Chris Davis needs to hit for avg.

[jamalshw]

I'm not completely opposed to Davis in the leadoff spot to start the year, but don't want this as a permanent thing. We don't have a true lead off hitter so I'm fine using the spot to try and gain Davis a little confidence. Maybe Buck figures Davis will get a few early get-me-over fastballs that may help him build confidence at the dish. I'm okay with giving it a try, but I don't want Davis getting the most ABs on the team over the long run.

[Frobby]

7 minutes ago, bird watcher said:

Loss of Bat speed is definitely something that could kill him completely if it hasn't already.  I don't think that is the problem.  He is in great shape and isn't that old.  He just needs to swing like he means it and not these flailing/not so sure swings.  Pull the trigger.  Bat to ball.  Easier to do when you aren't waiting too long to see if a pitch is 2" off the plate.  If it looks semi good, go for it.  

He doesn’t have a lot of time to make up his mind.    It’s a lot easier said than done.    

Different players lose critical abilities at different times, and I’m worried that Davis simply has lost some abilities.    I hope those worries are unfounded and Davis bounces back.   We’ll see.

[Enjoy Terror]

I was wondering if there was a site that tracked bat speeds. I found exit velocities but not sure if that's close to the same thing.

[cheecks]

The whole team needs to hit for average

[weams]

 

[OriolesMagic83]

I remember read an article in Davis's great year about how he had changed his swing to be short and compact.  More of a line drive swing.  It seems like now he just has a swing to maximize home runs.  I hope he has a good year.  He needs to have one for the O's to have any chance of success as a team. 

[SteveA]

The assumption that his leading off is proof that he will lead off in the regular season is faulty for two reasons.   As Frobby points out, they want to get him at bats.  And also, the guy who led off much of last August and September, is currently sitting with a minor injury.   If Beckham was healthy and playing, and Davis was leading off, I would say it's a lot more likely that he would lead off once the season gets started.

He might.   He certainly takes more walks than most other guys on the team.   But I wouldn't count on it.

[bird watcher]

59 minutes ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

I remember read an article in Davis's great year about how he had changed his swing to be short and compact.  More of a line drive swing.  It seems like now he just has a swing to maximize home runs.  I hope he has a good year.  He needs to have one for the O's to have any chance of success as a team. 

A great point. He is strong enough that he doesn’t need a long swing. It would be great to see him shorten it up and increase contact.  I think the power would still play. 

[Tx Oriole]

3 hours ago, jamalshw said:

I'm not completely opposed to Davis in the leadoff spot to start the year, but don't want this as a permanent thing. We don't have a true lead off hitter so I'm fine using the spot to try and gain Davis a little confidence. Maybe Buck figures Davis will get a few early get-me-over fastballs that may help him build confidence at the dish. I'm okay with giving it a try, but I don't want Davis getting the most ABs on the team over the long run.

I don't want to see CD in the lead off spot. 

[Tx Oriole]

10 hours ago, MDtransplant757 said:

At least he's a stand up citizen. Even though his swing makes me want to shove screwdrivers into my head, at least he isn't this guy

 

Wow! What a sad thing some get into. What a wasted life. 

[Tx Oriole]

10 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

 

Sounds like you know from experience! 

?

[DrungoHazewood]

16 hours ago, bird watcher said:

Loss of Bat speed is definitely something that could kill him completely if it hasn't already.  I don't think that is the problem.  He is in great shape and isn't that old.  He just needs to swing like he means it and not these flailing/not so sure swings.  Pull the trigger.  Bat to ball.  Easier to do when you aren't waiting too long to see if a pitch is 2" off the plate.  If it looks semi good, go for it.  

It's not just bat speed, it's reaction time and the ability to wait long enough to recognize the pitch and then make the decision on whether to swing or not. 

It's pretty likely that a more aggressive Davis will be swinging at more pitches that he's unable to tell if it's going to be a ball or a strike.  If he doesn't wait to see if a pitch is 2" off the plate he'll be swinging at a lot of pitches 2" off the plate.  Almost nobody is productive swinging at balls.

I guess it can't hurt too much, but this approach could well be a path to returning to his 2009 K:BB ratio of 24:150.

[Aglets]

Chris Davis isn't going to be batting leadoff for us anytime soon.  Book it.   I'm guessing it'll be Rasmus on Thursday.

12 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

It's not just bat speed, it's reaction time and the ability to wait long enough to recognize the pitch and then make the decision on whether to swing or not. 

It's pretty likely that a more aggressive Davis will be swinging at more pitches that he's unable to tell if it's going to be a ball or a strike.  If he doesn't wait to see if a pitch is 2" off the plate he'll be swinging at a lot of pitches 2" off the plate.  Almost nobody is productive swinging at balls.

I guess it can't hurt too much, but this approach could well be a path to returning to his 2009 K:BB ratio of 24:150.

You got me all excited for a second, that ratio would be pretty incredible in real life!   But yea you meant the inverse of that.......

His K % shot up to 37% last year........the highest its ever been.  Even moreso than that disastrous 2009 season.   I'm really hoping that gets more in line with his career rate this year and then other good changes should follow.

[nadecir]

43 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

It's not just bat speed, it's reaction time and the ability to wait long enough to recognize the pitch and then make the decision on whether to swing or not. 

It's pretty likely that a more aggressive Davis will be swinging at more pitches that he's unable to tell if it's going to be a ball or a strike.  If he doesn't wait to see if a pitch is 2" off the plate he'll be swinging at a lot of pitches 2" off the plate.  Almost nobody is productive swinging at balls.

I guess it can't hurt too much, but this approach could well be a path to returning to his 2009 K:BB ratio of 24:150.

Drungo's right.  All Chris Davis needs to do is find the fountain of youth, reverse the problems of baseball aging, and he will be good to go

Here's Chris Davis' fastball runs above average from 2012-2017:
2012    Orioles    12.8
2013    Orioles    26.2
2014    Orioles    12.0
2015    Orioles    31.9   
2016    Orioles    24.0    
2017    Orioles    -2.2

Chris Davis crushed fastballs from 2012-2016.  Last year he was terrible versus the fastball.  Davis was good versus the slower pitches, like the cutter or the changeup.  What does that say?  Take away some reaction time with a faster pitch, and he now has real trouble.   My guess he is going to see plenty of heaters this year until he shows he can consistently catch up with them.

https://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=9272&position=1B#pitchvalues

[DrungoHazewood]

2 hours ago, Aglets said:

You got me all excited for a second, that ratio would be pretty incredible in real life!   But yea you meant the inverse of that.......

Arrieta went from a 7.00 ERA with the O's to Cy Young in a few months by doing some kind of Zen meditation and channeling of biorhythms or something.

Chris Davis is taking a page from Arrieta's self-help book, and will instantly transform himself into one of these guys:

                                                                                                                                        
Rk                  Player  BB SO  PA Year Age  Tm Lg   G  AB   R   H 2B 3B HR RBI IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS   BA  OBP  SLG   OPS       Pos
1              Barry Bonds 232 41 617 2004  39 SFG NL 147 373 129 135 27  3 45 101 120   9  0  3   5  6  1 .362 .609 .812 1.422     *7/HD
2             Ted Williams 147 27 606 1941  22 BOS AL 143 456 135 185 33  3 37     120   3     0  10  2  4 .406 .553 .735 1.287     *7H/9
3              Ferris Fain 133 26 658 1950  29 PHA AL 151 522  83 147 25  4 10      83   3     0  18  8  5 .282 .430 .402  .832        *3
4           Billy Hamilton 128 19 702 1894  28 PHI NL 132 558 198 225 25 15  4      90   9         7   100 .403 .521 .523 1.044        *8
5              John McGraw 124 21 539 1899  26 BLN NL 117 399 140 156 13  3  1      33  14         2    73 .391 .547 .446  .994        *5
6             Luke Appling 121 24 619 1949  42 CHW AL 142 492  82 148 21  5  5      58   0     6  23  7 12 .301 .439 .394  .833      *6/H
7             Cupid Childs 120 12 609 1893  25 CLV NL 124 485 145 158 19 10  3      65             4    23 .326 .463 .425  .888        *4
8             Arky Vaughan 118 21 701 1936  24 PIT NL 156 568 122 190 30 11  9      78   5    10   7     6 .335 .453 .474  .927        *6
9             Cupid Childs 117 20 684 1892  24 CLV NL 145 558 136 177 14 11  3      53             9    26 .317 .443 .398  .841        *4
10       Charlie Gehringer 113 21 689 1938  35 DET AL 152 568 133 174 32  5 20     107   4         3 14  1 .306 .425 .486  .911        *4
11             John McGraw 112 13 652 1898  25 BLN NL 143 515 143 176  8 10  0      53  19         6    43 .342 .475 .396  .871      *5/8