Crush Speaks

In the offseason before 2013, there were plenty of questions about Chris Davis (including here, at Bird’s Eye View).

• Could Davis hold up for an entire season as a major league starter?
• Would he be defensive liability at first base?
• Would his numbers decline if his primary role was not DH/closer?

He was pretty clear in his answers. Given the opportunity to be “the guy” in Baltimore, Davis put together a legitimate MVP-worthy season, and asserted himself as one of the premier power hitters in the game today.

In this offseason, there are still questions swirling around Davis. And this time, he seems pretty comfortable behind the mic. Davis isn’t making a scene, or being a distraction, but he’s not shying away from the tough questions.

What about his contract status?

The Scott Boras client will likely command a hefty investment when he hits free agency. After inking his one-year $10.35M deal to avoid arbitration in 2013, Davis has expressed interest in signing a long-term deal, in Baltimore.

As far as I am concerned, I’d love to be here…I’d love to wear a Baltimore Orioles uniform for the rest of my career. But I don’t know if there were any talks about multi-year deals [this winter]. It was brought up last year at one point, but nothing has come to a head on that yet.

 

Source: Baltimore Sun

What about PEDs?

When asked about PEDs in the game, and suspicion over his own power numbers, Davis has been candid on the subject. He says he still recognizes Roger Maris’ 61 home runs to be the real single-season home run record. He may have the AL-only technicality to fall behind, but he’s made his stance on PEDs very clear.

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What does the team need to do in order to get back to the playoffs?

Davis doesn’t look  to push his views of the organization’s direction, but he doesn’t back away from the question, either. Like the rest of us, he seems to want to know whether the Orioles are going to keep its talented nucleus intact, or fire-sale it (a la Jim Johnson for a bag of balls). He also clearly identifies the need for starting pitching. As politely as possible, he

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What does it all mean?

Everything? Nothing? Who knows. In an offseason where we are desperate for Orioles-related news, Crush is speaking. The only remaining question is: are the Orioles listening?