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Baltimore Orioles: The Positives, Negatives and Surprises of April

By Nate Wardle

BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 27: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles falls to the ground after avoiding a pitch in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 27, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - APRIL 27: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles falls to the ground after avoiding a pitch in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 27, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Chris Davis
BALTIMORE, MD – MARCH 29: Chris Davis #19 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on from second base during the tenth inning against the Minnesota Twins in their Opening Day game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on March 29, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Worst Player: Chris Davis

For as easy as Manny was for the best player, Davis is clearly the worst too.

Sure, you could argue for Alex Cobb, or maybe Mychal Givens.

I even considered Adam Jones due to his abject failures with runners in scoring position (hitting .172).

And, Davis and Jones both have the same WAR through April, an awful -0.6

But, in the end, a batting average at .167 takes the cake.

Davis is hitting .167/.257/.256. That slugging percentage is horrific for someone of his power.

Davis has two home runs and six RBIs despite spending plenty of time in the top two-thirds of the Baltimore Orioles’ batting order.

He has already struck out 33 times in 101 at-bats. Contrast that with 15 hits, and it is ugly.

The saving grace is that Davis continues to be capable defensively, which has been important considering the Orioles have used any number of players at third base already, and none have looked close to good defensively.

The Orioles are paying Davis $23 million this year. The last two games he has had days off to clear his head and work on things. Hopefully, it helps, because if not, what can the Orioles do?

Bench him, they certainly can, but 23M on the bench is a tough pill to swallow.

Platooning him is an option since he has one hit in 18 at-bats against left-handed pitching. Of course, that one hit was a home run.

I’m not sure what the answer is for Davis. I don’t see anyone trading for his albatross of a contract, and the Orioles aren’t going to release him.

A demotion to Triple-A Norfolk might help him play every day and take a little pressure off, but I doubt he would agree to that, nor do I think Buck Showalter would demean a player like that, even if warranted.

Honorable Mention: Adam Jones, Alex Cobb

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