Former Atlanta Braves lefty reliever Luis Avilán announces retirement

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The Atlanta Braves signed Luis Avilán as an amateur international free agent on August 22, 2005, just a month after his 16th birthday. After playing for two years in the Dominican Summer League, he moved to the Rookie League, playing for the Gulf Coast Braves in 2008, where he acted as both a starter and reliever.

Avilán made a handful of starts with Danville in 2009 and spot starts with Rome and Myrtle Beach in 2010, but opened 2011 in the pen for Mississippi in 2011. He moved to a starting role on July 16 and made 10 starts, throwing 62+ innings with a 3.88 ERA before the season ended.

Atlanta Braves Call for Avilán

Avilán started 2012 back with the M-Braves and made 12 starts over 16 appearances, but his career as a starter ended after the All-Star Break when the Atlanta Braves called him up.

He made his debut against the Mets in the top of the sixth after Chad Durbin poured gasoline of the Mets rally and handed them the lead. With two on and two out, Avilán struck out Ike Davis on four pitches to end the inning.

Avilán went on to appear in 31 games and pitch to a 2.00 ERA, striking out 33, walking 10, and giving up one home run in 36 innings pitched.

Underappreciated Workhorse

Like Dylan Lee last year, Avilán was his manager's favorite lefty in 2013, and the lefty rewarded him with sterling work. It was the era of the lefty specialist, and in the role, Avilán was superb.

In 65 innings over 75 games, he pitched to a 1.54 ERA, but that doesn’t tell the story. He allowed runs (12 – 11 earned) in 10 appearances covering five innings. In his other 55 appearances totaling 60 innings, he didn't allow a run while pitching to 0.700 WHIP.

He also appeared in four postseason games against the Dodgers without allowing a run in 2 2/3 IP.

Look Deeper Than ERA

At first glance, his 2014 season looks like a significant drop-off; a 4.57 ERA and 1.569 Whip aren’t great. But using ERA as the best way to judge relievers is a bad idea.

Avilán appeared in 43 1/3 innings over 62 games. He had two bad outings, giving up five runs in an inning on April 14 and four runs in 1 1/3 innings on September 29.

In his remaining 41 innings in 60 appearances, he:

Allowed two runs twice (1/3 IP),
One run nine times, and ( 6 2/3 IP),
Nothing in 35 IP over 49 appearances
Pitched to a 2.80 ERA and 0.854 WHIP

Avilán’s 2015 season looked much like 2014. At the trade deadline, he’d pitched to a 3.58 ERA in 37 2/3 IP over 50 appearances, allowing runs in only seven.

Traveling With A Crowd

At the 2015 deadline, he was part of the great three-team 13-player shuffle that allowed John Coppolella to realize his dream of bringing a player tried and failed to sign (Hector Olivera) to the Braves while dumping Jim Johnson and Bronson Arroyo and others.

Avilán spent two and a half seasons with LA and pitched well for them in regular and postseason play before being traded to the White Sox in another three-team trade, but this one only involved seven players.

The Sox sent him to the Phillies in a waiver trade on August 22, and the Phillies let him walk when the season ended. He went on to play for the Mets in 2019 and the Yankees in 2020.

In 2021, Avilán signed with the Nationals and opened his account with a shutout inning against the Braves on April 7. Unfortunately for Luis, his time in Washington ended with UCL replacement surgery.

He signed a Minor League deal with the Nationals in 2022 but didn’t get called up. After sitting out 2023, he decided to retire on October 21.

That’s a Wrap

I hated the idea of a lefty specialist, but they existed, and Luis Avilán filled that role well. He was a dependable arm from the pen during his time with Atlanta, even though fans didn’t always see it that way.

He went on to have a productive 10-year career with contending teams in both leagues. The staff at The House That Hank Built thanks Luis for his time with the Braves and wishes him and his family success in the future.

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