SPORTS DAVIS’ TROUBLES PUT BULLPEN UP IN THE AIR
EDITOR’S NOTE: Second in a fivepart series looking at the Rockies of2020.
After the Rockies’ final game of their lost season, deposed closer Wade Davis was in a rush to leave the clubhouse at Coors Field.
“I’m going home to forget about everything that’s been negative this year,” the veteran right-hander said as he packed up his belongings. “I’ll try to remember the positive things and I will get ready again.” Positives?
Well, there was this: he posted an 0.63 ERA in his first 16 road games from March 31 through Aug. 9. But that sliver of sunshine was blotted out by some truly ghastly numbers:
• An overall 8.65 ERA, highest in the majors among pitchers who appeared in 50-plus games.
• A 13.50 ERA after the all-star break.
• An 0-5 record and 11.10 ERA at Coors Field, the highest home ERA in franchise history (minimum 29 appearances).
• With two outs, opposing hitters slashed .476/.560/.667.
Considering that right-handers Scott Oberg and Jairo Diaz both showed some promise in closing roles late in the season, it’s fair to ask why the 34-yearold Davis even matters in 2020. The answer is $17 million, which will make Davis the Rockies’ third-highest paid player behind Nolan Arenado ($35 million) and Charlie Blackmon ($21 million).
Plus, there is another catch to Davis’ contract. He has a $15 million option for 2021 but that becomes a player option if Davis finishes 30 games in 2020 and is healthy enough to be on the 2021 opening-day roster. In other words, the Rockies are in a tough place regarding Davis’ contract.
Manager Bud Black likes to point out that relievers are volatile, noting, for instance, that former Rockies right-hander Adam Ottavino struggled so badly in 2017 that he was left off the playoff roster before bouncing back with a monster 2018 which led to a three-year, $27 million contract with the Yankees.
Is Davis capable of such a turnaround? Next season will tell, but the Davis of today looks nothing like the Davis of 2014-2015 when he posted a 0.97 ERA over two full seasons with Kansas City. In 2019, the stoic right-hander’s fastball averaged 93.3 mph, down significantly from the 96.7 mph heater he threw for the Royals in 2014, and also down from the 94.4 mph fastball he threw last year when he led the National League with 43 saves.
But Davis said it was not a lack of velocity that hurt him, it was poor pitch location.
“I’m not getting the ball up when I want to get it up, and then I’m not getting the pitches down when I need to. It’s a bad combination,” he said on Aug. 21, the day after giving up three critical runs in Colorado’s 5-3 loss to Arizona. “I’m trying to wrap my head around it and analyze some of the mistakes that I’ve made.”
Davis’ season included a 7.53 ERA in save situations and he admitted that his confidence was shaken.
“I’ll be fine, I’ve had struggles before,” he said. “But everybody’s confidence (is going to be shaken) when you struggle. But it doesn’t change my view of myself. I have full confidence in this never happening again, so it will be fun to kind of prep for those things in the winter — and even in the mental game.”
When Davis lost his job as closer to Oberg, Black praised Davis’ track record but also explained why a change was needed.
“The thing that stands out for me is the walk total on the road and at home. It’s too high,” Black said. “We’ve addressed that with Wade. And Wade can’t come up with an answer either, why that’s happened. We’ve looked at mechanics, mindset, a lot of different things.”
General manager Jeff Bridich is not ready to quit on Davis.
“His first year here, he leads the NL in saves and helps pitch us into the playoffs,” Bridich said. “This year, it was a completely different year. It was his toughest year ever as a professional athlete. It doesn’t mean he can’t lead the NL in saves again.”
But if the Rockies are going to rebound in 2020, the bullpen must do a 180. Because in 2019, Colorado relievers posted a 5.14 ERA, the worst since 2004 (5.53) and a precipitous fall from 2018 (4.62). Davis may or may not play a key role next season, but the Rockies need to figure out what to do with him.