Chris Davis
In a bit of a surprise move, first baseman/designated hitter Chris Davis is returning to the Baltimore Orioles after both sides agreed to a seven-year contract that is worth $161 million. Davis’s return to the Orioles is surprising due to the fact that at the end of the 2015 Major League Baseball season, all signs pointed to him leaving Baltimore. After leading the American League in home runs last season with 47, Davis was seeking a big payday in free agency which he got. But under owner Peter Angelos, the O’s haven’t had a history of spending big in free agency; however he now appears to be a desperate man.
In 2014, the Orioles won 96 games en route to their first American League East Title since 1997. But last year, the O’s struck out big time in free agency as they lost outfielder Nick Markakis to the Atlanta Braves, relief pitcher Andrew Miller to the New York Yankees, and outfielder/designated hitter Nelson Cruz to the Seattle Mariners. And in losing these three key players to their team, the results were much different for the Orioles in 2015 as they went 81-81 which showed that Angelos could not afford to lose Davis to the same fate.
However for Davis, when he is good, he is really good, and when he is bad, he is at the other end of the spectrum. The Orioles acquired Davis from the Texas Rangers in 2011 and he would become a breakout performer for Baltimore in 2012 when he hit 33 home runs while driving in 85 runs. In 2013, Davis became a household name when he led the American League in home runs (53), and runs batted in (138), as he would be voted as a starter to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
Davis was never able to get back on track in 2014 as he batted just .196, but he did manage to hit 26 home runs while driving in 72 runs. And that September, Davis would be suspended by Major League Baseball for 25 games after he tested positive for Adderall which is a banned substance.
Davis would start off 2015 slow as he was looking to put the failed drug test behind him, and he finished strong as he led the American League in home runs with 47. But it was tough to determine if Davis was just another classic case of a guy getting hot when he is in a contract year, or that he was simply turning the corner in his career.
However Angelos does believe in Davis which is evident by the fact that he has invested $161 million in him with some of it being deferred into installment payments through 2037. What Davis does give the Orioles is a legitimate power bat in the middle of their lineup as he can provide protection for both outfielder Adam Jones and third baseman Manny Machado. But the downside for Davis is that he also has a penchant to strike out. Last season Davis struck out 208 times which led the American League; however when he connects it makes people tend to forget about his whiffs.
Under manager Buck Showalter, the Orioles don’t want to get lost in the shuffle in the American League East as it won’t take that much to win this division being that no team is expected to run away with it. And even as the O’s finished at .500 last season, they fell just five wins short of securing the final wild card berth in the AL. Now they are hopeful that Davis’ return to Baltimore will be the catalyst for bigger things for the O’s in 2016.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
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