Alex Avila has experience catching Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin. And it shows. Jesse Dougherty, The Washington Post Feb. 25, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Alex Avila has caught 187 different pitchers in 902 regular season games since his 2009 major league debut. That's naturally turned his brain into a dusty filing cabinet of the most minute details. At one point, about 10 years ago, it was consumed by Justin Verlander's curve or Aníbal Sánchez's change-up. In recent seasons, he calculated the best ways for Zack Greinke or Archie Bradley to use their fastballs. And along the way, in stints with the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks, he stored tons of information on Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin that could now serve him and the Washington Nationals well. Avila is the team's new backup catcher after signing a one-year, $1.5 million contract in late January. He is expected to start a maximum of two times per week to spell Yan Gomes. But his experience with Scherzer and Corbin could make him more valuable come September than his stats and workload might suggest.