Former Livingston High, Merced College baseball star signs deal with Los Angeles Angels

Like many kids, Cesar Avila grew up dreaming of becoming a Major League Baseball player.

The former Livingston High and Merced College star is going to get his shot.

Avila signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.

“That’s every kid’s dream,” Avila said. “You just want that chance, especially coming out of Livingston, that just adds to it.”

It was a whirlwind beginning of the week as Avila watched the Major League Baseball Draft, which was held Sunday through Tuesday.

Avila went undrafted despite attracting interest from multiple teams this season after being named the Mid-South Conference Pitcher of the Year as the University of the Cumberlands ace.

Avila compiled a 13-0 record for the Patriots this season to go with a 2.85 ERA. Avila struck out 124 batters in just over 88 innings pitched.

“Going into the draft I had five or six teams looking at me this season with the Angels and Braves being the top two teams,” Avila said.

Avila thought he might have missed his opportunity when his name wasn’t called during the draft. However, he received a call from his advisor after the draft saying the Angels were offering to sign him.

“There’s been a lot of excitement and a lot of joy,” Avila said. “To dealing with the disappointment of not getting drafted to signing with the Angels. It’s been great to be home around my family and my girlfriend and people who support me.”

Avila’s baseball journey started in his hometown of Livingston where he graduated from Livingston High in 2019.

“I’m just so happy for him,” said Livingston High coach Matt Winton, who coached Avila all four years in high school. “He’s put in a lot of hard work and dedication to get where he’s at now. He’s always been a great kid.”

Avila spent three years pitching at Merced College for Blue Devils head coach Nate Devine.

“My time at Merced College was huge,” Avila said. “Coach Devine worked with me. There were times when I wanted to quit and coach Devine kept pushing me.”

Avila played two years at the University of the Cumberlands. He spent last year primarily as a closer, picking up nine saves while compiling a 3.31 ERA in just over 29 innings pitched.

The coaching staff approached Avila about becoming a starting pitcher this year.

“They wanted to transition me to a starter and I wasn’t going to say no,” Avila said. “I’ll do anything for my team. This was my first season being a starter since my days back in Livingston.”

Avila said the main changes he made converting from a closer to a starter was just changing his routine to get ready to pitch more innings.

He also added a slider this year which he said was huge because it gave him another weapon to go along with his fastball, which sits around 92 to 95 mph, a two-seam fastball, changeup and curveball.

Avila says the Angels haven’t given him a report date yet, but he expects to start in Low-A ball in San Bernardino.

“Coming from Livingston, even coming from the Central Valley, you don’t see a lot of players succeed at the pro level,” Avila. “It’s a big honor for me and my family to get this opportunity.”