Here’s why Davis should be DH for wild-card game
Khris Davis’ numbers for the 2019 season aren’t too fun to look at.
His .220 average, .387 slugging percentage paired with a mere 23 home runs perhaps looks a little bleaker with his 2018 numbers posing as a backdrop. Davis’ year was a down one in its own right, but it hit a little different knowing the 48 home run, 123 RBI, .549 slugging percentage and .874 OPS in 2018 might’ve been his ceiling instead of his floor.
Granted, injuries played a major part in throwing the slugger off kilter and into a prolonged mental mud. He struggled with pitch selection, often
times just looking a little lost. He took some breathers, rested his mind, the KD of old would flash before us intermittently while questions surrounding his place in the every day lineup — and beyond — hovered.
All that aside, Davis should be the designated hitter for the wild-card
game. Why? He’s making stronger contact with the ball and has the right approach to attack a pitcher like Charlie Morton.
Power could very well be nullified on both ends, so Davis’ power sap might not be an issue. The A’s may approach Morton with a more slap-happy tactic, staying inside the ball or working to beat the shift while not allowing the right-hander to expand the zone.
Teams employ the shift against Davis 40 percent of the time, which is the most against any right-handed hitter on the A’s. The Rays tend to follow suit, as shown in this graphic courtesy of Statcast.
So, Davis isn’t hitting for power and has a 42 percent ground ball rate this season, but against Morton that might be OK, given the collective approach. When he makes contact, it’s hit hard 40 percent of the time. Morton throws his curveball 38 percent of the time, and Davis’ weighted pitch value (a stat that determines how well a batter hits a certain pitch) is .25 score, above league average. Of course, this can only determine how Davis has performed against the curveball this year, not overall.
All small perceived statistical advantages aside, Davis won’t sit out the wild card game just because he had a tough year. He’s shown that he can be a great hitter.