Oakland Athletics Khris Davis: No Signs of Losing Power

By Bill Pivetz | May 18, 2016

Apr 27, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Khris Davis (2) hits a triple in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Oakland Athletics outfielder Khris Davis is crushing the ball this season. Yet, he’s owned in less than 40 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues.

The Oakland Athletics sit at third place in the American League West at 18-22, five games back of first place. The team doesn’t have much offensive production, 21st in runs scored, but there are some highlights to this team. One of them is outfielder Khris Davis. He’s off to the best start of his career and should be owned in more leagues.

After spending three years with the Milwaukee Brewers, Davis was traded to the A’s. He had three successful seasons and is continuing that in the American League. In 37 games this season, he has 11 home runs, 28 RBI and a .228 average. While the average isn’t ideal, the power numbers are what fantasy owners are looking for.

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He leads all A’s hitters in home runs (by one) and RBI (by 10). The next closest is shortstop Marcus Semien, 10 and 18 respectively. The A’s rank 26th in team on-base percentage, .298, but Davis is making the most of the opportunities.

Khris Davis’ most recent exploits came on Tuesday night. He went 3-for-5 with three home runs and six RBI, including a walk-off grand slam off Texas Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson. It was his first three-home run game and ties a career high in single-game RBI. According to Rotoworld, Davis has 30 homers since Aug. 6, one more than Nolan Arenado for most during that span.

Before Tuesday’s explosion, Khris Davis was 0-for-10 in his last three games. To start the season, Davis struggled a bit. In the first 10 games of the season, he was hitting .182 with one RBI, 14 strikeouts and two walks.

I wrote about this last month that owners were overreacting to the struggles because he was dropped in 18.5 percent of leagues at that time. He ranks 39th overall on the Player Rater over the last 15 days and No. 16 over the last seven days.

Next: Angels' Yunel Escobar: Waiver Wire Add

Despite all of his success this season, Khris Davis is owned in just 34.6 percent of ESPN leagues. Some of this has to do with league scoring or roster structure, but there is no real good reason for the low ownership percentage. Like I said earlier, his batting average may not help you, but the added power support is worth having on your roster. He is already 40 percent to his career-high 27 home runs hit last season, and I think he can crack 30 home runs and 80 RBI this season.

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