Khris Davis

It is so disappointing not to be able to look at the stat line and see yet another .247 batting average in the box for Davis. The incredible four-year run came to an end in 2019 as Davis' average fell 27 points and his power production fell even more precipitously to half of the levels we've grown accustomed to the past few years. Davis had 10 homers by May 5 and was hitting .229/.303/.481, when on that day, he went crashing into a sidewall at PNC Park while making a catch. After that play, he went onto hit .217/.289/.351 the rest of the season with just 13 homers. It is pretty easy to see that one moment resulted in an injury which Davis tried to play through, and it severely impacted his ability to hit with the type of authority he's known for. He has littered the Statcast hard contact rates for years; a healthy Davis should be ready to Krush once again.

This is a piece of cake. Davis will hit .247 with 40-something homers. Plus, he'll no longer be referred to as Khris with a K -- the other guy will be called Chris with a C. What Davis has done is remarkable, hitting .247 each of the past four seasons. More importantly, he's hit more homers one season to the next throughout his six-year career. Expecting him to top 2018's career-high of 48 is optimistic, but he should again be among the league leaders. He's posted a HR/FB of at least 24.1% the last four years, with a flyball rate over 40%. His average is capped with a strikeout rate around 27%, but you're not rostering Davis for average. He'll begin the season eligible at utility only in most leagues, but could possibly pick up outfield eligibility, though the A's only play three interleague games before July 30. Try to build in flexibility elsewhere in your lineup. Davis' consistency and reliability are worth tying up your UT spot with an early draft pick or aggressive bid.

Pop quiz: who’s the only batter to slug at least 40 homers in each of the last two seasons? With 42 in 2016 and 43 last year, Davis’ 85 homers are second to Giancarlo Stanton’s 86 in that span. The problem is, Davis fanned 361 times over that time, second only to his homonym counterpart, Chris Davis (414). Perhaps because pitchers were working him more carefully, Khris with a K registered a career-best 11 percent walk rate, rendering him a little more valuable in on-base or points formats. While he doesn’t have ample plate appearances to say he’s a reverse split hitter, it’s curious that Davis hits righties better than lefties, especially last season. Though, that opens an avenue for improvement if he can benefit more from the usual platoon advantage. Aside from excessive strikeouts, Davis’ other bugaboo is fielding as the metrics are not favorable. Entering his age-30 campaign, Davis could see more time at designated hitter.

Davis lived up to his power-first reputation, finishing tied for third in the league in home runs last year. He ranked second with a 26.6 percent HR/FB rate, smacking 19 of his big flies at home in what is perennially a pitchers' park. Lesson: Don't doubt his power. But what about everything else? For starters, he hasn't topped a .247 batting average in the past three years. Though he hits the ball hard, the fact that not many of his connections turn into groundballs or line drives does little to help. He also performs below average in just about every contact and plate discipline metric -- he had the highest swinging-strike rate in the majors (16.6 percent), which leaves his average and OBP up to luck. At least he'll continue hitting in the middle of the order to bolster his RBI chances. Fantasy owners will have a tough time finding better one- or two-category players, but Davis' limitations are very apparent and 2016 may have been his ceiling.

Davis' 2015 campaign is yet another reminder that big-time power can be very streaky. He managed just one home run through May 7 and had just a .209/.305/.308 line as it looked like the former non-prospect was turning back into a pumpkin, but Davis caught fire the rest of the way, slamming 26 home runs and posting a .259/.328/.565 line that led to the A's acquiring him to improve the heart of their order. Perhaps most encouraging about his 2015 season was that Davis, who was poor against right-handed pitching in 2014, tagged righties for an .864 OPS last season. He showed a weird reverse split, but that shouldn't be expected to hold, as he only took 118 plate appearances against southpaws in 2015, hardly enough to gain any predictive insight. Look for Davis to split time between left field and DH in Oakland. He will be in a worse hitting environment, but his playing time should remain steady.

Davis saw regular playing time last season for the first time, and he displayed impressive power with 37 doubles and 22 home runs. He has work to do in the on-base department and he strikes out far too often, but he has legitimate power for a corner outfielder. Davis lost playing time against right-handed starters after the Brewers acquired Gerardo Parra last season, and it’s likely the two will split the left field duties in some fashion in 2015 if Parra remains in tow. As a result, it's at least possible Davis could see closer to 400 at-bats this season than the 501 he received in 2014.

Ryan Braun’s suspension was a black mark on the Brewers’ 2013 campaign, but a silver lining was found in the form of Davis. Although he was never really considered a top prospect, Davis showed impressive power in the minors, and he put that on display at the big league level by hitting nine home runs and posting a .972 OPS over 124 plate appearances after Aug. 1. The performance led the Brewers to trade Norichika Aoki and move Ryan Braun to right field during the offseason, which opens up a regular spot in left for Davis. He provides fantasy intrigue based on his power alone.

A middling prospect entering the season, Davis earned a spot on the Brewers' 40-man roster by posting an impressive .350/.451/.604 line in 82 games across three levels last season. The Brewers' crowded outfield will make it difficult for Davis to earn a regular spot over the next couple years, but another strong season could solidify him as a prospect and help his trade value.

Davis was surprise in 2010, hitting .278/.396/.497 with Low-A Wisconsin. He showed very good patience at the plate and hit for power. Davis was a little old for the league at 22 and the Brewers may consider pushing him in 2011.