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Searching for an Answer to Chris Davis’ Struggles

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As any O’s fan can readily attest, Chris Davis has struggled – to put it mildly – during the 2014 season. His stat line of .199/16/50/.311 with 116 Ks is reminiscent of Mark Reynolds, whom the Orioles opted not to resign after 2012 for posting similar numbers.

We all know how magical the 2013 season was for Chris Davis. In fact, from the beginning of 2012 until the end of 2013, Chris Davis was one of the most prolific power hitters in the game. During that time span he hit .278 while blasting 86 home runs and knocking in 223 runs.

In 2014? He has the lowest batting average of any everyday player in all of baseball.

So what gives? Why is Chris Davis failing so miserably on a regular basis after hitting so well in the previous two seasons? Perhaps it’s something that nobody is saying.

Some want to say Davis isn’t walking as much. But all anybody has to do is look at his numbers to realize that he is actually walking at a higher rate than in 2012 or 2013. So that’s not it.

Well, he isn’t going to the opposite field as much. When he’s on, he hits the ball the other way.

That’s not true either. Last season, 15.6% of Chris Davis’ hits went to the opposite field. This season, 16.7% of Davis’ hits go to the opposite field. So that’s not it.

At one point this season I even thought that maybe he was being positioned wrong in the lineup. But he has batted fifth this season more than any other slot in the lineup, where he hit .325 with 38 HR and 98 RBI in 2013.

This season? While hitting fifth, he’s at .190 with 7 HR and 18 RBI (for what it’s worth, he’s hitting .298 from the 3-hole this season in 57 AB’s). So that’s not it.

And then I thought of something and did a little research to see if my theory was correct.

On May 24th, Chris Davis stepped to the plate for his first at-bat having homered four times in the previous three games, his average standing at .267. He also stepped to the plate that night knowing his wife was to be induced into labor the next day, giving birth to the young couple’s first child, a beautiful baby girl.

Davis went 0-for-3 that night, took the next two days off to be with his wife and newborn child, and then returned to the club on May 27th. After hitting .267 with 7 HR and 25 RBI in his first 34 games, Davis has since gone 29-for-182 with 9 HR and 25 RBI in 50 games, good for a .159 BA.

It is well known that Chris Davis is a Christian man. He reads the bible daily and his Twitter account is pretty much nothing but bible verses. So where am I going with this?

This man, in my opinion, is absolutely not focused on baseball right now. He may not admit it to the media, his teammates, or his coaches, but do not underestimate the effect his being away from his family is having on his game. How could it not?

For those that read my posts, I clearly love backing up thoughts and opinions with numbers. The numbers since the birth of Davis’ daughter back this theory up.

The man’s head and heart are not on the baseball field right now. Can we really blame him? Some, maybe most, will not think this is a legitimate excuse, but for me, he gets a pass for now.

I have to believe that he will break out of this eventually and I am inclined to think that he will return to his All-Star form in 2015. Until then, let’s cut him some slack. I mean, the O’s are in first place. I just wonder how much longer Buck Showalter will continue to run Davis out there every single game.

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