MLB Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers’ Alex Avila Could Flourish In A Strict Platoon Role

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By @Brad_Faber

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David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

In 2014, it was hardly a secret that Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila continued to struggle with the bat for the third consecutive season after making an All-Star team and winning a Silver Slugger award back in 2011. There was a certain amount of trade speculation surrounding Avila earlier in the offseason, but the Tigers exercised his option in November and he is now expected to be back.

That said, many have begun to speculate that the soon-to-be 28-year-old’s days in the Motor City may still be numbered. Based on everything that has been reported, it appears that the Tigers are going to take a serious look at the young James McCann in Spring Training.

McCann, of course, made his MLB debut in 2014, and some have theorized that the Tigers may continue to ease him into the big leagues in 2015, which would be similar to what they did with Avila in 2009-10. If McCann does well, many fans feel that he would be the favorite to become Detroit’s everyday catcher in 2016.

Even though it appears that some of Avila’s playing time may be reduced in 2015, he may actually benefit immensely from a strict platoon partnership with McCann. Avila, a left-handed hitter, has encountered his share of struggles against southpaws. Over his career, he holds a .215/.302/.317 triple-slash with seven home runs and 51 RBIs against left-handed pitching, compared to a much better .256/.358/.434 with 55 home runs and 218 RBIs against RHP.

Although the righty-swinging McCann obviously still has much to prove at the MLB level, he posted a robust .342 batting average with an .879 OPS against LHP in Triple-A Toledo last season. It will remain to be seen whether or not he can translate that success to the big-league level, but he will certainly take a lot of weight off of Avila if he can in fact prove to be able to mash major league lefties. If Avila doesn’t have to face LHP as much, it could very well make his overall numbers look much more respectable.

Furthermore, the Tigers’ backup catcher last season, Bryan Holaday, did a respectable all-around job, and he still figures to be in the mix in some capacity heading into 2015. However, he really struggled against lefties, batting just .151 with a .380 OPS. Therefore, the bar has been set pretty low for McCann to provide an upgrade in that department.

While Avila’s health does remain a concern, the numbers suggest that the Tigers could truly have a rather formidable platoon behind the plate heading into the upcoming season if the stars can line up. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Avila and McCann each have a reputation for playing stellar defense as well.

Brad Faber is a Senior Writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google. 

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