Healthy Davis aiming for more
Finally pain-free, slugger wants to help the offense get even better this season
SARASOTA, FLA. — It probably says something about the Orioles’ stubborn reliance on power that even prodigious home run hitter Chris Davis conceded recently that there is more to winning than seeing who can hit a baseball the farthest.
Obviously, the Orioles do that better than anyone, but several years at or near the top of the major league home run rankings have not translated into the consistent attack that might have allowed the O’s to position themselves better for the playoffs last year. “That’s the thing, we know we can hit the ball out of the yard,” Davis said, “but I’d rather see us do it with one or two runners on, or even three instead of going up there hitting solo shots. I think a lot of times when you hit a two- or three-run homer it’s really deflating to the other team as opposed to a solo shot.”
He’s right, of course, and he’s not exactly expounding on a groundbreaking theory, but it’s one thing to recognize a problem and another to solve it.
Executive vice president Dan Duquette has tried to upgrade the team’s on-base potential every year he has been here. This winter’s big addition in that regard was right fielder Seth Smith. Last year’s was Hyun Soo Kim. Perhaps the combination of more playing time for Kim and another solid left-handed-hitting outfielder will do the trick.
“I think Seth is going to be good for us because he knows how to work the count,” Davis said. “He knows how to get on base.”
Davis can only impact his part of the equation which, under optimum circumstances, includes both a boatload of home runs and one of the team’s top on-base percentages. Even under not-so-optimum circumstances, Davis ranked second on the team last year with 38 homers and second among full-time starters with a .332 OBP, but it was obvious that he was not himself.
He batted just .221, which was the lowest batting average of any major league first O’s re-sign outfielder Michael Bourn