Baltimore Orioles: Could Chris Davis be the Right Field Answer?
Aug. 13, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Baltimore Orioles first baseman
Chris Davis(right) is congratulated by
Nick Markakisafter hitting a two run home run in the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The home run was his 44th home run of the season. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
We have heard throughout the offseason that the Baltimore Orioles have had a search ongoing to add an additional left-hand hitting bat as a corner outfielder. If this is so necessary, why would Chris Davis not be a possible answer for this need?
First of all, is Davis able to do this defensively? That is the starting point for the Orioles with their defensively-minded team building philosophy. The answer is a qualified yes. He is not going to replace Nick Markakis as a Gold Glove, but he is going to be more than adequate.
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The sample size for Davis as an outfielder is rather small and is all in 2012. During that season he played 31 games in right field and 10 games in left. O’s fans tend to forget this. Davis had one error each at the two positions, and his defensive metrics were either at, or slight above, the league average. There is no doubt that he has the arm for the right field position. Crush is truly a good athlete, not merely a lumbering first baseman with home run capacity.
But a larger question is to re-visit the reasoning as to why this search is such a felt need. The Orioles do have two lefty outfielders already in David Lough and Alejandro De Aza. And while each can turn on a pitch and drive it out of the park, without doubt their game is much more built upon speed.
The presumptive answer is to provide the Orioles with more power-hitting capacity from the left side. There are more right-handed pitchers, so if a team leans right too heavily, they can become vulnerable. Other than Davis, the only left-handed batters will likely be Matt Wieters, De Aza, Lough (if he is in the lineup that frequently) and Ryan Flaherty.
So, the Orioles only gain in this regard if the first baseman who covers for Chris when he is in right field is a left-handed batter as well. Flaherty could do it and be that person, except that you are not buying a lot of offense with The Flaredog on sack number one. And the younger rookie Christian Walker is a right-handed hitter.
What if I told you there was an option for hitting right-handed pitching that is a resource for the Orioles? He has a career average against right-handed pitching of .276 that rises to .281 against RH starters. As recently as this past season he slashed .312/.357/.452 against them, while batting .302 overall.
Of course I am talking about Delmon Young. And though he is not going to be a defensive replacement for Davis in the above-discussed scenario, the point to be made is that the situation on the current Orioles roster is not so dire as it is presumed often to be. I just don’t see the desperate need to get this extra LH power-hitting corner outfield piece. It would be nice, no doubt.
By comparison, Steve Pearce is .240 against righties and .280 versus left-handed pitching over his career. Those splits in 2014 were .279 and .327 – again, not a desperate situation. The Orioles have in-house options.