Detroit Tigers: Alex Avila should be everyday catcher

Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila has been raking it in at the plate so far this season for the team. Moving forward, he should be the team’s everyday catcher in 2017.

When I first heard this offseason that Alex Avila would be coming back to the Detroit Tigers, I believed that GM Al Avila just wanted to have his son play for him again.

The appearance of favoritism from the Avila family was something that worried me as I was concerned we might have seen the sub .200 catcher again.

Now, signing Avila back looks like one of the  best moves the Detroit Tigers made this offseason. He has played incredibly well and I believe his name should be in the lineup everyday.

In 27 games this season Avila has hit an impressive .360.

Bringing in 18 runners this season and hitting five homers, the catcher has been very impressive. He has been one of the highlights of the offense this season for the Tigers.

Avila has so far has split starts with James McCann throughout the season.

However, he has been much more impressive. In five fewer games, Avila has a  better average, and is leading McCann in both RBI’s and slugging percentage.

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The veteran also has a better WAR at 1.6, while McCann’s WAR is at just 0.2.

Alex is playing very well statistically and is also a huge factor in the locker room.

His year away from the Tigers was an interesting one, because he joined the Chicago White Sox.

The Detroit Tigers’ catcher is now reunited with several of the other veterans on the team. This has to play a role in the team’s chemistry.

While I do not think Avila is the long time solution at catcher, I do believe that he is playing well enough to be the starting catcher for this portion of the season.

Next: Trading Jose Iglesias makes sense

The signing of Alex Avila this offseason has paid off thus far, and I believe he should be the starter for the time being.