Davis didn't get bigger, he got better

[TheBee]

You really don't have to look very far to see that Davis has always had serious power.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=davis-003chr

It's only through ineptitude and laziness that you would attribute this to PED's.

Yep. I agree.

In 2007 at AA, Davis hit a homer every 10 at bats

In 2011, at AAA, Davis hit a homer every 9 at bats

This year a the ML level, he has only hit a homer every 11 at bats. Maybe he'll get hotter.

[OriolesMagic83]

Who peed in Reilly's cheerios? Reilly seems to have athletes he loves and can do no wrong (Shaq for example), and athletes he hates (Sosa, Bonds, etc) He is like the TMZ of sportswriters. I guess Reilly overlooked the fact that Davis hit 24 HR in 48 games in the minors before the O's traded for him.

I sure hope Davis isn't using steroids. He and Machado are the best thing that's happened to the O's in about 30 years (Ripken).

[Slappy]

Isn't Reilly treading dangerously close to libel with these sort of articles?

[Redskins Rick]

I'm not making the case that Davis is using. I'm making the case that they CAN help a lot. Did PED's help Bonds hit more homers? To say "no" would be na?ve.

An increase in speed or bat speed would most likely be imperceptible to the naked eye. I'm sure, without a stop clock, that Ben Johnson would look just as fast to me at a 10.00 100 meters as a 9.85 100 meters, if there were no other runners.

I've seen interviews with athletes such as Ben Johnson and other sprinters (another was an American woman who was caught and came clean). No better evidence than from the athletes themselves who used it and describe the increase in performance.

Big doesn't make faster bat speed.

ESPN did a segment on Cal Jr the last year of his career. According to the radar gun, at his age, he still had one of the fastest bat speeds in the Majors.

[Redskins Rick]

Who peed in Reilly's cheerios? Reilly seems to have athletes he loves and can do no wrong (Shaq for example), and athletes he hates (Sosa, Bonds, etc) He is like the TMZ of sportswriters. I guess Reilly overlooked the fact that Davis hit 24 HR in 48 games in the minors before the O's traded for him.

I sure hope Davis isn't using steroids. He and Machado are the best thing that's happened to the O's in about 30 years (Ripken).

With Studs on the Offense and leaving him no room for their rooster.

[calmunderfire]

Davis is still striking out a lot, but less than before. He just crushes the ball at contact. I think he is stronger now than before. I haven't noticed any increased size, but the impact on the ball has changed. I've noticed it.

Just watching the game today he just hit a popup to center. Gary Thorne articulated Gardener with room and then it just flew over 408 feet.

People don't typically do stuff like this. This type of raw and ferocious power is beyond rare.

Guys like Pujols and Cabrera can hit a lot of home runs because they make so much quality contact with above average power. Davis just freaking kills the ball.

I don't think he's using, but there is a reason some think he is.

[El Gordo]

Davis is still striking out a lot, but less than before. He just crushes the ball at contact. I think he is stronger now than before. I haven't noticed any increased size, but the impact on the ball has changed. I've noticed it.

Just watching the game today he just hit a popup to center. Gary Thorne articulated Gardener with room and then it just flew over 408 feet.

People don't typically do stuff like this. This type of raw and ferocious power is beyond rare.

Guys like Pujols and Cabrera can hit a lot of home runs because they make so much quality contact with above average power. Davis just freaking kills the ball.

I don't think he's using, but there is a reason some think he is.

His average HR distance is 405 ft. Not an exceptional rate. Justin Upton is 427.

[calmunderfire]

His average HR distance is 405 ft. Not an exceptional rate. Justin Upton is 427.

Davis hits home runs off the end of the bat. Going the other way, etc. He doesn't even have to square it up.

[El Gordo]

Davis hits home runs off the end of the bat. Going the other way, etc. He doesn't even have to square it up.

He did that last year and in fact he has always done that. He is just making more consistent contact.

[El Gordo]

The distance where the ball lands might average 405 feet but the hang time on some of his homeruns is amazing, like the one today. I'm not saying anything except that it's pretty tough to hit a ball that high and 400 feet. Again, I'm not making accusations but with his uppercut swing, he gets a lot of height and distance on some of his homeruns.

The point is it's nothing new with him. You probably don't remember Jin Gentile but he hit most of his HR that way. Last year Davis' ave. distance was 403. Has he suddenly started hitting ball higher?

[El Gordo]

No. That wasn't my point. I certainly don't think Davis did anything significantly different between last season and this season. In fact, I think he said he was bigger going into last season and lost some weight coming into this year with the idea that he needed to be more mobile to defend at 1B. You cited Upton's homerun distance as being greater than Davis's. Just pointing out that Davis's homeruns may not average as much distance but are actually more impressive because of how high he hits many of them. IE: he's actually stronger than Upton although the actual average distance is shorter.

And yes, I have actually no recollection of Jim Gentile. Never saw him play a game, ever. Thank God, I'm younger than someone around here.

The point I was addressing was the idea, that because Davis' balls go high and far even when he doesn't make great contact, it is suggestive of something. It is meaningless. He has always had that kind of power. The only thing that has changed is his approach, which is enabling him to make more consistent contact. I don't know what point you are making but then I almost never do.

[CA-ORIOLE]

The point is it's nothing new with him. You probably don't remember Jin Gentile but he hit most of his HR that way. Last year Davis' ave. distance was 403. Has he suddenly started hitting ball higher?

Not sure where to find it but I would guess it might. He's increased his flyball rate from 37 to 44% this year with a much higher HR/FB rate (from 25 to 33), while maintaining a slightly higher LD%. The results aren't just a change in his K rate.

[El Gordo]

Not sure where to find it but I would guess it might. He's increased his flyball rate from 37 to 44% this year with a much higher HR/FB rate (from 25 to 33), while maintaining a slightly higher LD%. The results aren't just a change in his K rate.

What part of hitting more fly balls means he is hitting them higher? This is idiotic. Nothing has changed with Davis except his approach, he hasn't magically gotten stronger so that even though the balls don't go any farther they go higher. The change in his approach allows him to hit more fly balls and make better contact.

[wildcard]

I don't think Chris is on PED's. His strength is from radiation. You can tell when he turns green, his muscles rip his shirt, his eye light up and he starts to growl.

[CA-ORIOLE]

What part of hitting more fly balls means he is hitting them higher? This is idiotic. Nothing has changed with Davis except his approach, he hasn't magically gotten stronger so that even though the balls don't go any farther they go higher. The change in his approach allows him to hit more fly balls and make better contact.

LOL. Yes I'm idiotic. You point out nothing has changed with Davis but his K rate and this is the only factor. I point out you're wrong and I'm idiotic. So if nothing has changed but his approach/K rate, then why he is he hitting significantly more flyballs (as a percentage of hits) and signficantly more HR's per FB this season over last season?

Why is he making better contact? If nothing has change he'd only be making more contact not better contact. His inside the zone and outside the zone contact percentage is exactly the same as it was last year.

Davis tries to hit balls with backspin (which generate lift). He's doing a better job of not topping balls off this year than in the past. Instead of getting on top of balls (for grounders), it's likely he's getting under more than he has in the past.