Cleveland Guardians’ right-hander Pedro Avila is currently playing Winter Ball in his native Venezuela.
He made his debut in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional (LVBP) this week, on Tuesday, in a new role.
After pitching in 54 games this season, all of them as a reliever, the Tiburones de La Guaira are trying out Avila as a starter.
It’s not a crazy though: Avila routinely gave Cleveland multiple innings in his relief appearances, completing 82.2 innings in those 54 games.
He was a bit off with his control and command on Tuesday, though, so the first experiment wasn’t really positive.
“Cleveland #Guardians RHP Pedro Avila had a bit of a rough outing making his 1st start of the season tonight for @Tiburonesbbc_ in the Venezuelan Winter League. Line – 2.0(IP) 3H 3R 3ER 4BB 2SO (54 Pitches 29 Strikes),” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Cleveland #Guardians RHP Pedro Avila had a bit of a rough outing making his 1st start of the season tonight for @Tiburonesbbc_ in the Venezuelan Winter League.
Line – 2.0(IP) 3H 3R 3ER 4BB 2SO (54 Pitches 29 Strikes) pic.twitter.com/Qiy77bVe4O
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) December 18, 2024
In just a couple of innings, Avila conceded four walks, three hits and three runs.
He was initially slated to make two starts in Venezuela, so he will likely take the ball in a few days, try again and hope for better results.
It’s unclear if Avila starting means anything about his future role in Cleveland, but the organization does need starters much moreso than relievers, for what it’s worth.
Avila has talent in his right arm, posting a solid 3.81 ERA and 82 punchouts this past season with the Guardians.
He also boasts a perfectly solid 3.51 ERA for his career.
Maybe the Guardians want to groom him as their sixth or seventh starter if he delivers good results in Venezuela.
So far, he didn’t start off on the right foot.
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