How Chris Davis became the most feared power hitter in the American League

Chris Davis is enormous. If ever a player looked like a power hitter, it’s Chris Davis. The incredible violence of his bat-ball collisions is a rare thing indeed. The ease with which Davis deposits balls into the seats is unsettling.

It wasn’t always this way for Davis. It is hard to believe the Baltimore Orioles acquired Davis, as well as current O’s closer Tommy Hunter, in exchange for Koji Uehara back in 2011. Davis was out of time in Texas, having posted video game numbers all throughout the minor leagues, but failing to establish himself at the big league level.

The Rangers didn’t give up on Davis so much as address an area of need from a position of depth. They had MIke Napoli, they had Mitch Moreland, they had Michael Young and Adrian Beltre, among others. Mostly, it appeared they didn’t have any more patience for Chris Davis.

In Baltimore, Davis found a new lease on baseball life and, more than anything, a chance to play regularly. The 2012 season saw Davis contribute all around the diamond, playing first base, third base, left and right fields while clubbing 33 home runs.

In 2013, it all came together for Davis. He smacked 53 home runs and a .286/.370/.634 slash line, finishing third in AL MVP voting and becoming only the third hitter over the last decade with 95 extra base hits in a single season. 

We talked to Davis about how he prepares, how he dialed in his swing, and how he learned to use the entire field.

Drew Fairservice - Do you use a lot of video to prepare for games and opposing pitchers?

Chris Davis - I use a little bit. Usually, if it’s a guy I haven’t seen, I’ll watch a little bit of a video to see how he approaches hitters. Most of the time I stick with the same routine. I hit in the cage before BP and then go out and hit BP and play the game. I try not to get too technical with it.

DF  - What is your process for times when you struggle at the plate?

CD - There are times you don’t feel good. You’re trying to get locked in or you’re trying to get your rhythm so you’ll look at your mechanics. But like I said I try not to get too technical with it.

I think there are times when we can over-complicate things by putting too much emphasis on one thing or another instead of just going out and playing the game.

DF - You went through several swing changes as a member of the Rangers. Is it tough to integrate those changes into your game?

I’m a big feel guy. A lot of the changes I made in Texas I made because...they were suggested to me by coaches or coordinators or whatever. They weren’t necessarily changes I intended to make. I tried a bunch of different things.

When I got down to it, I realized I have to do what I feel comfortable with. That’s the biggest thing. Being a power hitter, you’re going to have stretches where you might be the worst hitter in baseball. But you might have stretches where you’re the best. You just have to take the good with the bad.

DF - Are there certain things you key on when you aren’t feeling as good at the plate?

I’ve hit some balls well to left center, I’ve hit some balls hard that I pulled. You have to be patient with it. The pitchers are good, they know what they’re doing. Everybody’s a scout and everybody has a scouting report. There are no secrets in this game.

Like I said, I’m a feel guy. Knowing I’m going to get three or four at bats every night and get a chance to go out there and try to get locked in has been huge for me.

Ryan Parker of Baseball Prospectus explored all the different iterations of Davis’ swing from his time in Texas, concluding that the Orioles seemed to help him get back to the swing that got him to the big leagues in the first place.

As Parker demonstrates, there are several “go to” changes that batting instructors inevitably install for struggling hitters. With Davis, it was a matter of letting him be comfortable while allowing his enormous strength do more of the work.

Orioles hitting coach Jim Presley says the biggest thing for Davis was ensuring he used the entire field.

It was more a different mindset than it was his mechanics. I try to get him to use the field the other way and stay on top, instead of just hooking the ball to right field all the time.

There were some things we did, some visual stuff with hula hoops and hitting the ball through them and staying through the ball and on top. On the field, we did some stuff by flipping to him and making him hit the ball to left center field.

He’s a big power hitter and he can hit the ball out to right field but most of his power is to center and left-center field.

Staying with a pitch away from a left-handed hitter. Rangers fans probably have a hard time believing this is the same guy they watched (and wished on) for years. Not only did he start driving the ball more when he landed in the AL East, he did so to center and his opposite field much more frequently and effectively.

That is big time power, turning around 94 and hitting it a long way to center field. It is that kind of power and ability to take a ball where it is pitched that makes Davis so dangerous. The below image (courtesy of ESPN) shows just how well Davis is able to drive balls on the outer half of the plate.  

DF - So far this season, you’ve drawn a lot of walks. How do you keep from expanding your zone?

CD - The first few games I was being really aggressive, chasing a lot of bad pitches, swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. I just kind of realized guys weren’t going to attack me as much as they did early last year. There are definitely times this year when I’ve been a little bit more patient and it’s paid off.

If you told me I’d have this many walks this early on I probably would have laughed at you. It never has been my forte but it’s good to see pitches early.

Early in the 2014 season, Davis is drawing more walks than ever before in his career. Patience was never a big part of his offensive profile, drawing relatively few walks in the big leagues before his break out. But in 2013 he drew walks in 10% of his plate appearances and in 2014, before hitting the disabled list with an oblique injury, Davis drew 13 walks in just 94 plate appearances. Coach Presley has a theory as to why:

They’re not just going to give him that hanging slider and that fastball that runs away and get him out middle away. They’re not doing that anymore because he can hit the ball the other way. They’re busting him in, going away, and busting him trying to keep him tied up.

A recent study by Baseball Prospectus showed that this isn’t a new trend for Davis, as pitchers wised to his new approach in the middle of the 2012 season, working him much more carefully as that season wore on.

DF  - Offense is way down, and everybody throws 95. Does the strength of pitching right now encourage aggression early in the count?

CD - I think early in the season the pitchers have the advantage. It was unusually cold in a lot of different places early this year so the ball doesn’t fly as well and it isn’t fun to hit in the cold.

Mostly, pitchers learn from their mistakes and with the information that’s out there now, it’s a constant battle to try and get ahead of the competition.

DF - How does your approach change with two strikes?

CD  - I tried in the past to change my approach with two strikes but it was something that didn’t really work for me. There were times you’ve got to let it go and just be the hitter. I think trying to change your approach in the middle of an at-bat is hard enough as it is.

There are guys, umpires, that I know prefer the ball down or prefer the ball up but you don’t want to change anything you’re doing to accommodate anybody else.

For me, there are going to be times when you swing at balls out of the strike zone, but there will also be times they make a mistake with two strikes. I want to be in a position where I can punish those mistakes.

Since the 2012 season, only one other player hit more home runs than Chris Davis with two strikes. Strikeouts increase league-wide year after year, as players are more willing to trade off risk for reward when the pitcher has the advantage.

Leaders in two-strike home runs, 2012-2014

Davis’ two-strike approach won’t work for everybody, but staying true to who he is and where his strengths lie works for him, though his 199 strikeouts last season ranks among the most in baseball history.

Now a proven commodity, Davis no longer benefits from “get me over” offerings early in count, he must now contend with careful pitching and scant opportunities to drive the ball. He is the hitter teams game plan for and focus in on. The days of cookies are over for Chris Davis.

DF - Which player do you think has the best approach in the game?

I’ve always liked to watch (Miguel) Cabrera hit because he’s such a great hitter. The last couple years, getting to watch David Ortiz hit up close and person, there are a lot of things that really impress me. He’s stays really balanced for a guy his size. Whether it’s in or away, he does a good job of driving the ball.

DF - Unbelievable the way Ortiz cut down on strikeouts as he ages...

I think he learned over the years what guys are going to do to him and he’s really stayed strong in his approach and not tried to adjust too much. The guy’s in his late 30s and he’s still one of the best hitters in the game.

Cabrera is the power hitter's power hitter. There is no good way to pitch to the two-time AL MVP, and his ability to drive any pitch is legendary, as Davis mentions. 

David Ortiz is the model for all present and future designated hitters. Ortiz’s ability to use the whole field with power while maintaining his zone is key to his third act resurgence. Chris Davis has similar skills and can only hope his decline phase goes as a swimmingly as Big Papi’s. At 28-years old, Davis has plenty of time before decline becomes a legitimate concern.

Some stats via Fangraphs, Baseball Reference, Brooks Baseball, and ESPN Stats & Info. Access the full My Approach archive.