Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Alex Avila was born on January 29, 1987, in Hialeah, Florida. He is a catcher in the MLB.

Avila played prep baseball at Archbishop McCarthy High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 34th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft, but chose to attend the University of Alabama where he was an All-SEC selection. In 2007, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Following his junior year in which he hit .343 with 17 home runs and 62 runs batted in (RBIs), he was then drafted by the Tigers in the fifth round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.

He previously played for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and Minnesota Twins. Avila is the son of Tigers general manager Al Avila.

Avila was the Tigers' starting catcher for the team's four straight American League Central Division titles, which included catching Cy Young Award seasons for starting pitchers Justin Verlander in 2011 and Max Scherzer in 2013.

Nicknamed "The Titanium Catcher" for the perception among many baseball fans that he was unusually likely to be hit by foul tips, Avila has a history of concussions and concussion-like symptoms.