Chris Davis prepared to bunt to beat defensive shifts
While new commissioner Rob Manfred ponders eliminating extreme defensive shifts from MLB all together, Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis is considering his own strategy to beat the analytically based strategy that tortured him throughout the 2014 season: He’s ready to bunt.
Or at least that’s what Davis said during an interview on the “Hot Stove Show” on 105.7 The Fan this week. MASN Sports’ Roch Kubatko provides the context and the quote.
How many times did Davis line a ball into shallow right field last season, only to walk back to the dugout in frustration, his average tumbling like my standards at 2 a.m.? An oblique injury was a mighty contributor to his .196 average. Let’s not lay all the blame on the shift. But I lost count of all the hits that the alignment cost him.
There’s one possible solution for Davis, and he’s finally on board with it.
“I think there are definitely situations where I need to bunt, and I know there was some frustration last year obviously with my batting average being as low as it was – not only on my part but the fan base and maybe even on some of my teammates’ part – as far as me hitting into the shift.”
It’s possible some of that is carryover frustration speaking. After leading all of baseball with 53 home runs and 138 RBIs in 2013, Davis crashed back to earth in 2014, hitting just 196/.300/.404 across the board with 26 homers and 72 RBIs over 127 games. There was also an oblique injury, as Kubatko noted, not to mention the season-ending 25-game suspension for amphetamine use. The suspension cost him the final 17 regular season games, all seven of Baltimore’s postseason games, and will keep him out on opening day this season.
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From a personal standpoint, it’s a season he’d like to forget on nearly every level. However, that he is so focused on beating the shift suggests it’s wedged in his head and there’s a real desire to adjust and attack that defense when the time arrives.
“I think the biggest thing for me last year was just seeing how drastic the shift was. I remember when Texas came in, I hit something like three or four balls on a line in the four hole, which is right over the first baseman’s right shoulder. These are balls that most of the time are going to be singles, if not doubles, and the second baseman caught them at his chest on a line, and I was just thinking, ‘Man, that’s not even fair. Those are good hits right there that are being taken away.’ “
It’s a strategy manager Buck Showalter would probably discourage Davis from using too often. The Orioles will need his power more than ever this season after losing Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis in free agency, and will want to see him establish some real confidence at the plate. But there are times when it could be effective as well, as in when he’s struggling or the Orioles simply need baserunners.
With that said though, it’s just interesting hearing of a former home run champion who accepts what’s in front of him and understand it’s on him to adjust. It’s that type of strategic thinking that makes the game interesting, but would be missing if the league did eliminate shifts. Here’s hoping that’s not the case, and here’s hoping we inspire more thinking and creativity within the game, rather than from decision makers outside it.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
