Tigers' Avila optimistic new mask will help him avoid concussions

Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila is resolved to avoid in 2015 the concussion problems that plagued him the last two seasons, and he'll don a goalie-style mask behind the plate this upcoming season for added protection.

"It seems like it's going to help a great deal," Avila told MLB.com's Jason Beck. "It'll take a week or so to get used to, but I think the transition will be pretty easy."

Repeated blows to the mask from foul tips and backswings compelled Avila to make a change. The 27-year-old has missed 24 regular-season games since the beginning of 2013 due to concussion-related problems

"For me, always to my knowledge, (the traditional mask) was safe, so what was the point (of changing)?" he said. "If I'm going to get a concussion with that, I'll get a concussion with the other one. But just the design, it's a little bit different the way the hockey mask is angled, so you're not taking a direct blow. It's not as flush. It'll ricochet off it more. A traditional mask is more flat, so when it hits it's going straight down or going up, so you're getting a little bit more of a whiplash."