For the first 2 1/2 months of last season, Alex Avila endured what might have been the worst stretch of his professional career. He could not hit. He often could not make contact. His slow, post-strikeout return to the home dugout at Chase Field was sometimes accompanied by a soundtrack of boos.
And yet a glance at Avila – or even a conversation with him – offered no hints at his plight. He would say he was not bothered by his results. He would say the struggles did not upset him. His facial expressions and body language never seemed to change.