Lakeland, Fla. — Al Avila walked out onto the field at Joker Marchant Stadium on Tuesday smiling from ear to ear.
Usually when he conducts the first big-league staff meeting of the spring with his manager and coaches, it’s a tedious affair, in the stuffy board room inside the administration building, with time-consuming video presentations.
This year, the pandemic made the board room a non-starter. The meeting was pushed outside into the open air. And, to the Tigers' general manager's joy, the zeal of his coaching staff made the video presentations unnecessary.
“All those guys, the pitching coaches, the hitting coaches, the infield and outfield coaches, they’ve already been watching video,” Avila said.