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Should Chris Davis Still be the Baltimore Orioles’ First Baseman?

By Nate Wardle

Oct 4, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis (19) celebrates with left fielder Steve Pearce (28) after scoring on a single by catcher Matt Wieters (not pictured) during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis (19) celebrates with left fielder Steve Pearce (28) after scoring on a single by catcher Matt Wieters (not pictured) during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Baltimore Orioles continue to decide whether they have enough outfielders to fill out their roster to start the 2016 season.

The only thing guaranteed for the Baltimore Orioles in the outfield is that Adam Jones will be in center field.

Right now, one would say the starting left fielder in Hyun Soo Kim. But Kim is hitless in Spring Training. He looks to be in over his head.  Sure, he has time to turn it around. This is a guy who isn’t just learning baseball in America, but also what it means to live in America. The learning curve is much different than for a guy like Joey Rickard, who simply switched teams.

If the Orioles are going to go with Kim despite his struggles, the right fielder right now would probably either be Nolan Reimold or Mark Trumbo. Pedro Alvarez will be the the other as the starting DH. So, what other options does that leave?

Dariel Alvarez and Henry Urrutia both remain in play as potential outfield options. As does Rickard, who has been very impressive so far. But, could another option be Chris Davis?

Sure, it doesn’t make sense to move your highest paid player to a different position. But, Davis has said he is willing to move to the outfield if that is what the team needs.

With Alvarez on the roster, it leaves the DH position to him. So, the team has too many first basemen.

Davis is a better right fielder than Mark Trumbo is and could play left field if necessary, something Trumbo probably couldn’t do successfully.

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Trumbo is an adequate first baseman, so he could play there without giving up too much defense. Let’s just put it this way, Trumbo at 1B and Davis at RF is a much better option than Davis at 1B and Trumbo at RF. And Trumbo at first is a better option defensively than Alvarez.

This would allow the team to put Reimold in left field.

The Baltimore Orioles need to worry about what gives them the best roster moving forward. A lot of that will hinge on what the team decides to do with Hyun Soo Kim, depending on how he finishes his Spring.

But, I don’t think it should be automatic that Chris Davis is the team’s first baseman. The Orioles need to do what puts the team in the best position to win.

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