FanPost

My Al Avila Verdict....Part 1

Anyone who has followed me on Twitter may recall that I have said since 2017 I would give Al Avila until the end of 2020 before rendering a verdict on his regime and joining either the very vocal Al must go crowd or the less vocal but more than you might imagine Avila supporters. Don’t scoff, they are out there. You may have to dig a little to find them but they do exist. For this exercise I could go through every move, grade, and dissect but do we really need to do that again? I think most of us who follow the team religiously know the disaster FA signings like Zimmermann, Pelfrey, Lowe and so on. I could debate others like Upton, the one year plug in deals that are truly no harm no foul and mainly to just bridge gaps and try to make the team more watchable while the farm develops. I could analyze the good and bad trades involving Kinsler, JD, JV, JaCoby Jones etc and the merits of the prospects received in moving our veterans, but where does that really get us? What matters now is where are we for 2021. We could have the 182,342nd argument over the value of Victor Reyes and that rule V selection. To me where we need to grade Al is simple: What has the accumulation of all his moves led us to entering 2021. This is 3 1/2 years of the teardown and building of the franchise. Let’s take a look:

Catcher: Romine started well but a .582 OPS doesn’t scream resign me, especially as the main piece. Jake Rogers we saw what a disaster he was in 2019, maybe he can be a low average, some pop, good defensive catcher, but that is far from a lock at the major league level. That’s what he was in AAA. I did like what I saw with his swing change in Spring Training, but that the Tigers didn’t see enough to play him at all this year is interesting. Greiner and Haase are nice human beings but hurt my eyes on television. Down the road a fresh 2020 draft pick in Dingler to follow is about all there is to get excited.

Al Verdict: Bad Job Al. Needs outside help and nothing super exciting for 2021/2022 on the horizon

1B: For this exercise we will be moving Candelario back to 3B for next year. 1B is wide open and will need a player signed, just like catcher. Maybe Cron can fill back in for a season. We are going to assume that Torkelson ends back up at 1B for the future which we need him to be the cornerstone player he was drafted to be, but again there is always to go until we get there.

Al Verdict: Meh. Possibly locked down for the future but the here in now is a hole.

2B: I think Willi Castro needs to slide over here. He is not a major league SS. The eye test and the numbers back it up. His acquisition moving Leonys Martin to the Indians could pay some solid dividends and be a nice win for Mr. Avila. Yes the small sample size for 2020 is to be considered and there are warning signs. He isn’t likely to hit .349. He had a .448 BABIP. 5% walk rate. However he is just turning 24 in April and there is time for further growth and development. Parades could also be an option here down the road but I feel for the here and now he needs some AAA time. As the season went on he looked a bit in over his head and the 56 OPS+ with a .278 OBP supports that feeling. Clemens in the minors needs a big 2021 to push his way into the conversation and is more likely a platoon type at best if he develops.

Al Verdict: At least there are a couple of possible options for a solid starter.

SS: Another train wreck. Niko is a bench piece and not a starter. He needs to be a utility type. At 29 this is likely as good as it gets and with no BWAR seasons over 2 which is their benchmark for a starter a -.2 in 2020 the die is cast for me. There is nothing in the farm that excites me and Avila has tried to acquire players in the farm to grow. Generally they field and can’t hit or in Castro’s case can hit a bit but can’t field adequately. This is the spot I spend big after 2021 if the SS market is as deep as it appears it could be.

Al Verdict: Shame on you. Nothing but a bunch of stiffs.

3B: We are going to give this to Candelario for now with Parades as the up and comer. Torkelson could be in play but I’m used him at 1B. I love what I saw with the Candy Man this year and if indeed the real Jeimer has now stood up the position could be occupied for the next few years and Parades may be sliding to 2B and battling with Castro. 2019 pick Nick Quintana and 2020 pick Gage Workman also worth following as they progress through the minors.

Al Verdict: Good job. Lots of options here something should pan out.

The Outfield: What a disgrace. I was all for running through all the AAAA suspects this year and seeing if there was anything. Stewart stinks at the plate and my daughter’s arm was better at age 9.I don’t want to see him again. Demeritte and Bonafacio we saw and it’s time to move on. That brings us to everyone’s lightning rod Victor Reyes. I must admit I didn’t think he would be anything at all, but at most I thought he would be a 4th OF. That’s what he is guys and gals. For all his excitement he was .3 BWAR in 202 AB’s which translate to around 1 WAR for a 600 AB season...that’s bench material. JaCoby can’t stay healthy but will stick around for another year in CF but he isn’t a cornerstone piece. Daz Cameron looked better toward the end but he only had 57 AB’s, 2 BB’s, and finished up at .193/.220/.263. There are tools to like and he will improve but the end game is far from a certainty that he ends up a major league regular. Future we have Riley Greene who looks like he might be fast tracking and it’s absolutely a necessity he becomes a building block. Further down the road there are a few to still keep on a eye on such as Parker Meadows and Bryant Packard. Big year for Meadows after a down 2019. Packard hasn’t played above Connecticut but there is something about him I like. I often say I can’t always tell you what "it" is but he seems to have it to me. I like the swing from the video I’ve seen. There could also be a surprise player pop up, there are a few candidates but I’m not going to laundry list them all. Finally there is Robert Campos the 16 year old IFA signing who has created some buzz and will be fun to follow but that’s 5 years down the road.

Verdict: 2021 is a total disgrace but there is some hope down the road for now though...you’ve been a very bad boy Al.

Part 2 will be the pitching and the final verdict.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the <em>Bless You Boys</em> writing staff.