Bobby Avila ✝

In 1954, Ávila won the American League Batting Championship, edging out Ted Williams and Minnie Miñoso with a .341 batting average, while playing almost the entire season with a broken thumb. By today\'s standards, Williams (with.345) would have been the champion, but he had so many walks (136) he didn\'t have enough official at bats to qualify. To keep this from happening again, the rule was changed shortly thereafter to plate appearances rather than official at bats to qualify as batting champion. Avila also registered career highs in home runs (15), runs (112) and runs batted in (67).\n', ' In that same season, the Indians faced the New York Giants in the 1954 World Series, which matched the two leagues\' champion bats, Ávila and Willie Mays; it was the third time that top batters in the majors played each other in the Series. Other matchups were Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb in 1909; Al Simmons and Chick Hafey in 1931. The next time the two batting champions faced off in the Series would be 2012, when the Giants\' Buster Posey and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers met.\n', ' Ávila was selected an All-Star in 1952, 1954 and 1955; he was the American League\'s starting shortstop for the 1952 game. Avila led the league in triples in 1952, and led American League second basemen in fielding percentage in 1953. He also appeared in the MVP Award ballot in 1951 and 1954.\n', "