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Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez had perhaps the best pitching span in professional baseball history with the Montreal Expos and the Boston Red Sox, where he won 3 Cy Young Awards and in a span of four between 1997 and 2000 years once took 2nd place. However, Pedro Martinez’s career didn’t start with the Montreal Expos or the Boston Red Sox. He could not be drafted.
Instead, Pedro Martinez’s career began as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers when the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Pedro Martinez on June 18, 1988 as a 16-year-old international talent from the Dominican Republic.
The man behind this signing and many more international signings for the Los Angeles Dodgers was legendary scout Ralph Avila.
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Twitter today that influential former Los Angeles Dodgers scout and manager Ralph Avila passed away today at his home at the age of 92.
Ralph Avila helped establish the Los Angeles Dodgers’ connection to Latin America by establishing the year-round training facility in the Dominican Republic known as Campo Las Palmas.
Campo Las Palmas opened in 1987 and Avila served as regional coordinator, director and eventually vice president. He remained active as a consultant until 2021.
He was also instrumental in the formation of the Dominican Summer League and worked closely with Epy Guerrero on these projects.
Among other things, he was named Major League Baseball’s International Scout of the Year in 2006.
His son Al Avila was general manager of the Detroit Tigers from 2015 to 2022.
Ralph Avila’s grandson, Alex Avila, was a baseball catcher who played in MLB for 13 years before retiring. Alex Avila also made it to an All-Star Game during his career.
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