After three-plus seasons of flying under the radar with the Texas Rangers, first baseman Chris Davis got a fresh start with the Baltimore Orioles in 2011. In 31 games with the Orioles in 2011, Davis batted .276 with a pair of home runs and 13 runs batted in. In 2012 Davis became the Orioles everyday first baseman and he made the most of it as he hit 33 home runs along with 85 runs batted in as he helped the O”s make their first trip to the postseason since 1997. Last season Davis set an Orioles single-season franchise record as hit 53 home runs. Davis’ 53 home runs and 138 runs batted in led the American League and he would finish the season third in the AL MVP voting.
After his big season in 2013, baseball fans were salivating to see what Davis would do for an encore in 2014. Last year Davis finished the month of April with a .348 batting average, 9 home runs, 28 runs batted in, a .442 on-base percentage, and a .728 slugging percentage. This season was a little bit different for Davis as he finished the month of April only hitting .250 with 2 home runs and 13 runs batted in.
By April 26, Davis found himself on the disabled list as he was suffering from a strained left oblique. Davis returned to the Orioles lineup on May 11 and he is beginning to show flashes of the dominant player that he was last season, but Orioles manager Buck Showalter needs to see it from his slugger on a nightly basis.
Entering play today the Orioles 40-36 record is good enough for them to be in second place in the tight American League East. Baltimore is only 2.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays while the New York Yankees are breathing down their throat as they’re just a game behind them. For the most part the Orioles have been able to remain in contention without huge production from Davis, but if he is able to get it going at the plate, Baltimore could be in position to overtake the Blue Jays for the top spot in the division.
So far for the month of June, Davis has 6 home runs and 15 runs batted in, but his batting average is a paltry .203. Overall for the season Davis is batting .222 with 13 home runs and 40 runs batted in. Davis’ current slugging percentage of .436 is down nearly .200 points from last season. Davis has not been the same contact hitter this season which can be attributed to his recovery from the oblique injury to how opposing teams are pitching him.
Last year opposing pitchers were unable to sneak anything past Davis in the zone. Most pitches were up in the strike zone and Davis was able to send them on long flights. This season opposing pitchers are either pitching Davis away or attempting to crowd him. When pitchers work the outside part of the plate against Davis this season it has him caused to extend his body more, thus more pressure is placed on his strained oblique. When pitchers go inside on Davis they have the luxury of the defensive over shift on him to hit to the right side of the infield. During his time with the Orioles, Davis has struck out 487 times with 80 of those coming this season. Davis needs to be more of a disciplined hitter at the plate while adjusting to the pitches that are being given to him.
The Orioles are not that far off from being a playoff team and if Davis can get it going this summer they could be the team to beat in the American League East.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
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