Alexander Thomas Avila (born January 29, 1987) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also played in MLB for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks. Avila is the son of Tigers general manager Al Avila.
Avila was the Tigers' starting catcher for the team's four straight American League Central Division titles, which included catching Cy Young Award seasons for starting pitchers Justin Verlander in 2011 and Max Scherzer in 2013.
Nicknamed "The Titanium Catcher" for the perception among many baseball fans that he was unusually likely to be hit by foul tips, Avila has a history of concussions and concussion-like symptoms. He spent time on the disabled list for a concussion in 2013 and missed games on at least two occasions in 2014 for concussion-like symptoms after taking blows to the head. His most recent reported concussion occurred in the clinching Game 3 of the 2014 American League Division Series when a tipped foul ball hit him in the mask, knocking him out of the game and ending his season three innings early.