Baltimore Orioles Eyeing Free Agent Outfielder Rajai Davis
Could the team with the fewest steals in the majors add this year’s AL stolen base king? The Baltimore Orioles are reportedly interested in Rajai Davis.
With Mark Trumbo still unsigned, the Baltimore Orioles are assessing their various outfield options. According to Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun, one of those possibilities is free agent Rajai Davis. Encina says the team has interest in the 11-year big league veteran.
He points out that Davis would bring an element to the Orioles roster that has been sorely lacking for some time: speed. Baltimore has been a team built on power, waiting for its sluggers to drive in runs via the long ball. Last season they stole just 19 bases as a unit, easily the fewest among major league clubs. Davis alone swiped 43 bags this year to lead the American League.
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Davis has averaged 39 steals per year over the past eight seasons, and though he turned 36 years old in October, there’s little reason to believe he’ll slow down in 2017. Adding Davis wouldn’t necessarily signal a full-on philosophy shift for the O’s, but his prowess on the base paths would give them another tool in their arsenal as they try to put runs on the board. And unless there is a significant improvement from Baltimore’s starting rotation next year, they will probably continue needing to score runs in bunches.
However, Davis brings a bit more than just quickness. Though his numbers have fluctuated over the years, he has generally been able to hold his own in the batter’s box. He slashed .249/.306/.388 over 134 games last season for Cleveland, and he is two years removed from posting a respectable .282/.320/.401 line for Detroit. Davis even found a little pop in his bat this year, swatting a career-high 12 home runs.
He hit a big one in the World Series, a two-run shot off Aroldis Chapman that drew the Indians level with the Cubs in the eighth inning of Game 7. If Chicago had not won the game in extra innings, Davis is likely considered the hero of the series.
Overall, Davis sports a .267/.314/.387 triple-slash over his 11 major league seasons. Encina suggests that he could serve as the Orioles’ leadoff hitter. Despite his speed, Davis might not be the most ideal fit there, as he has a rather unremarkable 5.7 percent career walk rate. That said, he could still be a decent option for the role, especially if the team wants to move Adam Jones back down in the order in response to a potential Trumbo departure.
Ideally, Davis could be a fourth outfielder type for Baltimore, but with Trumbo’s status still up in the air, the O’s need to have contingency plans in order. Obviously Davis has a completely different skill set than Trumbo, but he could still prove useful in different ways for the club. He would also almost certainly come on a low-cost, one-year deal.
