Once again, Al Avila had to take himself out of the equation.
Way back when the Detroit Tigers drafted his son, Alex, in the fifth round of the 2008 MLB draft, Al Avila would leave the room when his front office colleagues discussed the young catcher from Alabama.
But this winter, now as the general manager of the Tigers, Avila could not step outside. On Dec. 23, the team signed Alex Avila to a one-year contract worth $2 million.
"You gotta take yourself out of the equation of being the dad," Al Avila said Tuesday afternoon, speaking with Christopher Russo on the MLB Network's "High Heat," "and say, regardless, there's going to be some scrutiny with the guys we want. And that's how we did it."
Alex Avila, 29, hit .213 with seven home runs and 11 RBIs in 57 games with the Chicago White Sox last year, his first MLB season outside of a Tigers uniform. Alex Avila spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Tigers, earning a reputation as a clubhouse leader.
That factored into his return, Al Avila said. So, too, did his ability to hit left-handed _ complementing starting catcher James McCann _ his power and an outstanding defensive track record. An added benefit to the move is the ability to keep experienced catcher John Hicks at Triple-A Toledo for insurance.
"We felt that, with an experienced catcher like Alex hitting from the left side, along with McCann, gives us the defense and offense at that position," Avila said.
The signing was not surprising: Alex Avila fit the profile perfectly.
"We identified him as one of the guys we wanted to get, as far as for the catchers that were available," Al Avila said. "We figured he would be the right fit for us, knowing the organization and being close with so many of the guys."
More surprising was that the Tigers, who said that they would trim payroll, spent $2 million on a backup catcher when there still is an opening in centerfield.
