You can't talk about Chris Davis without discussing the spectacularly good and the abysmally bad. Over the last half of his career, no other baseball player may have gone from one extreme to the other quicker than the former First Baseman.
Davis came up through the Texas Rangers system, and the scouting reports about the First Baseman never changed: Low Average, colossal power, lots of Strikeouts, and slow. He made the Rangers roster first in 2008, but he bounced up and down from Texas and Triple-A often in his first three years, though he did prove he could go deep against Major League pitching. He was traded to Baltimore during the 2011 Season, and it was in Maryland where he showed the best and worst of what he could do.
Davis had his first 30 Home Run year in 2012 (33) and did so with a solid .270 Batting Average. He then joined the 50-Home Run Club in 2013, winning the Home Run Title (53) and RBI Title (138), and batting a career-high .286. Davis was third in MVP voting, went to his only All-Star Game, and captured his only Silver Slugger. He was third in MVP voting, but there were still a lot of doubt in his overall game.
Davis belted 26 Home Runs in 2014 but batted less than .200. The following year, he won his second Home Run Title with 47 Home Runs, but he also led the league in Strikeouts (208). He again was the infamous first-place finisher in whiffs in 2016 (219), but his Home Run tally dropped to 38, and he batted .221.
Power and Average dropped afterward, and Davis infamously set the MLB record for the longest streak without a Hit (54 At Bats). He morphed into a chronically hurt player, who could not hit, let alone for power, and he limped into retirement after the 2020 Season.
Davis was much-watch television every time he batted, but two Home Run Titles can not negate a bWAR that is barely over 11. He will get on the ballot but will be fortunate to gain a vote.
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