LAKELAND, Fla. – Few Major League Baseball players have been hurt more by the defensive shift currently used widespread in the game than Alex Avila.
At least, that's how it looked often for the Tigers' catcher last season.
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There were plenty of times when Avila hit a ball either in the hole on the right side or up the middle and came up empty because opponents moved their fielders to those spots.
Hence, Avila suffered at the plate. His woeful .218 batting average was proof.
It can't continue. Avila has to both beat the shift this coming season and be a more productive hitter. Avila has to be willing to do anything possible to improve his batting average - even lay down a few bunts to keep the defense honest.
Although Avila isn't fleet-footed - OK, he's slow - it's a plan that has been both talked about and practiced in spring training.
Best of all, Avila, 28, is open to the idea.
"Yeah, absolutely, I would," he said. "That's something we even talked about last year, dropping down some bunts. It's something you can do to catch them sleeping."
Tigers' manager Brad Ausmus is on board as well. He will try anything to get his catcher going again at the plate.
"Yes, he could bunt," Ausmus said. "We've already talked to him about it."
Avila tried a few times to bunt last season, but he wasn't successful. This spring, he's really worked on it in an attempt to make it a real weapon.
A few years ago, the idea of Avila bunting for hits would have been laughed at. Back then, Avila was a near .300 hitter with home run power, especially the other way.
But Avila, once the starting catcher for the AL All-Stars, has struggled mightily the last three seasons at the plate.
His batting average has gone down each season since 2011, his All-Star season. Last year, Avila bottomed out at .218 with 11 homers and 47 RBI. Worse, he struck out a career-high 151 times in just 390 at-bats. That's a terrible rate.
And while the shift has hurt, Avila just hasn't hit well overall. We know all the things he does behind the plate with the staff and defensively. Still, the Tigers simply can't carry him anymore.
Avila has to find ways to get more hits. The Tigers need his bat. Their lineup isn't as big and bad as it was a few seasons ago. Plus, the division has a lot more firepower as well.
"It's something I've thought about," said Avila about the shift used against him. "There are things you can adjust. What I'm trying to adjust to isn't just to beat the shift but to get me back to what made me successful."
That was going the other way. If Avila hit like he did in 2011, when he used the entire field and batted .295, teams wouldn't employ the dramatic shift to the right side of the diamond.
"One thing I was upset about last year," he said. "Most of my home runs in my career have gone to the opposite field. Last year, I didn't have any."
Avila, for whatever reason, became a total pull hitter.
"I wouldn't say it had anything to do with the shift, but it was almost like I lost, not only the ability to hit that way consistently, but hit for power," he said. "I had to find out the reason and get out of some bad habits. I've been working on it and maybe that will help combat the shift a little bit."
Ausmus has another idea for Avila aside from bunting. The manager is seriously considering batting his catcher second in the lineup.
"It's not etched in stone, but it's something we are still considering," Ausmus said.
There's only one drawback: Avila would have a hard time scoring on a double from first base. Nonetheless, Avila is game if called upon.
"I'm open to wherever Brad wants to put me in the lineup," Avila said. "We don't have a prototypical guy to hit No. 2. I'm sure a guy will come as the season progresses and take that spot. But that's something Brad will have to figure out."
Same for Avila and that pesky shift.