Chris Davis 2019 and beyond

[DrungoHazewood]

4 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

This has nothing to do with anything, but I took the time to look up Jerry Royster cause I've seen that name and have a few of his cards laying around.  

I came across this:

 

 

I'm assuming this was taken at spring training.  I'm also pretty sure I have little league photos that look better than this.

 

That's 1982 Fleer, right in the sweet spot when I was 11 and Topps just got some competition from Fleer and Donruss.  I could go to Joe Norris' general store and get a pack of any of the three for 25 cents.  Then ride my mule to the job at the salt mines.

Yes, the fridge magnets I made of my kids playing soccer last year look dramatically better than 1982 Fleer.  As do all of the cards I have of them from the photo companies that took Little League or soccer pictures.  DIY printing and manufacturing has come leaps and bounds in my lifetime.

[Moose Milligan]

4 minutes ago, DrungoHazewood said:

That's 1982 Fleer, right in the sweet spot when I was 11 and Topps just got some competition from Fleer and Donruss.  I could go to Joe Norris' general store and get a pack of any of the three for 25 cents.  Then ride my mule to the job at the salt mines.

Yes, the fridge magnets I made of my kids playing soccer last year look dramatically better than 1982 Fleer.  As do all of the cards I have of them from the photo companies that took Little League or soccer pictures.  DIY printing and manufacturing has come leaps and bounds in my lifetime.

Yep, I've got an 82 fleer Ripken.  Terrible quality.

[jabba72]

Well Elias apparently said today they might intervene with Davis, whether that means changing his approach or benching him. I dont know. Doesn't sound like Davis has impressed the new management. 

[Moose Milligan]

1 minute ago, jabba72 said:

Well Elias apparently said today they might intervene with Davis, whether that means changing his approach or benching him. I dont know. Doesn't sound like Davis has impressed the new management. 

Really?  Fingers crossed.

[Natty]

16 minutes ago, jabba72 said:

Well Elias apparently said today they might intervene with Davis, whether that means changing his approach or benching him. I dont know. Doesn't sound like Davis has impressed the new management. 

I heard they are going to see if Davis can hit better batting right handed. 

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

22 minutes ago, jabba72 said:

Well Elias apparently said today they might intervene with Davis, whether that means changing his approach or benching him. I dont know. Doesn't sound like Davis has impressed the new management. 

 

[interloper]

21 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Really?  Fingers crossed.

Yeah. I believe he meant intervene as in change how he's working. They're letting him and Don Long do their thing for now and sticking with what Davis changed over the offseason. Great to hear Elias himself say he'll step in if need be. 

However.

This furthers my theory that he'll get the whole year. They'll let him ride a couple months doing what he's doing now. Then Elias will get in there and try to fix him for the remainder of the year. And if he makes progress with that? 

Get ready for him to still be on the team next year to see if he continues to get better.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

39 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

This has nothing to do with anything, but I took the time to look up Jerry Royster cause I've seen that name and have a few of his cards laying around.  

I came across this:

 

 

I'm assuming this was taken at spring training.  I'm also pretty sure I have little league photos that look better than this.

 

I remember having this card as a kid. Lowenstein looks more the part of your local pot dealer than baseball player in this pic.

[jabba72]

Just now, interloper said:

Yeah. I believe he meant intervene as in change how he's working. They're letting him and Don Long do their thing for now and sticking with what Davis changed over the offseason. Great to hear Elias himself say he'll step in if need be. 

However.

This furthers my theory that he'll get the whole year. They'll let him ride a couple months doing what he's doing now. Then Elias will get in there and try to fix him for the remainder of the year. And if he makes progress with that? 

Get ready for next year. 

It will be obvious a week in if Davis needs help. not a couple months. Also skeptical that Elias can do anything for Davis that a hitting coach couldnt do

[Moose Milligan]

 

6 minutes ago, interloper said:

Yeah. I believe he meant intervene as in change how he's working. They're letting him and Don Long do their thing for now and sticking with what Davis changed over the offseason. Great to hear Elias himself say he'll step in if need be. 

However.

This furthers my theory that he'll get the whole year. They'll let him ride a couple months doing what he's doing now. Then Elias will get in there and try to fix him for the remainder of the year. And if he makes progress with that? 

Get ready for next year. 

Really?  I get the opposite feeling.

If Elias is saying this NOW, this early in the spring, it means he's seeing what we all already know....which is that Davis is terrible and there's probably not much that can be done.  

My theory is that he'll get until mid-June, maybe July.  At that point, if it's as bad as last year or...even worse...there's nothing that can be done.  It'll have been almost three years (I'm including 2017, if anyone wants to step to me, feel free) of absolutely terrible play.  

If it's still this bad by then, something has to be done.  There's no need to keep running him out there if he's still this bad that far into the season.  

[foxfield]

Davis appears done.  But I don't see beating him up for it.  Comments about him not caring seem over the top, to me.  I agree Davis' contract is the reason everyone else is here, and all of the others are gone, but that decision was more about the following:

Adam Jones pushing ownership

Buck seemingly on board

Ownership committing money in a poor way

None of that is on Davis.  His performance to his contract is on him for sure.  But his troubles seem to be more about physical decline than unwillingness to change.  Maybe I give him too much credit, but I don't think he wants to be unsuccessful.  Even at his best, he was a tremendous streak hitter.  Now he has been pretty bad for 2 full seasons and I just don't see him getting several years to show something different.

If we were looking at him on someone elses team, we would say we think he is done.  I think it is that simple.  It won't bring money back, that cost is sunk.  The only real question is how long does he remain a major leaguer?  Barring an uptick in results, I think that time is much sooner than most have contemplated.  I am not saying I think he is cut this spring, but I think the new regime will have no problem moving on once convinced he cannot be salvaged.  And I don't think there is an ownership requirement to keep him one day longer than they think they need to keep him.

We'll see, but from my chair, I am going to continue to hope for enough success for Davis to survive, and enough will power for management to do the right thing if he cannot.  And I will trust that all parties are doing their absolute best to make the situation work.

[Bubble Buddy]

I've mentioned this before, but If he or we haven't done so already, get him in touch with Adam Dunn. The guy had a horrible, Davis-like first year with the Chi Sox and actually rebounded to respectability. Similar age, similar offensive skills. Things aren't so simple as a convo like that "fixing" things, but it couldn't hurt.

Edited March 4, 2019 by Bubble Buddy

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

13 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

 

Really?  I get the opposite feeling.

If Elias is saying this NOW, this early in the spring, it means he's seeing what we all already know....which is that Davis is terrible and there's probably not much that can be done.  

My theory is that he'll get until mid-June, maybe July.  At that point, if it's as bad as last year or...even worse...there's nothing that can be done.  It'll have been almost three years (I'm including 2017, if anyone wants to step to me, feel free) of absolutely terrible play.  

If it's still this bad by then, something has to be done.  There's no need to keep running him out there if he's still this bad that far into the season.  

Old Yeller time?

 

[webbrick2010]

Even more convinced that he gets released or some kind of DL status before opening day

No CD makes 2019 > 2018. We are doing a lot of addition by subtraction

[interloper]

20 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

 

Really?  I get the opposite feeling.

If Elias is saying this NOW, this early in the spring, it means he's seeing what we all already know....which is that Davis is terrible and there's probably not much that can be done.  

My theory is that he'll get until mid-June, maybe July.  At that point, if it's as bad as last year or...even worse...there's nothing that can be done.  It'll have been almost three years (I'm including 2017, if anyone wants to step to me, feel free) of absolutely terrible play.  

If it's still this bad by then, something has to be done.  There's no need to keep running him out there if he's still this bad that far into the season.  

I certainly like your theory better. I'm just trying to keep my expectations in check.