Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Khris Davis made his major league debut at age 25 last season on April 1. Though he made only 32 starts all season long, Davis made the most of his 136 at-bats, belting 11 home runs and 10 doubles, which helped him to a .353 on-base percentage and .596 slugging percentage. Had he managed to maintain that slugging percentage throughout an entire season’s worth of at-bats, Davis’ tally would have been good for third in the Majors last season, behind only Miguel Cabrera and, coincidentally, Chris Davis.
This season, Khris Davis has been the Brewers everyday left fielder, already owning nearly 50 more at-bats this season than last. Though his numbers are down from his incredible year off the bench in 2013, Davis has been extremely effective for his NL Central-leading team. With 9 home runs, 14 doubles, 30 runs, and a .486 SLG, Davis is in the top 20 in the National League in each category.
With most of his plate appearances coming out of the six hole in the lineup, Davis doesn’t get many RBI opportunities, having just 21 on the year despite an impressive home run total. With just 8 walks and a .292 on-base percentage two months into the season, it’s easy to see why Davis is hitting in the bottom half of Ron Roenicke’s lineup. If he can increase his ability to reach base safely to contest his ability to hit for power, Davis could become a real offensive threat around the Major Leagues.
Last night, Davis reached base safely in three of his four plate appearances in Milwaukee’s 8-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. With some help from Davis, the Brewers were able to take two of the three games against the Orioles for their second consecutive series win. Davis went 2 for 3, which included a walk in the 2nd inning, a single in the 6th, and a 3-run homer down the left field line in the 8th to extend the Brewers lead to five.
The home run was Davis’ third in as many games, but his first that wasn’t a solo shot. Davis’ multi-hit performance was his third in the past four games, a feat that has increased his batting average from .227 to .251. The Brewers will look for Davis to stay hot this weekend, as the thought of a sweep against the last-place Cubs is surely embedded in the mind of each player. After Chicago comes into town, Milwaukee has a great chance to increase their division lead even further as they play four games (two at home) against the sub-.500 Minnesota Twins.
Khris Davis has provided a surplus of power to the Brewers lineup all season long. If he can continue make contact and reach base on a more regular basis, the first-place Brewers will likely continue to look down upon their division rivals in the NL Central.
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