Nicholas Paul Avila (born July 25, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants.
Career
Amateur career
Avila attended Turlock High School in Turlock, California, and played for the school's baseball team from 2013 to 2015. He enrolled at California State University, Long Beach and played college baseball for the Long Beach State Dirtbags.
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants selected Avila in the 26th round of the 2019 MLB draft, and he signed for a signing bonus of $50,000.
On December 7, 2022, the Chicago White Sox selected Avila from the Giants in the 2022 Rule 5 draft. Avila posted a 7.20 ERA in seven appearances for the White Sox in spring training, and was informed he would not make the Opening Day roster on March 26, 2023. He was returned to the Giants on March 28. In 2023 with Sacramento he led the PCL in wins with 14 and in games (56), was 14–0 with a 3.00 ERA in 72 innings, and had three saves.
Avila began the 2024 season back with Triple–A Sacramento. On April 1, 2024, Avila was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. In 8 games for the Giants, he struggled to an 8.49 ERA with 14 strikeouts across 11+2⁄3 innings pitched. On June 16, Avila was released by the Giants following the promotion of Spencer Bivens.
Baltimore Orioles
On June 17, 2024, Avila was claimed off release waivers by the Baltimore Orioles. He was subsequently optioned to the Triple–A Norfolk Tides and placed on the injured list with a shoulder impingement. After 9 rehab outings split between the High–A Aberdeen IronBirds and Triple–A Norfolk, Avila was designated for assignment on August 21. He was released by the Orioles organization on August 26.