Fantasy Spotlight: Chris Davis

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G Fiume / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Throughout the month of March, theScore examines hitters who represent their team's most intriguing fantasy plays. This edition focuses on Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis.

2015 in Review: 670 PA, .262/.361/.562, 100 R, 47 HR, 117 RBI, 2 SB

The Good: Davis led baseball in home runs and ranked second in RBIs while registering the second-highest OBP of his career. He also played in 160 games, and earned a seven-year, $161-million contract to stay in Baltimore.

The Bad: Since 2012, Davis' seasons have revealed a Jekyll and Hyde trend:

SEASON G HR RBI AVG OBP
2012 139 33 85 .270 .326
2013 160 53 138 .286 .370
2014 127 26 72 .196 .300
2015 160 47 117 .262 .361

It's seemingly arbitrary, but that pattern doesn't bode well for 2016.

Only once in his career has Davis had a season in which he didn't strike out over once per game, though if he were a more selective hitter, he likely wouldn't produce the power numbers he's known for.

Best Comparison: A less consistent version of Adam Dunn, the ex-Reds and White Sox slugger who, between 2004 and 2010, produced at least 38 home runs and 92 RBI per season, while reliably striking out more than once per game.

What's in Store: Given the team's massive financial commitment, they're prepared to live with Davis' warts, so he should again bat third or fourth in what looks like a strong lineup, with free agent import Hyun-soo Kim (a lifetime .406 OBP in the Korean Baseball Organization) and Manny Machado (career-best .359 OBP in 2015) getting on base ahead of him.

Draft Outlook: Davis should be selected within the first three rounds in most mixed leagues, with possible outfield eligibility helping his prospects. Even if his rate stats aren't as high as they were in 2015, his power production is as solid as it gets.

The Digest

theScore's 2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit

by theScore Staff
Bob Stanton / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Fantasy baseball season is upon us - and theScore has you covered with the most comprehensive fantasy content offering available. Check back often, as we'll be updating our content offering daily until the season starts.

Positional Rankings

Where does each fantasy-relevant player rank? Look no further than theScore's position-by-position rankings, which include nearly 350 player projections for the upcoming season:

Team-by-Team Fantasy Projections

We provide fantasy projections from three well-respected sources - ZiPS, Steamer and Zeile Consensus - for key players on all 30 major-league teams:

AL East: Toronto | N.Y. Yankees | Baltimore | Tampa Bay | Boston

AL Central: Kansas City | Minnesota | Cleveland | Chicago WSox | Detroit

AL West: Texas | Houston | L.A. Angels | Seattle | Oakland

NL East: N.Y. Mets | Washington | Miami | Atlanta | Philadelphia

NL Central: St. Louis | Pittsburgh | Chicago Cubs | Milwaukee | Cincinnati

NL West: L.A. Dodgers | San Francisco | Arizona | San Diego | Colorado

Mock Drafts

Fretting over which player to pick? Our fantasy baseball experts offer a variety of mock drafts for your perusal (all drafts use 5x5 scoring format):

Fantasy Spotlight

Every major-league team has at least one player whose fantasy outlook is a major point of discussion. Here are some of 2016's most intriguing cases:

AL East: Chris Colabello (TOR) | Starlin Castro (NYY) | Alex Rodriguez (NYY) | Chris Davis (BAL) | Steven Souza (TB) | Brock Holt (BOS)

AL Central: Alex Gordon (KC) | Byung-ho Park (MIN) | Francisco Lindor (CLE) | Brett Lawrie (CHW) | Justin Upton (DET)

AL West: Mitch Moreland (TEX) | George Springer (HOU) | Yunel Escobar (LAA) | Adam Lind (SEA) | Danny Valencia (OAK)

NL East: Neil Walker (NYM) | Daniel Murphy (WAS) | Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) | Freddie Freeman (ATL) | Maikel Franco (PHI)

NL Central: Randal Grichuk (STL) | Gregory Polanco (PIT) | Kyle Schwarber (CHC) | Chris Carter (MIL) | Devin Mesoraco (CIN)

NL West: Corey Seager (LAD) | Denard Span (SF) | A.J. Pollock (ARI) | Alexei Ramirez (SD) | Carlos Gonzalez (COL)

Fantasy Faceoff

Faced with choosing between two terrific draft options? theScore helps fantasy players answer some of the most difficult 1-on-1 decisions they may face at draft time:

Winning Strategies

Hoping to end that lengthy fantasy championship drought? Looking to extend your title reign? Here are theScore's guides on how to find success in a variety of league types:

Must-Read Fantasy Baseball Lists

Every good draft kit has its share of handy lists - and this one is no exception. Check out theScore's collection of informative and entertaining list material:

  • Preseason Rookie Report
    (Andrew Potter takes a comprehensive look at the top rookies in each league for daily and season-long fantasy purposes.)

Fantasy Baseball Tips and Tricks

Don't even try to walk into your fantasy baseball draft without going through theScore's exhaustive list of fantasy strategy posts:

  • How to Smartly Spend Your FAAB
    (James Bisson examines how to use a season-long free-agent budget, targeting players in leagues which use the FAAB format.)
  • Building a Winner Through Trades
    (James Bisson looks at how fantasy owners can use savvy trading as an alternative - or complement - to scouring the waiver wire.)

Daily Fantasy Strategy

No draft kit would be complete without a handy guide for those looking to give daily fantasy baseball a try:

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