Washington Nationals Backup Catcher Options for 2018 Season
By Tim Boyle
Alex Avila
Veteran Alex Avila has seen the darkest days of baseball and the brightest. Once a possible future star, Avila hit a wall early in his career. Though he has always been an incredibly patient hitter, his career .351 OBP far outweighs the less impressive .243 batting average.
Avila’s bounce back campaign in 2017 should have plenty of teams looking at him as a possible platoon or backup. A starting role probably isn’t out there for him with guys like Jonathan Lucroy and Welington Castillo also searching for jobs. So, it’s probably best for Avila to find a home where a future job is up for grabs.
Although Wieters is getting paid starter money and will need to lose his role as the everyday catcher, it’s a job anyone can win. If Avila can repeat what he did last year, new Nationals’ manager Dave Martinez would have to consider it. The two already met in 2017 when Martinez was coaching for the Chicago Cubs and Avila finished out the season on the Southside. Perhaps this familiarity could lead to a reunion.
Avila finished 2017 with a .264/.387/.447 batting line to go with 14 home runs. Even though this was only the second time in his career he finished a full season batting above .250, Avila is young enough to peak late. He’ll turn 31 in January and could use last year’s momentum to piece together another solid season. Paired with Wieters, the burden could be taken off from each.