But, as enjoyable as baseball can be, it's ultimately a business at the Major League level. Unless you're the Yankees, you simply can not pay out the money to keep a team of great players together for a very long time. It's a bit frustrating. You groom a player from farm to table. Then when he eventually becomes a great player in the Big Show, you can't afford him anymore.
With all of this being said, I find it a bit ironic that the only Oriole "super-star" that remained after the dust settled was Chris Davis. It seems just like yesterday that "Crush" was mashing baseballs like a bag of Idaho potatoes. But similar to an aging rock star, Davis has fallen on some hard times. Over the past three seasons, he has batted a dismal .221, .215 and .168. If I'm not mistaken, last year's .168 ranks as the lowest average in MLB history (for those with sufficient at-bats to qualify). To add to the perplexity, Davis is in the fourth year of a 7-year, $161 million contract. To say that the Orioles are not getting a decent return on their investment would be a vast understatement.
Entering today's game, Davis hasn't had a hit in his last 38 at-bats (going back to Sept. 15 of last season). During those 38 plate appearances, he has struck out an astounding 29 times. For all you baseball trivia buffs, the all-time record for hit-less at-bats is 46 which was set in 2010 by Eugenio Velez. Baltimore's former masher is now within a couple games of breaking this infamous accomplishment.
So, how does a guy go from being a bonafide slugger to this? It certainly doesn't appear to be a physical thing as Davis looks to be in great shape. So, my guess is that it's mostly a mental issue. By this, I am certainly not questioning Davis' intelligence. But in any high pressure situation, such as making contact with a 90 mph slider, mental concentration is pushed to the utmost limit. As you progressively fall short on your goals, the gears in your mind spin progressively faster to make the necessary adjustments. And when the results continue to be unsatisfactory, frustration has the tendency to overcome you. Your thought process becomes clouded because of the countless things racing through your mind. I don't know, maybe Dr. Phil can offer some suggestions.
Although the fans have voiced their discontent of Davis' recent performance, I can't help but feel really bad for the guy. Can you imagine the pressure this guy is under? Every time he steps to the plate, he can probably feel the criticism. Yes, he's making a ton of money, But from an emotional standpoint, ironically, that probably makes it worse for him. He knows that he's being paid a lot of money to perform. I'm sure that he's also aware of the fact that he's not fulfilling the latter end of that deal.
In the end, I hope Davis can somehow pull out of this extended slump. If he can somehow figure things out and start launching missiles over the centerfield wall again, the fans will quickly forget about the past few years.
kw
