06 April 2013

The Magic is Back - Chris Davis and the 2013 Baltimore Orioles

"You put him in the Grand Canyon, he'll hit it out" - Adam Jones

As the spring sun shines and temperatures reach the 60s, sure enough Major League Baseball is upon us once more.  This season, the Baltimore Orioles are tasked with living up to the expectations that result from last year's magical playoff run.

Show 'em your badge!  You can call him one-pitch Chris or just The Deputy
Their start has been nothing short of historically prolific.  The Birds are 3-1, perched atop the American League East and while baseball is a team game, they have gotten there largely on the strength of first baseman Chris Davis.

Davis was brought to Baltimore two seasons ago, along with Tommy Hunter, in the midseason Koji Uehara deal.  His expectations have been minimal yet his production at the plate increased greatly last year as he split time in right field, the designated hitter role and first base.  Hitting 33 home runs in 515 at bats helped earn Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter's trust in not picking up the club option on first baseman Mark Reynolds' (known as the Sheriff) contract or seeking out a high priced free agent to come into town and claim the job.

As such, Davis was offered the first base job by Manager Buck Showalter in spring training.  Davis ended last season hitting seven home runs in the final seven games, then earned the first base job after a strong spring and has continued his upward trend in a major way to begin 2013.

His eighth-inning grand slam yesterday put the O's up for good, 9-5.  Thus far, Davis has 9 hits in 15 at bats and an exclamatory 4 home runs and 16 RBI overall.  He ties Willie Mays, Mark McGwire and Nelson Cruz for hitting four home runs in each of the first four games of a new season.  His 16 RBI breaks the old record of 12 for most in any four game stretch (since stats like these have been recorded since 1920).  While all paces are ridiculous, Davis' current one reaches the height of absurdity: After four games, he projects to finish with 162 home runs and 648 RBI in 2013.

No player has ever hit five home runs in five games to open the season and that is the history Davis chases tonight as the Orioles take on the Minnesota Twins for the second game of a three game set in Baltimore.  Until then, here's video from Davis' heroics yesterday at Camden Yards:



Here's some more cool stats on Davis' start, courtesy of ESPN's great Stats & Info blog:

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/category/_/name/mlb-2

'Til next time, Go Birds!

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