Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? It only took 13 seasons and 1,043 major-league games, but 34-year-old Alex Avila, who has spent the bulk of his career at catcher, finally got around to playing second base, starting there Thursday night against the Dodgers. An injury to Trea Turner forced the Nationals to get creative with their infield alignment, slotting Starlin Castro at shortstop and Josh Harrison at third with Avila occupying Harrison’s usual role at second base.
With rain falling at Nationals Park, Avila, who learned he’d be playing second base just an hour and a half before first pitch, didn’t have a chance to take grounders before the game. In fact, Avila didn’t even have the proper equipment, needing to borrow an infielder’s glove from teammate Jordy Mercer. Per Elias Sports Bureau, only Brad Ausmus (Avila’s manager for three of his eight seasons in Detroit) had caught more games before making his first career start at second base.
Avila only logged a handful of reps at his new position (that’s all Thursday’s weather permitted with umpires calling the game after five, rain-soaked innings), but the former All-Star made the most of those limited opportunities, impressing by absorbing a well-struck liner off the bat of Max Muncy.
The novice infielder made another slick defensive play in the second inning, scooping a hard-hit chopper to the left side (Washington had the shift in place for left-handed-hitting Cody Bellinger) and firing onto first for the out.
Given how well his cameo went Thursday night (brief as it was), Avila could conceivably earn more looks at second base going forward, particularly with Turner still feeling the effects of a jammed finger suffered sliding into third base Wednesday against Tampa Bay (completing his third career cycle in the process).
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