Chris Davis

[Bwanna]

http://rangersblog.dallasnews.com/archi ... ase-1.html

Manager Ron Washington said Chris Davis will start at third tonight, but the plan while MIchael Young is down will be to use Omar Vizquel and Esteban German at third.

Washington said he wouldn't rule out using Davis there in the future, but he doesn't want him to have to go back and forth.

He said Hank Blalock is not an option at third because he hasn't played there in two years, except for a game in Houston.

Probably 50/50 he'll get 3B eligibility in Yahoo -- tonight would be his first start and second appearance.

[J.C.Fighter]

I haven't weighed in on Chris Davis' slow start, but as the guy who infamously was most down on him going into the season, I guess I might as well say a few things:

There's a lot of talk about this guy's power, and a bit of talk about whether he'll hurt teams in average. But is that really the end of discussion?

Davis is hitting in the #7 slot on most nights and there's a guy on the bench named Andruw Jones who all killed us last season, but hit more than 25 HRs for 10 consecutive seasons before 2008. Jones is off to a pretty good start. (He also was in the lineup yesterday when Davis wasn't when the Rangers destroyed the Orioles.)

Now, I don't really give give that much credence to small sample sets, and as much as I disliked Chris Davis coming into the season, I don't think his slow start proves me right. Certainly, he's capable of turning things around and having a good season.

But my big knock against Davis going into the season was that there was a huge amount of risk involved with Davis. I didn't see a good average and knew he'd have to hit near 40 HR to justify his spot. (Otherwise, why not just take Mark Reynolds with a much smaller investment?) But I also felt his playing time was a concern and a low batting spot and days of rest would hurt his context stats. RBIs and Runs are the two most ignored categories when drafting a player, but even guys in good lineups, in good hitters parks, don't often get 90 RBIs and/or Runs hitting low in a lineup.

All this might change. I think Davis is showcasing the various risks involved with selection...not proving the naysayers right.

I dont think Mark Reynolds has the ability to hit 40 hr's , Chris does