Avila, Hunter, Nelson and Robertson all crack their respective teams' opening day roster
April 4, 2016
TUSCALOOSA, AL - The Alabama baseball program sports a total of four former standouts who have made an Opening Day roster, as the 2016 Major League Baseball season begins.
Former college teammates and current MLB teammates Alex Avila and David Robertson are both featured on the Chicago White Sox opening day roster, while Jimmy Nelson looks to make his mark as the No. 2 starter in the Milwaukee Brewers' rotation. Reliever Tommy Hunter begins his first season in Cleveland with the Indians, but will likely open the year on the disabled list while he recovers from January surgery.
ALEX AVILA - C, Chicago White Sox
2015: .191 (34-219), 67 G, 5 2B, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 21 R, 40 BB
Avila is coming off an injury-plagued final season with the Detroit Tigers. Beginning the season as the Tigers' primary catcher in 2015, the seven-year veteran ran into knee troubles that sidelined him for a majority of the season. During the 2015 offseason, Avila signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox and figures to be the team's primary backstop. The White Sox open their 2016 campaign on Monday in Oakland, the start of a four-game set with the Athletics.
TOMMY HUNTER - RHP, Cleveland Indians
2015: 2-0, 1 SV, 4.18 ERA (28 ER/60.1 IP), 58 APP, 47 K/14 BB
Hunter joins the Cleveland Indians following a 2015 season where he split time between the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. His eighth season saw the veteran make 39 appearances for the Orioles before traveling to Chicago for 19 outings as part of the Cubs playoff run. Hunter joins a Cleveland pitching staff that ranked as one of the league's most dominant groups in 2015, finishing second in strikeouts and opponent batting average, fourth in WHIP and eighth in team ERA. The Indians kick off the 2016 season in Cleveland against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, barring weather.
JIMMY NELSON - RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
2015: 11-13, 4.11 ERA (81 ER/177.1 IP), 30 GS, 148 K/65 BB
Nelson is coming off a solid season that saw the third-year starter lead the Brewers in wins (11), innings pitched (177.1 IP) and strikeouts (148) - all career-high totals. He issued only 65 walks in 2015, a total that ranked as the 10th-lowest in the National League. The righty cemented himself as a starter entering the 2015 season and figures to once again be a key part of Brewers starting rotation in 2016. Milwaukee begins its season on Monday afternoon against the San Francisco Giants inside Miller Park, with Nelson scheduled to start game two of the series on Tuesday evening.
DAVID ROBERTSON - RHP, Chicago White Sox
2015: 6-5, 34 SV, 3.41 ERA (24 ER/63.1 IP), 60 APP, 86 K/13 BB
Robertson begins his second season on the Southside after wrapping up his first year with the Chicago White Sox in 2015. Despite the White Sox finishing 76-86 overall, Robertson was able to make 60 appearances, finishing with 34 saves to rank sixth in the American League in that category. He enters the 2016 season as the primary closer for the Sox and one the league's top stoppers. This year, Robertson is joined by former teammate and current battery-mate Alex Avila. The two first crossed paths in the 2006 as a members of the Alabama baseball team. Robertson and Avila begin the year on Monday night in Oakland.
Get all the latest information on the team by following AlabamaBSB on Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook at Alabama Baseball. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide :biga:
April 4, 2016
TUSCALOOSA, AL - The Alabama baseball program sports a total of four former standouts who have made an Opening Day roster, as the 2016 Major League Baseball season begins.
Former college teammates and current MLB teammates Alex Avila and David Robertson are both featured on the Chicago White Sox opening day roster, while Jimmy Nelson looks to make his mark as the No. 2 starter in the Milwaukee Brewers' rotation. Reliever Tommy Hunter begins his first season in Cleveland with the Indians, but will likely open the year on the disabled list while he recovers from January surgery.
ALEX AVILA - C, Chicago White Sox
2015: .191 (34-219), 67 G, 5 2B, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 21 R, 40 BB
Avila is coming off an injury-plagued final season with the Detroit Tigers. Beginning the season as the Tigers' primary catcher in 2015, the seven-year veteran ran into knee troubles that sidelined him for a majority of the season. During the 2015 offseason, Avila signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox and figures to be the team's primary backstop. The White Sox open their 2016 campaign on Monday in Oakland, the start of a four-game set with the Athletics.
TOMMY HUNTER - RHP, Cleveland Indians
2015: 2-0, 1 SV, 4.18 ERA (28 ER/60.1 IP), 58 APP, 47 K/14 BB
Hunter joins the Cleveland Indians following a 2015 season where he split time between the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. His eighth season saw the veteran make 39 appearances for the Orioles before traveling to Chicago for 19 outings as part of the Cubs playoff run. Hunter joins a Cleveland pitching staff that ranked as one of the league's most dominant groups in 2015, finishing second in strikeouts and opponent batting average, fourth in WHIP and eighth in team ERA. The Indians kick off the 2016 season in Cleveland against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, barring weather.
JIMMY NELSON - RHP, Milwaukee Brewers
2015: 11-13, 4.11 ERA (81 ER/177.1 IP), 30 GS, 148 K/65 BB
Nelson is coming off a solid season that saw the third-year starter lead the Brewers in wins (11), innings pitched (177.1 IP) and strikeouts (148) - all career-high totals. He issued only 65 walks in 2015, a total that ranked as the 10th-lowest in the National League. The righty cemented himself as a starter entering the 2015 season and figures to once again be a key part of Brewers starting rotation in 2016. Milwaukee begins its season on Monday afternoon against the San Francisco Giants inside Miller Park, with Nelson scheduled to start game two of the series on Tuesday evening.
DAVID ROBERTSON - RHP, Chicago White Sox
2015: 6-5, 34 SV, 3.41 ERA (24 ER/63.1 IP), 60 APP, 86 K/13 BB
Robertson begins his second season on the Southside after wrapping up his first year with the Chicago White Sox in 2015. Despite the White Sox finishing 76-86 overall, Robertson was able to make 60 appearances, finishing with 34 saves to rank sixth in the American League in that category. He enters the 2016 season as the primary closer for the Sox and one the league's top stoppers. This year, Robertson is joined by former teammate and current battery-mate Alex Avila. The two first crossed paths in the 2006 as a members of the Alabama baseball team. Robertson and Avila begin the year on Monday night in Oakland.
Get all the latest information on the team by following AlabamaBSB on Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook at Alabama Baseball. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide :biga:
