avila, you know what you’re gonna get. You’re getting an average hitter, with occasional pop, and an almost depleted arm. He could prove useful not only as a backup, but as a batter off the bench.