While it’s notoriously easy to cherry-pick stats and show hitters in a different light, Chris Davis‘s atrocious season can’t possibly be cherry-picked. It’s just downright bad.
He’s on an 0-for-44 streak. The first baseman is just two at-bats without a hit from tying the all-time record for most without one and if he can go down without a hit in his next try, he’ll join three other batters with 45 consecutive attempts and no hits. While Davis’s misery isn’t historical yet, he’s probably the first to do it while making up close to 30% of his team’s payroll.
Chris Davis Goes On near-Record Hitless Streak
On top of that, 27 of his last 44 at-bats have ended in a strikeout. That’s 61% of all at-bats this season where he hasn’t even put the ball into play.
Here’s the latest example of Davis not reaching base, this time on a looking strike three. His Baltimore Orioles fell 15-3 to the New York Yankees over the weekend. As the tweet says, Chris Davis hasn’t had a: run scored since September 18, 2018, a hit since September 14, 2018, an RBI since September 4, 2018, a home run since August 24, 2018, a road home run since July 20, 2018, and a batting average above .186 since October 1, 2017.
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That’s not to mention that Baltimore still owes him $92 million. The two sides are currently stuck in a cat-and-mouse game, with one daring the other to retire and not suffer and the other plugging him into the lineup each day when almost any other player could produce better numbers.
At one point, Davis was one of MLB’s most feared hitters. During a five-year span, he was good for 197 homers. Baltimore agreed to a seven-year, $161 million dollar deal with the slugger. Then the MLB banned Adderall, a substance Davis was prescribed for ADHD and his numbers plummeted. The largest contract in Orioles history became its most recent mistake. In 2018, Davis was the lowest-qualified position player in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentages. He slashed .168/.234/.296. For comparison, Boston Red Sox outfielder and reigning MVP Mookie Betts slashed .346/.438/.640 that same year.
The Orioles next kick off a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Monday, April 8.
