Detroit Tigers: Finding Avila’s Batting Average as GM

Waiver Claims/Rule 5 selections under Al Avila

For this category, this will be hard to classify as Hits as a few of these players came and went without ever seeing game action in a Detroit Tigers uniform. So for this category, which also includes the Rule 5 selections, Avila’s batting average may be lower.  What defines a Hit here is if they were able to at least contribute something to the MLB team.

2016 Season:

• John Hicks – Hit
• Daniel Stumpf – Hit (Rule 5)

2017 Season:

• Johnny Barbato – Miss
• Victor Reyes – Hit (Rule 5)

2018 Season:

• Josh Smoker – Draw
• Dustin Peterson – Miss
• José Manuel Fernández – Miss
• Reed Garrett – Miss (Rule 5)
• Brandon Dixon – Hit

2019 Season:

• Marcos Diplan – Draw
• Troy Stokes Jr – Draw
• Rony Garcia – Draw

2020 Season:

• Carson Fulmer – Miss
• Dereck Rodriguez – Draw

Josh Hicks was a hit to me because he gave you a good first season of production at the plate. He was not much of a defender and he did strike out too much, but it’s hard to call an OPS+ of 102 in his first season a Miss. Stumpf had better K numbers in 2018 and 2019 but was not the steady lefty presence the Tigers needed.

For all the jokes about Victor Reyes among the fanbase, he has quietly been getting better each season since he was drafted in the 2017 Rule 5 draft.  Barbato pitched 6 innings, allowing 11 hits and 9 runs after being picked up from Pittsburgh. Not that much was expected from him, but that was his stat line in his time in Detroit so he was a miss.

Brandon Dixon did lead the team in home runs in 2019 and was a utility bat Detroit turned to that season so again, for taking a flyer on a player, they got production for at least one season. Since Detroit has not seen anything from Troy Stokes Jr. and the jury is still out on Rony Garcia, for now, they are Draws.  As far as Fernández and Reed Garrett, neither pitcher did much to help the bullpen, and Garrett was returned to the Rangers.

Hits: 4 Misses: 5 Draws: 5

Based on the math, Avila batted .286. Not bad, considering he was just taking flyers on players.

Now we review trades.