Minnesota Twins catcher Mitch Garver now has a backup.
Minnesota signed backstop Alex Avila to a one-year deal Tuesday, adding a left-handed bat and veteran presence to the roster.
Avila spent the last two seasons in Arizona. He logged just a .207 batting average in 63 games but was able to compile a .353 on-base percentage due to drawing 36 walks in 201 plate appearances.
His 17.9% walk percentage led the major leagues among players with at least 100 plate appearances.
Behind the dish, Avila threw out 11 of 21 base stealers, good for a 52% clip. The league average was 26% last season. The 32-year-old has tossed out 30% of base stealers over his 11-year career.
Avila’s best season was back in 2011 when he was named an All-Star for Detroit. Avila batted .295/.389/.506 and smacked a career-high 19 homers.
Jason Castro served as Garver’s backup last year and registered a .232/.332/.435 slash line with 13 home runs in 79 games.
Avila is the Twins’ second free-agent signing of the offseason. Minnesota reportedly re-upped starting pitcher Michael Pineda to a two-year, $20 million deal Thursday.
