*FAN SUBMISSION by Tyler Young of Baltimore, MD. Follow him on Twitter @CamdenYdsCrazy.*
He was nothing more than a quadruple A player. He was too good for the minors, but struggled in the bigs. Young though, only a bit over 25 years of age. He was chiseled; his muscles had muscles. And he was definitely the kid in little league that had his birth certificate requested by opposing parents, several times.
In 2009, his longest audition in Texas, he struck out 150 times in only 391 at bats. Sure, he had pop but the 21 home runs didn’t justify the .238 batting average or the .284 on base percentage. His fielding was OK (at best); he could play first base, he wouldn’t kill you. A tryout at third was disastrous; his fielding percentage at the hot corner starts with an 8. The Rangers were a team who wanted to win; they saw potential but really had no room on their team and needed players to help them now.
The July 31st trade deadline was looming. Texas was trying to set up another run to the World Series and this time win it.
The whole league knew the Rangers could hit. The lineup was stacked; Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre, Michael Young. Those boys could drive in some runs. A common problem with the team was pitching. Balls flew out of Arlington and it wasn’t always off the bats of guys in blue and red. They needed some arms and Health Bell, the Padres closer, was at the top of their list.
Up in Baltimore it was business as usual. The Orioles were in the basement of the AL East and bound to be sellers at the deadline once again. Speculation was that the O’s only had one real trade chip they felt confident about shipping out, Koji Uehara. The righty had been great for the poor birds of Baltimore. In 2011, he was dominating hitters to the tune of a 1.72 ERA in 43 appearances. Uehara was one of the best relievers in baseball but, at 38 years old, that does no good for a young team looking towards the future. Koji was going to be wearing a different uniform come August.
Talks between San Diego and Texas hit a snag when it came to all-star Heath Bell. The Padres wanted a lot and the Rangers wanted a reliable late inning arm. Their focus turned to Baltimore. They called and offered righty Tommy Hunter. It would be an exchange of untapped potential for old veteran experience. Hunter had been important in Texas’ 2010 run, even starting a game in the World Series. However, injuries had derailed his 2011 campaign.
Orioles’ President of Baseball Operations, Andy MacPhail, wouldn’t settle. He had something that Texas wanted and he wasn’t going to be shorted. He wanted that big, chiseled guy who couldn’t handle big league stuff. He thought you could plug him in at first base, which was recently vacated with the trade of veteran Derrek Lee to Pittsburgh for Aaron Baker (currently 25 years old and in AA Bowie) and cash considerations. I mean, somebody had to play there, right? And it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Texas said “no”. They too saw what MacPhail saw, a broad-shouldered, big chested behemoth, that looked more like an NFL defensive end rather than a baseball player. Those guys don’t exactly grow on trees, they chop trees down for fun. In fact, Rangers GM Jon Daniels was later quoted as saying Davis had the chance to be a “late-bloomer” similar to fellow Ranger Nelson Cruz. However, once Baltimore got cash considerations from Pittsburgh for Lee they offered that cash to Texas along with Koji Uehara for Tommy Hunter and that struggling slugger named Chris Davis. That made the deal “cash neutral” which meant that wouldn’t really add anything to the payroll. It was too good to refuse. Texas accepted and Baltimore had acquired the free swinging Davis and hard thrower Hunter. When asked about the possibility of Davis blooming in Baltimore, Daniels said “we’ll live with it”
To look back now must be tough for Ranger fans. Sure Koji helped them backed to the playoffs in 2011 but he struggled in those playoffs and is now a part of the Boston Red Sox bullpen
Meanwhile in Charm City, Davis is leading the free world in home runs with 16 near the end of May, as well as slugging percentage at .718. He is 2nd in the league in batting average at .341, 2nd in on-base percentage at .436, and 2nd in RBI with 46. That’s ridiculous no matter how you slice it. He still strikes out, about once a game. But that is more than justified when his other stats are still so good.
Add to that the magical run that Davis was big part of in 2012 when he helped lead the Orioles back to the playoffs for the first time since 1997. It was a campaign in which he did this; .270 BA, .326 OBP, 33 HR, 85 RBI. Those numbers were huge at the time but he is well on pace to dwarf them in 2013.
Courtesy: Baltimore Sun
Oh yeah, did I mention that he pitches? He can bring it too. In a 17 inning game in Boston last season he threw 2 scoreless innings in which he struck out Adrian Gonzalez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The Gonzalez punch-out game with two men on and no outs. Davis showed off a 90 mph fastball and mixed in a change up with good speed difference. It was impressive to say the least and will only add to the lore of Chris Davis.
The cherry on top of 2012 was when Chris Davis and the revamped Baltimore Orioles walking into Arlington and putting an end to the two-time defending American League champion Texas Rangers’ season, with a 5-1 victory in early October. Not only that but it was with a lineup that had Mr. Davis has the #3 hitter in the O’s lineup, a symbol that he was one of the players rode the entire season to get them to this point. He brought it back to where it began for him and helped to send Texas home with it’s tail between it’s legs.
The future is certainly bright for Chris Davis and these Orioles. His current pace of 53 home runs may not be unsustainable but his bat will continue to be productive and will sure-up a key spot for the Orioles in seasons to come.
And hey, if the bullpen keeps struggling, Davis is happy to toss a couple innings.
