Former Los Angeles Dodgers scout and executive Ralph Avila, who helped the organization establish roots in Latin America, died Monday at his home in Florida. He was 92 years old.
A former semi-pro baseball player in Cuba, Ralph Avila was hired by the Dodgers to be a part-time scout in 1970. Avila spent three decades with the club and gets credit for signing marquee players from Latin America, in particular the Dominican Republic .
Pedro Martínez and Ramón Martínez, as well Raúl Mondesi, were among the players who signed with the Dodgers because of Avila. Candy Maldonado and Mariano Duncan went on to have long major-league careers after Avila brought them to Los Angeles.
Avila helped create the Dodgers’ academy, Campo Las Palmas, in the Dominican Republic. The facility opened in 1987 and allowed the organization to develop talent in the country, which would produce many MLB stars. No team had such an academy in the Dominican Republic before the Dodgers.
Futuro Vivo, a school in Santo Domingo that the Dodgers adopted, was also helped by Avila.
Avila retired after the 1999 season. He was an advisor with the Dodgers until 2021. MLB named Avila the International Scout of the Year in 2006..
The Dodgers made five trips to the World Series and won two championships from the time Avila was hired until his retirement.
Ralph Avila’s son, Al Avila, also became an MLB executive, serving as the Detroit Tigers general manager from 2015-2022. Alex Avila, grandson of the former Dodgers’ executive, played in the majors for 13 years.
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