A’s Preview: Rajai Davis

Last season was a season to forget for many A’s fans. Not only did they see their team finish under .500 for a third consecutive time, they seen their team place 4th in the AL West. The Athletics finished with a .262/.328/.397 line, and scored 759 runs en route to a 75 win season. Despite adding sluggers Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi, the A’s failed to rock opposing pitching. After stumbling out of the gate, the A’s traded Holliday to St.Louis in exchange for prospect Brett Wallace (who was later traded to Toronto). The trade opened the door for another player, Rajai Davis. Davis ignited the A’s second half, and helped the team swipe a total 133 bases (4th in AL). As a result of their aggressive base-running, the A’s finished the second half with a .500 record and closed out September with a 17-10 record (their only winning month of 2009).

Davis ended the year with a total of 41 stolen bases. For the year, Davis managed to hit .305/.360/.423 with 3 HR and 48 RBIs. Despite getting lucky with his batting average (.305), Davis had a very productive season with the A’s in 2009. Based on his ability to steal bases and his incredible speed, Davis could very well steal anywhere between 50-60 bases in 2010. Although he was productive last year, Davis is expected to decline a bit across the board (except Stolen Bases).

Here’s a look at his 2009 Stats compared to his career numbers (3-yr. Total):

2009: .305 BA, .360 OBP, .423 SLG, 3 HR, 48 RBI

Career: .282 BA, .338 OBP, .390 SLG, 7 HR, 76 RBI

A look at his career homerun total (7) is a clear indication that Davis has very little power. For the most part, the A’s outfield in 2010 will offer very little fireworks. Coco Crisp in his 8 seasons has accumulated 59 homers, and Ryan Sweeney has hit 11 in his two years with Oakland. However, defensively, the three are very skilled. The A’s will look to open with Davis in LF, Crisp in CF and Sweeney in RF. However, if the A’s need more offensively from their outfielders, they could bring up Michael Taylor or give Travis Buck another shot in the majors. Anyway, here’s my prediction for Rajai Davis in 2010:

2010 Projection: .280/.337/.389, 4 HR, 48 RBI, 51 SB