Friday Newsletter time: Ex-Ranger Chris Davis retires with most ignoring the success he had
The first baseman's final seasons in Baltimore weren't good, but he was one of the game's top power hitters after the Rangers traded him in 2011.
The Texas Rangers played a day game July 30, 2011, at Toronto. Derek Holland was terrific in a four-hit shutout that featured an early-game mound visit from an animated Ron Washington that changed the game.
The third baseman that day was Chris Davis, not Adrian Beltre, and he went 1 for 4 in the 3-0 victory. Mitch Moreland, who unseated Davis at first base, hit a two-run homer.
Not long afterward, Davis and right-hander Tommy Hunter were traded to the Baltimore Orioles for right-hander Koji Uehara.
It was the beginning of Davis’ big-league turnaround. Given a chance to play every day, Davis become one of the game’s most feared power hitters, an MVP candidate and the recipient of a seven-year, $161 million contract.
Davis retired Thursday with one year left on that deal. A hip injury hadn’t healed well enough for him to continue playing, and he had been one of baseball’s worst hitters the past few seasons.
Many have chosen to remember Davis that way in the wake of his retirement, as a bust not worthy of $26 million a year. They don’t remember all the good he did, like being the leading vote-getter for the 2013 All-Star Game and the 295 homers he hit in his career.
That’s a shame.
“We have a tendency as an industry, as fans, to remember the end of a career, and I know his contract gets a lot of attention,” said Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels, who orchestrated the 2011 trade. “I hope people look back and say 1) this is a wonderful person, a good father and an outstanding human being. And 2) he had a helluva career. The contract and the individual and the athlete are two very different things.”
Davis is a good person, donating millions to charity in Baltimore and also contributing to the Do It For Durrett silent auction by gathering autographed memorabilia of his Orioles teammates.
He was inviting as a Rangers rookie in 2008 to a rookie beat writer, and never changed that hospitality in the 12 seasons that followed. He also slowed down off the field as he matured, started a family, and lives in the Metroplex in the offseason.
And from 2012-2017 he hit home runs with as much frequency as the best hitters in baseball after some inconsistent seasons with the Rangers from 2008 until the 2011 trade.
“There are some guys that have early struggles in the big leagues, and even with a change of scenery don't take off the way he did,” Daniels said. “He made himself an MVP candidate and the anchor to a playoff lineup for a number of years.”
Slow clap for Rangers
Spencer Howard tossed three scoreless innings Wednesday night on 44 pitches. It looked as if he could have kept going, and all he could talk about in his introductory Zoom call was wanting to get his pitching count built up.
That might happen, but not now. The Rangers have a plan for Howard, and, by golly, it looks like they are sticking to it rather than turning him loose.
Shocking, I know, at least based on some of the rush jobs they’ve orchestrated in the past with young pitchers.
Pitching coaches Doug Mathis and Brendan Sagara have a list of things they want to see Howard work on to get straightened out following a rough start to his season with Philadelphia.
Rather than waylay him with all the information at once, the plan is to give Howard information a piece or two at a time to avoid overwhelming him. It might take some extra work on the side, it might require him pitching in relief in a piggyback situation, it might mean he doesn’t throw more than 50 pitches for a few weeks.
The expectation is that the process will put Howard in a better position to log more pitches and more innings next season. And that’s fine. Heck, that’s smart.
In the meantime, keeping a shorter leash on Howard will allow the Rangers to stretch out left-hander Taylor Hearn and see if he can become a rotation piece. He worked as a starter throughout the minors, so this isn’t a some wild experiment.
He has steadily improved throughout the season in the bullpen, usually working multiple innings. Maybe that’s what he ends up doing long-term, but it doesn’t hurt to find out if the left-hander who can reach 100 mph can be a starter.
Card of the week
With Luka Doncic signing the $207 million supermax extension to stay with the Dallas Mavericks, one of his rookie cards, fittingly, is the card of the week.
It’s the 2018-19 Panini Chronicles Studio base rookie, and there’s something about the card that makes it my favorite of his. I have a few others, no autos unfortunately, but a couple graded by Beckett at 9.5.
This one is likely headed to be graded soon.
Doncic showed again during the Olympics that he is one of the best basketball players in the world. The Argentina coach said Doncic is the best player in the world.
The Mavs need to put another player around him. Kristaps Porzingis needs more time under the basket, where he had his best season with the New York Knicks. Of course, many want the Mavs to trade Porzingis.
Keep him, make him play inside and find a third piece. The pickings have gotten pretty slim in free agency, so Cuban and new GM Nico Harrison need to find a trade.
Otherwise, the Mavs are another first-round playoff exit next season.
Doggy video!
This proves, once again, that dogs are just great. Enjoy. See you Monday.
Thanks, Jeff, for the nice, well-deserved nod to Davis. I felt for him the last few years, but also admired the character, the dignity, he displayed. It's good that he could walk away with that dignity not only intact but enhanced. Also, I wasn't expecting to cry while reading this newsletter. The Davis bit softened me up, but the doggie video got me. Wow!
Very nice on Davis, just the reminder we all needed. Thanks.