Chris Davis to leadoff?

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, interloper said:

I don't think Davis looks so much baffled as he does just unable to square balls up and hit them hard. If he has another bad season, they need to redo his entire batting mechanics. I don't know why they haven't done that yet. 

So far, only 2 of his 11 batted balls (18%) have been graded as hard hit.    He’s usually in the 40% range.   But, three days of data is nothing, especially with a guy like Davis who blows hot and cold even in his  better seasons.    

[spleen1015]

I'm surprised at the folks defending this idea and defending CD.

.327 is not a good OBP. The guy is on the wrong side of 30 and he had a terrible year last year. He's not going to be much better, leadoff or not.

I hope he's worth the $23 million as much as anyone, but he looked so lost last year. I don't see how its going to be any different this year.

2023 can't get her soon enough.

[Frobby]

6 minutes ago, spleen1015 said:

I'm surprised at the folks defending this idea and defending CD.

.327 is not a good OBP. The guy is on the wrong side of 30 and he had a terrible year last year. He's not going to be much better, leadoff or not.

I’m not really defending CD, I’m defending the idea that it’s too soon to give up on him.    

As to his .327 career OBP, here’s where he’s ranked among O’s qualifiers since 2012:

2012: 5th/8

2013: 1st/7

2014: 7th/8

2015: 1st/7

2016: 3rd/9

2017: 7th/8

So, it really depends whether he can bounce back from last season or not.    If he’s going to hit this year like he did in 2017, he certainly doesn’t belong in the lineup at all, much less in the leadoff spot.    But even at his 2016 level of performance he wouldn’t be a ridiculous choice.

 

 

 

 

[Number5]

5 hours ago, gtman55 said:

Call me weird but I like to start the game off with a contact hitter and a guy with speed. A guy who can maybe bunt or steal if he gets on base. Who rarely strikes out. I know there's no rule as to what kind of batter should lead off but Davis leading off makes no sense. 

Why would the type of out matter when leading off?  Seems to me that the type of out matters least with no one on base.  I'm not a fan of Davis leading off, but his OBP has been decent in most years.  Last year it wasn't, though.

[Moshagge3]

Davis is a hole in the lineup whether he's hitting first or fifth or eighth, so I'm not fretting over this experiment yet. Maybe I'll feel differently once the Orioles lose a close one where Davis strikes out with the bases loaded leaving Manny on deck.

[Natty]

Last year Jones was in a slump. Buck put him at leadoff and he snapped right out of it. Davis has been in a slump. Buck put him at leadoff and he's still slumping. 

[Tx Oriole]

49 minutes ago, spleen1015 said:

I'm surprised at the folks defending this idea and defending CD.

.327 is not a good OBP. The guy is on the wrong side of 30 and he had a terrible year last year. He's not going to be much better, leadoff or not.

I hope he's worth the $23 million as much as anyone, but he looked so lost last year. I don't see how its going to be any different this year.

2023 can't get her soon enough.

 My point is its only 3 games. For some to act like we are in August/September is way premature. I don't know if he thinks CD will do better with more AB's. In One hole or just what his idea is. He will change it around when it doesn't workout.  Buck is not stupid. 

 

[Frobby]

Davis is still in the leadoff spot tonight.  

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2018/04/orioles-and-astros-lineups-12.html

[interloper]

I don't have an issue with this per se, but now I'm beginning to wonder if it's created another unneeded microscope on Chris Davis. Now it's a "thing" every game Buck puts him at leadoff and the media will start to ask about it every couple games and if he's not hitting, they'll ask about it more. And now it's just a thing. Now he's up there thinking to himself "I gotta get a hit here pretty soon, I asked to leadoff", etc and he's going to start pressing. Davis gets in his head up there. 

I understand "giving him a new toy" and "fresh start" and all that, but has anyone considered the extra pressure that mounts every time he fails at the plate now? If he's batting 6th or 7th or whatever, no one cares because it's the same thing he's always done. 

This could backfire.

[Natty]

17 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Davis is still in the leadoff spot tonight.  

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2018/04/orioles-and-astros-lineups-12.html

My fearless prediction...Davis bunts against the shift tonight...Maybe in his first at bat, but he's going to bunt tonight. Makes Buck look better. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

47 minutes ago, interloper said:

I don't have an issue with this per se, but now I'm beginning to wonder if it's created another unneeded microscope on Chris Davis. Now it's a "thing" every game Buck puts him at leadoff and the media will start to ask about it every couple games and if he's not hitting, they'll ask about it more. And now it's just a thing. Now he's up there thinking to himself "I gotta get a hit here pretty soon, I asked to leadoff", etc and he's going to start pressing. Davis gets in his head up there. 

I understand "giving him a new toy" and "fresh start" and all that, but has anyone considered the extra pressure that mounts every time he fails at the plate now? If he's batting 6th or 7th or whatever, no one cares because it's the same thing he's always done. 

This could backfire.

You make a very good point.  The offense is struggling too, putting even more pressure on Davis to be a table setter.  It would make more sense to let Davis bat 7th or 8th.  

Maybe Davis will start to get in gear, but I don't see that happening against the Astros pitching staff.  

[Natty]

They just showed a graphic. Davis has the highest batting avg by far in his career batting 8th. .292  more than any other spot by far. And with 477 plate appearances. 

[ORIOLE33]

3 hours ago, Natty said:

My fearless prediction...Davis bunts against the shift tonight...Maybe in his first at bat, but he's going to bunt tonight. Makes Buck look better. 

He should, but damn. The O’s didn’t sign Davis to get on base. They signed him to be Crush. SMH

[TouchemAll]

I think Buck's looking for a miracle to get the 160 million dollar man to hit the damn ball.

Glad to be proved wrong but I'll stick with its a REAL BAD IDEA...

 

[Norfolk orioles]

We arent nearly good enough to overcome such an awful managerial decision.

 

This one is even worse than batting JJ Hardy leadoff. Come on Buck, thinking outside of the box is great and all but this is just stupid.