Washington Nationals catcher Alex Avila said Sunday that he is retiring after the season.
The 34-year-old Avila is completing his 13th major league campaign. The Nationals are his sixth team.
“I always figured I would know when I feel like I’ve given everything I possibly can physically on the field,” Avila told reporters prior to Sunday’s 3-0 win over the Colorado Rockies. “And at that point, I would call it an end.”
Avila is batting just .179 with one homer and seven RBIs in 29 games in his lone season with Washington.
Avila reached the majors in 2009 and spent his first seven seasons and eight overall with the Detroit Tigers. He was an American League All-Star in 2011 when he established career bests of 19 homers, 82 RBIs and a .295 average.
Overall, Avila has a .233 average with 105 homers and 395 RBIs in 1,047 games with the Tigers (2009-15, 2017), Chicago White Sox (2016), Chicago Cubs (2017), Arizona Diamondbacks (2018-19), Minnesota Twins (2020) and Nationals.
Avila said he plans to remain in the game. That seems to be a good bet with his father, Al, being the general manager of the Tigers.
“I’ll never not be involved in the game,” Avila said. “I’ll do something within the game. I don’t know what that is yet. You know, once the season’s over and going in the next few months, so figure that out, see where it goes. But I’ll be involved. I love the game way too much.”
–Field Level Media
