Rajai Davis Stealing Bases in Bunches

August 19, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By David Wysocki
Edited by Ryan Dodson

The San Francisco Giants haven't been doing much the past couple seasons to get any younger, but nobody was happier than former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Rajai Davis that age, injuries, and lack of performance coerced the Giants to pluck him out of the "Steel City" at the expense of one of the Giants more productive starting pitchers.

Davis, whom turns 27 this fall, is speedy outfielder that hits for a pretty high average and has always shown off a very respectable on-base percentage. Over two stints at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2007, Davis hit .318 and posted an OBP of .384. All this combined with his base-running ability and a 21-game hitting streak in May and June was sending the Pirates outfield into a platoon situation before the deadline deal.

Davis seems to be the ideal leadoff guy. He hits for average, doesn't strike out a lot, gets on base and sometimes seems unstoppable on the base-paths. In 625 minor league games over seven seasons he swiped 251 bags. These are the numbers he had hoped to translate over to the MLB level.

The Giants seemed to have struck gold. Starter Matt Morris, the pitcher dealt to Pittsburgh, has struggled and is owed major greenbacks through next year while the young Connecticut native going to the bay has thrived and seems to have locked down a place in the outfield there. In 2007 he has often spelled the deteriorating left fielder Barry Bonds, but he has been manning center field the most and flashing some rich leather. In fact, Davis has already been a top web gem on ESPN's "Baseball Tonight." To couple with his speed and range Davis brings a very strong arm that maybe makes defense his greatest asset.

Table: Rajai Davis' 2007 Statistics

Team	G	AB	R	HR	RBI	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
PIT	24	48	6	0	2	5	.271	.357	.354
SF	16	46	11	0	2	8	.391	.491	.587
Total	40	94	17	0	4	13	.330	.423	.468

Over 40 games in 2007 with the Pirates and Giants, Davis has hit .330, stolen 13 bases and has compiled an amazing .423 OBP. Since being dealt to the Giants he has also added a little power in the alleys slugging .587 with eight extra-base knocks over 16 games.

To say his OPS, which is sitting at a gaudy .891, will remain this high would be wishful thinking, however. Davis is sure to get on base a lot, as he has at every level and hit for his share of doubles and triples, but he is more likely to sit in the .750-.775 range at the next level. And if you're looking for a Rickey Henderson-type who can hit homers to go with his 40-plus steals, you've got the wrong guy. In 680 professional ballgames Davis has hit just 25 round-trippers. Fifteen of those came at Class A or lower.

Davis is destined to be the club's leadoff batter for many years, taking the reins from outfielder Dave Roberts. Because he is one of the few younger position players in the San Francisco lineup, he will probably be a piece the club builds around. In a full season Davis could probably hit between .285 and .305 and will steal 40-plus bases. His high OBP will give him many opportunities to score, especially if Bonds remains a Giant past 2007. Davis has scored 11 times since becoming a Giant in 16 games. 

In 2007 Davis will help your club if you need steals and probably even runs scored despite the fact the Giants field a pretty bad offense. Remember, however, that for fantasy purposes he may hurt your club in homers and RBI. He doesn't have any home runs and has driven in just four, so there's a trade-off.

In keeper leagues Davis has more value. The Giants aren't afraid of spending some money, and it's probable they begin rebuilding after the season. Davis is pretty young and will likely bat leadoff for the next few years and steal a lot of bases. He will be a staple in that category. It's likely that power won't develop if it hasn't already.

Davis doesn't have as much major league exposure as you'd like, so he isn't a sure thing, but his minor league numbers in the categories that count seem to show that he should continue to have success at the MLB level.

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David Wysocki

David has been a KFFL writer since 2005. He is a San Diego native and a History and Geography student at California State University-Chico. He has a writing background and has appeared in, and helped produce, various local newsletters and magazines on sports and music. He also pitched for the No. 2 nationally ranked Rancho Buena Vista Longhorns his senior year of high school in 2002.

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