- Admin
- #1
Coming off an offseason where the reigning home run champions —*Mark Trumbo in the American League and Chris Carter in the National League —*were among the last free agents off he board, we know several baseball executives have placed a lower premium on home runs.
Is it possible baseball fans have become immune to big power numbers as well?
[Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Baseball: It’s not too late to get in the game]
We’re not entirely sure what the explanation might be. We just know that Oakland A’s outfielder Khris Davis is currently one of MLB’s purest sluggers and most consistent home run threats, yet there’s rarely any buzz surrounding him.
We also know he’ll be featured in Saturday’s Free Game of the Day here on Yahoo Sports. You can stream the game — for free — on the Yahoo Sports MLB page, on our Free Game of the Day tab or within this very post once the game starts at 4:05 p.m. ET.
It’s a golden opportunity for fans to get familiar with Davis, whose power numbers and overall production have steadily improved over his three complete big league seasons. That led to a true breakout season in 2016, when Davis smashed a career-high 42 homers to go along with a career-high 102 RBIs. Most impressively, Davis did that after moving from hitter friendly Miller Park in Milwaukee to the ultimate pitcher’s park in Oakland.
Now he’s looking to continue his ascension, which isn’t entirely out of the question given his approach.
Oakland Athletics’ slugger Khris Davis now has 107 career home runs in 482 games. (AP) It*really boils down to two things for Davis. First and foremost, he’s able to generate immense power. That might sound obvious, but it’s a raw power you wouldn’t ordinarily expect from a guy who stands 5-foot-11 and*weighs 190 pounds.
Beyond that, Davis does a good job of consistently elevating the baseball. Over the past two season Davis has hit the ball in the air 40% of the time, with another 17% of his baseballs in play being categorized as line drives. That tells you that he’s aiming to get the ball in the air, and more times than not he’s succeeding.
When you put the power and the ability to elevate together, it puts the onus on the pitcher to hit his spots. Perhaps Davis doesn’t make pitchers pay for their mistakes as spectacularly as Giancarlo Stanton, but he does it with enough frequency that his at-bats should be must-see.
Staying off Davis’ highlight reel will be the task of Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. on Saturday. Davis enters having already launched five home runs this season, including a multi-homer game on opening day. If McCullers*doesn’t keep the ball down Saturday, that number will rise again.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
Follow @Townie813
Is it possible baseball fans have become immune to big power numbers as well?
[Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Baseball: It’s not too late to get in the game]
We’re not entirely sure what the explanation might be. We just know that Oakland A’s outfielder Khris Davis is currently one of MLB’s purest sluggers and most consistent home run threats, yet there’s rarely any buzz surrounding him.
We also know he’ll be featured in Saturday’s Free Game of the Day here on Yahoo Sports. You can stream the game — for free — on the Yahoo Sports MLB page, on our Free Game of the Day tab or within this very post once the game starts at 4:05 p.m. ET.
It’s a golden opportunity for fans to get familiar with Davis, whose power numbers and overall production have steadily improved over his three complete big league seasons. That led to a true breakout season in 2016, when Davis smashed a career-high 42 homers to go along with a career-high 102 RBIs. Most impressively, Davis did that after moving from hitter friendly Miller Park in Milwaukee to the ultimate pitcher’s park in Oakland.
Now he’s looking to continue his ascension, which isn’t entirely out of the question given his approach.
Beyond that, Davis does a good job of consistently elevating the baseball. Over the past two season Davis has hit the ball in the air 40% of the time, with another 17% of his baseballs in play being categorized as line drives. That tells you that he’s aiming to get the ball in the air, and more times than not he’s succeeding.
When you put the power and the ability to elevate together, it puts the onus on the pitcher to hit his spots. Perhaps Davis doesn’t make pitchers pay for their mistakes as spectacularly as Giancarlo Stanton, but he does it with enough frequency that his at-bats should be must-see.
Staying off Davis’ highlight reel will be the task of Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. on Saturday. Davis enters having already launched five home runs this season, including a multi-homer game on opening day. If McCullers*doesn’t keep the ball down Saturday, that number will rise again.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
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