REALITY: Chris Davis is hitting .249 with 29 home runs and 80 RBI thru 2/3 of the season, and will be a free agent after this season.
PERCEPTION: Before the All-Star break, Davis was hitting .235. However, since the break, he is hitting .305.
Not only is his average a lot better, but he has become a genuine threat at the plate again. Last year, he was not at all. In April/May/early June, he struck out over 40% of his at-bats and struggled to make contact that wasn’t a home run. But now he is making good contact and also hitting with power. He is a real threat in the lineup and a huge help to the Orioles as they try for the playoffs.
Last year, the Orioles let Nelson Cruz go when he became a free agent. Almost everyone knew that was going to happen the day that they signed him to a one-year deal. Cruz currently leads the league in HR and is hitting well for a team that is really struggling.
After letting Cruz go, can you really afford to let Davis go too? It seems like another foregone conclusion that Davis and Matt Wieters are gone after this year. But can the Birds let their best hitter two years in a row get away?
Sure, Dan Duquette could go out and try to sign someone to replace Davis, but how has that been going?
REALITY: The Orioles have eight players no longer with the team who were on their opening day roster.
PERCEPTION: Travis Snider, Bud Norris, Delmon Young, Alejandro De Aza, Everth Cabrera, Wesley Wright, Ryan Lavarnway, and Tommy Hunter are all gone.
Snider, Young, and De Aza were expected to help fill the corner outfield positions, after the loss of Nick Markakis. All are gone after being DFA’d. When you add in Wright, Norris and Cabrera, that is $22.2 million that DD brought in to help this team win. $22.2 million spent that is no longer on the team.
I am a person that usually gives someone the benefit of the doubt and I don’t like looking back because hindsight is 20/20. So I’m not going to nitpick what Duquette did last offseason. I just point out those things as a way to point out what needs to happen this offseason. We cannot repeat that again. Fans can’t say the Orioles did not spend money last year, because they did. They just did not spend it wisely. You know what would be wise? Spend that money on Davis and/or Wieters. We know what they can do. Stop trying to play “moneyball” and go get the guys who will help you win now.
REALITY: Gerardo Parra is hitting just .200 since being traded to the Orioles July 31.
PERCEPTION: So far, Parra has not been any better than any of the other corner outfielders for the Orioles.
Delmon Young was hitting .270, with a .289 on-base percentage and .339 slugging percentage.
Nolan Reimold is hitting .238/.322/.375.
Travis Snider was hitting .237/.318/.341.
Parra is hitting .235/.297/.353.
Steve Pearce (currently injured) is hitting .227/.290/.392.
Chris Parmelee was hitting .216/.255/.433.
David Lough is hitting .206/.248/.325.
Frankly, none of those stats are any good. But, Parra is still having a really good year overall. He is hitting over .300 with 10 home runs this season between the Brewers and Orioles. The O’s desperately need the guy who was hitting in Milwaukee to show up for Baltimore. He hit his first home run with the Birds on Sunday, so maybe he will break out. If the .300 Parra returns, the Orioles will need to attempt to sign the free agent after the season. If he doesn’t, then the Orioles will have another hole in their lineup to try and fill after the season. Another reason why letting Davis walk is such a bad idea.
