Alex Avila: All-Star Catcher

The day off provides a good chance to do more looking back than looking ahead. So far, the Tigers have received some disappointing results from some players but guys like Jhonny Peralta and Alex Avila have been pleasant surprises.

John talked about Peralta’s play in a post earlier today. I wanted to focus on Alex Avila and I’ll start with a question: have you considered that Alex Avila might be putting together an All-Star season?

If not, humor me for just a moment…

Head over to MLB.com and you will eventually find the official All-Star ballot. The ballot contains a handy link to compare the stats of the candidates at each position. Click that link for the AL catchers and you’ll get something like this:

(table contains through 5/11)

The overall statistics are far from awe-inspiring. Even so, Avila ranks first in batting average, tied for second in runs scored, tied for first in home runs, first in RBI and tied for first in stolen bases. We’re six weeks into the season and Alex Avila has a pretty clear-cut statistical advantage over the other catchers on the ballot, and that has nothing to do with who his dad is.