The annual “is Chris Davis going to change his approach next season” thread

[Frobby]

Yes, I know, it doesn’t matter at all what Chris Davis does or doesn’t change.   He’s done as a productive major leaguer.   But for your amusement, I present this:

Executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias has repeatedly said that Davis is under contract and the organization takes that seriously. Davis does, too, and that’s why, in the coming weeks, he’ll begin exploring mechanical changes to simplify his batting approach in hopes of producing in 2021.

“I think it’s just time for that,” Davis told The Baltimore Sun. “I was reluctant to really change mechanically because of the troubles that I went through in Texas [with the Rangers], and that was a big emphasis, ‘Let’s do this,’ and I didn’t want to tinker. Plus, I’d had success with my prior mechanics, but it’s to the point now where I realize that, I’m not getting any quicker, I’m not getting any faster. But 
 

“I think all of the movement that I have pre-pitch and even pre-swing, it’s killing me, and it’s not allowing me to have success, and it’s not allowing me to have sustained success, so I think if I can just clean that up a little bit and simplify it, it’ll be hopefully a lot better than it has been.”

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-chris-davis-mechanics-20201123-zsvww6lnhjgyfcrx4ndfwsecsi-story.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

Also, after losing a bunch of weight two years ago and then adding it back on last offseason, he’s going back the other way this offseason.

As recently as last year, Davis has been against the idea of changing mechanically, pointing to how deep he is into his career and noting that he’s had success with those mechanics in the past; in his first four full seasons with the Orioles from 2012 to 2015, he averaged nearly 40 home runs a year and led the majors twice. But he’s open to changes now that he believes will make him more “consistent” and “efficient,” adding he also needs to shed some of the added weight he put on last offseason.

“I think it was a good thing, but I think it came with a price,” Davis said. “Obviously, I haven’t carried that much weight in several years, and I think my body kind of let me know about that.

“I wouldn’t say I’m taking it easier, but I can’t hit it as hard as I did last offseason. That was the first thing that was relayed to me. It’s not a secret. Everybody knows it. I’m getting older, and age takes a toll on guys in a lot of different ways.”

[Moose Milligan]

52 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

The only new approach that might work is taking the same vitamins he used to take.  Sorry to Chris and anyone it might offend but that's what I think happened.  The old swing mechanics were always odd but superman made them work.  They don't work so well for Clark Kent.

I dunno, I can see that take (I'm not offended, btw), but the dude just can't make contact anymore.  

I think his skills just eroded pretty quickly.  And it's in his head now, too.  There's no coming back from what he's got.  

[Can_of_corn]

I think folks are being overly rough on Chris.  He was making real progress last spring and it's obvious the abbreviated spring training really hurt him.  I think we should expect this change in approach to have a positive impact.

 

[MurphDogg]

I don't expect him to be on the roster for much of this season. If he has another decent spring training maybe he can crack the opening day roster, but I see several parking lot pothole ankle injuries in his future.

I do think it makes sense to roster him through the offseason on the off-chance that the COVID situation results in fewer games being played next year and players being paid pro-rated salaries again.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, MurphDogg said:

I don't expect him to be on the roster for much of this season. If he has another decent spring training maybe he can crack the opening day roster, but I see several parking lot pothole ankle injuries in his future.

I do think it makes sense to roster him through the offseason on the off-chance that the COVID situation results in fewer games being played next year and players being paid pro-rated salaries again.

And with labor uncertainty it makes sense for a team concerned with it's finances to keep him around for 2022 in case of a work stoppage.

[Chuck A]

Didn't Yogi say baseball is 90% mental and the other half repitition or some such bs?

It looks to me like he is just distracted.  I mean that i've never seen any player not watching a pitch come in like he does for the past few years.  It seems to me to be awfully dangerous for him to stand up there and watching a gnat, fly, or unicorn instead of a pitch.

Stick a fork in him, he's done.

[Moose Milligan]

3 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

We can agree on one thing.  It happened pretty quickly.

Yep.

But to further my point, if he was taking any kind of PEDs, why stop after signing that contract?  And why continue to be absolutely miserable for years now, especially if the easy fix is PEDs?  

While there's a risk to take them as Robinson Cano just found out, the dopers are usually ahead of the testing that's out there.  

It's like Brady Anderson said, if his 50 homer season was due to taking steroids, wouldn't he just keep taking them?  It'd behoove everyone if he did.  Same applies to Davis.

[Just Regular]

The USA maybe has about 23,000,000 dudes of approximately MLB age, but there's only one where we get to hear this much detail...for some reason...about how he's going to try different in actual MLB games.

Even for all offseason long fodder, c'mon man Sun staffers.   Everybody's doing what they should, but there's no there there.

(I do enjoy the Game Theory aspect of Spring Training Davis being fed fatter and fatter pitches to see what it takes to make something happen.  Can Jim Palmer come out of retirement again next spring?)

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Yep.

But to further my point, if he was taking any kind of PEDs, why stop after signing that contract?  And why continue to be absolutely miserable for years now, especially if the easy fix is PEDs?  

While there's a risk to take them as Robinson Cano just found out, the dopers are usually ahead of the testing that's out there.  

It's like Brady Anderson said, if his 50 homer season was due to taking steroids, wouldn't he just keep taking them?  It'd behoove everyone if he did.  Same applies to Davis.

I always figured they had side effects he didn't care for.

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, OrioleDog said:

The USA maybe has about 23,000,000 dudes of approximately MLB age, but there's only one where we get to hear this much detail...for some reason...about how he's going to try different in actual MLB games.

Even for all offseason long fodder, c'mon man Sun staffers.   Everybody's doing what they should, but there's no there there.

(I do enjoy the Game Theory aspect of Spring Training Davis being fed fatter and fatter pitches to see what it takes to make something happen.  Can Jim Palmer come out of retirement again next spring?)

Chris Tillman lives in Sarasota.

[Just Regular]

4 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

While there's a risk to take them as Robinson Cano just found out, the dopers are usually ahead of the testing that's out there.  

I heard Brittny Ghiroli guffawing on a podcast this weekend about how this time he got busted for the Palmeiro stuff, like he was driving a Model T or something.

[Moose Milligan]

3 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

I always figured they had side effects he didn't care for.

They must be terrible side effects if hitting .115 is a reality he can deal with.

[oriole]

Sounds like excuses but I won’t fault Davis, I’m sure he’s trying. It’s the organizations fault for offering such an astoundingly stupid contract. We all knew it would end like this. 

[Can_of_corn]

3 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

They must be terrible side effects if hitting .115 is a reality he can deal with.

Anderson not Davis.

5 minutes ago, OrioleDog said:

I heard Brittny Ghiroli guffawing on a podcast this weekend about how this time he got busted for the Palmeiro stuff, like he was driving a Model T or something.

 

Yea, Cano was using stuff designed in the early 60's.  Not something you want to cheap out on.

[Moose Milligan]

Just now, Can_of_corn said:

Anderson not Davis.

Eh, maybe.  Still, if he did it, he did them for a hell of a year.