By Al Doyle
Khris Davis couldn’t have arranged these numbers if he tried. The former Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland A’s left fielder/DH hit .247 in every season from 2015 to 2018. This unprecedented record of consistency is just a part of what the king of just under .250 accomplished.
The right-handed hitting Davis had an impressive big league debut in 2013. His career best .279 average came with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 27 RBI in just 136 at-bats for the Brewers. Khris’ first full season in 2014 included 37 doubles, 22 HR and 69 RBI while hitting .244 in 501 AB. That average was a hint of things to come.
Davis’ first .247 campaign in 2015 was shortened to 121 games and 440 plate appearances (392 at-bats) due to injuries. The abbreviated playing time didn’t prevent him from finishing 10th in the National League with 27 HR. The Brewers swapped Davis to the A’s in February 2016 for pitcher Bubba Derby and catcher Jacob Nottingham. The deal turned out to be a flop for Milwaukee, as Derby never appeared in the majors, while Nottingham hit .184 (21 for 114) with 8 HR and 50 strikeouts in five big league cups of coffee.
While Davis’ power was no secret, he really began to live up to his nickname of “Khrush” in 2016. Old school fans might not like Khris’ second .247 season, but it came with 42 HR (3rd in the American League, tied for 3rd in the majors) and 102 RBI. The power numbers are especially impressive when one considers that Davis played 81 games in the spacious Oakland Coliseum. His third consecutive .247 season in 2017 was even better, as Davis finished with 43 HR (2nd in the AL, 4th in MLB) and 110 RBI (3rd AL, 7th MLB). Other numbers include career highs of 195 Ks and 73 walks.
Khrush hit (surprise!) .247 for his fourth consecutive campaign at that number in 2018. That same old mediocre average was quite acceptable, as it came with an MLB leading 48 homers and 123 RBI (2nd AL and MLB). Imagine slugging 133 HR with 335 RBI (average 44.3 HR and 111.67 RBI) over three seasons and never being named to an All-Star team. That was Davis’ fate.
Some players gradually decline, but Davis’ numbers fell off the cliff in 2019. No more parking at .247, as he hit .220 (106 for 481) with 23 HR and 68 RBI. A lack of doubles is a sign of trouble for line-drive hitters and big swingers alike, and Davis had just 11 two-baggers. His OPS+ plunged from 137 to 83. Things didn’t improve in the COVID 19-shortened season of 2020 and the 162-game 2021 campaign. Davis hit a combined .203 (38 for 187) with 5 HR and 20 RBI for the A’s and Texas Rangers. He finished his career with 42 AB in the Mexican League in 2022.
Davis displayed exceptional consistency in another area. Take 221 HR in 820 career hits, and it means that an impressive 26.9 percent of Khris’ long fly balls cleared the wall. Add 164 doubles and 9 triples for a 48 percent ratio of extra base knocks. The trend started in his 2013 rookie season with 21 of 38 hits (57.9 percent) going for doubles or homers. Exactly half (61 of 122) of Davis’ hits in 2014 were better than singles. After a small dip to 45 of 97 (46.4%) in 2015, he smacked 68 extra base hits along with 69 singles for a 49.6 percent ratio.
Khris cleared 50 percent in 2017 with 72 extra base swats (28 doubles, a triple and 43 HR) along with 68 singles, which comes out to 51.4 percent of 140 hits. His final big season in 2018 included 77 doubles or better (28 2B, 1 3B, 48 HR) and 65 singles for a 54.2 percent “Khursh” ratio.
Khris Davis’ three-year run of slugging is impressive, but finishing four consecutive seasons at .247 has to be one of the most unusual statistics in baseball history. What are the odds of a player having that kind of numerical sameness in any numerical category?
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Published by Sam Gazdziak