Baltimore Orioles: Chris Davis Breaks Silence

Aug 29, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis (19) is interviewed after a game against the Minnesota Twins at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Twins 9-1. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Circumstances that include being more than a bit sick kept me from attending FanFest for the first time in years. I missed being able to get first-hand quotes from Baltimore Orioles players and management, and I miss being able to draw primary observations on what was heard and the way I heard it. I’ll have to do remark upon quotes based upon the original sources such as from the MASN writers.

Truly the funniest guy on the Orioles, from my observations in recent years, is Tommy Hunter. Apparently he was quite entertaining again, especially in kids press conference sessions. Sitting in the bullpen with him during games must be a fun experience, and it always looks like they’re having a good time out there when the camera catches them.

I was especially interested to read and learn what Chris Davis had to say as he broke his silence for the first time since the suspension. Also a funny guy, he apparently commented to reporters that he considered “going Marshawn Lynch” on them. (There’s a guy who had an angry overnight for sure, and why not?… One of the all-time most ignorant play calls cost Seattle the game.)

Regarding the Adderall usage, Davis said …

"“For me, it was off the field, just an everyday life thing. There were a lot of times when I was young where teachers had brought it up and kind of mentioned, but we never really went down that road. When I was diagnosed in 2008, I was prescribed Adderall and I realized how much of a difference it made just in my everyday life, and for me that was kind of the reason I went down that road.”"

I have never understood what the issue was as to why he was denied in 2014 when he had previously been allowed … just a failure to file paperwork? That would be a very ADHD sort of thing to do.

I’ve lived around this with one of my sons who is actually the same age as Davis. His life is radically different relative to when he takes it versus when he prematurely runs out of the prescription, etc. It is definitely an everyday issue that affects a person’s entire personality and functionality, etc.

An additional Chris Davis quote was the most interesting reported prargraph of the day, in my view. He said …

"“I was a little overwhelmed, just kind of with everything that was going on with the (oblique) injury. There were a lot of different things that were taking my focus away from baseball. It was a mistake that I wish I could undo, but I can’t, so I’ve just got to move forward.”"

What this says is something that a few speculated upon in 2013, despite the verbal denials – that Davis’ oblique injury was a bigger deal than portrayed. His time away on the DL early in the season seemed even at the time to be a bit scant for an oblique recovery, especially for a guy with a violent swing as Crush generates.

I understand why players want to play through injuries – to contribute toward the team given their salaries, etc. But when less than 100%, the issue can make for a large problem. Nick Markakis in 2013 was clearly not himself physically, in spite of the denials that it was not really a problem, even to this day.

Though I want to believe that the oblique injury and the period of time not taking the Adderall are primary reasons for the precipitous drop in production that we saw from Davis in 2014, it is unlikely to be anywhere near the full reason. All I am suggesting is that, reading between the lines here and observing his swing last year, the injury was indeed a bigger issue than admitted; and there is hope that a full offseason recovery will be the major contributor toward getting our beloved 2013 Crush Davis back.

I still believe that the larger reason for the drop is the league figuring out a method of defensing Davis with the severe overshifts. It does not take a sabermathematician to know this. Merely watching a lot of games provided regular visual evidence of Chris powering balls into the teeth of the defense – balls that previously would have been base hits.

Davis joked on Saturday that he was going to bunt down the third base line a lot this year. I was hoping it was more than a joke; I think he needs to do that and hit to the opposite field with enough consistency to bust these shifts and open up the defense.