Put Crush Davis on a Milk Carton

I miss Crush Davis.

Seriously, I don’t even know what to say about Davis at this point, other than this: we need to put Crush on a milk carton and come to terms with the fact that the 2014 version of Chris Davis is the player we’re dealing with, here. And the two are different.

Don’t get me wrong, Chris Davis is a very useful player. As the clip below shows, he’s turned himself from a question mark into a very capable defender. Remember that in 2012, he bounced from third to first to the corner outfield positions, in addition to serving as designated hitter. No one (especially us, here at Bird’s Eye View) was sure that he could be a plus defender on an every-day basis. He was trying to live down a AAAA resume in order to make it as a major leaguer. Texas gave up on him, and the O’s gave him playing time to see just what they had. Consider those defensive question answered. Davis is still contributing, even when he struggles at the plate.

Also consider this highlight (thanks for not allowing me to embed it, MLB Advanced Media – you jerks), where Davis scores from first on a double – a crucial run in a game starved for offense. For a “big fella,” the guy gets around pretty well. When he gets on base, Davis can contribute, just another reminder that power is not his only tool.

But it is certainly his best. When he is on, his power can change a game, and last year, he did plenty of that. We were spoiled in 2013 with a Crush Davis we shouldn’t have hoped to ever see again. The extent of the regression has caught us all by surprise, but no one should have expected another MVP-type year.

We fans have to check our expectations. That was then and this is now. We shouldn’t expect a guy who is that middle-of-the-order centerpiece of the offense. But if we all agree what he is not, what should the 2014 Chris Davis be?

Chris Davis should be an excellent complement to the likes of Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz. As the 2014 season slips away, Davis needs to prove that the new-and-not-improved player wearing #19 is worth having around on a good team. He needs to defend his spot in the five-hole by improving his lackluster batting average and OBP. Make no mistake, he remains a power threat. Davis has occasionally shown flashes of being able to pick up the team and carry it on his back. In short: he can still be a game changer – just not to Crush levels.

That guy is still missing.