The first six years of Chris Davis’ tenure in Baltimore were a dream. The last four could have been described as a nightmare.
From the moment in January 2016 that Davis signed his seven-year, $161 million contract, still the largest in Orioles history, he was under intense scrutiny. When he announced his retirement in August 2021, a weight was lifted.
“There were some tears involved, man,” Davis said on a recent episode of The Adam Jones Podcast.
“For me, it was a really tough decision to make because physically I wasn’t able to do what I wanted to do, and I hadn’t been able to do that for years. And I think mentally, in my head, I was just so programmed to keep going and keep trying to get out there.”
After a prolific run from 2012-16, in which he mashed 197 home runs and led baseball in homers twice, Davis experienced a steep decline in production. The first baseman hit just 54 long balls in his final 377 games while battling numerous injuries.
A historically fruitless stretch saw Davis go hitless in 62 consecutive plate appearances from 2018-19.
Davis’ contract, which included deferred payments from 2023-37, drew additional attention to his poor performance. The one-time All-Star became a scapegoat for the Orioles’ failures.
“It came to a point where I was like, look, the Orioles have been great for me; they’ve been great to me my entire career,” Davis said. “They’re in a transition period right now [in 2021], and I think the best thing for me and for the team is for me to retire. And it wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the decision that I made and, looking back on it now, I’m glad that I did it the way that I did it.”
Still, Davis said he felt regret about walking away from the game.
“I think it’s funny because people always say you shouldn’t have any regrets,” Davis said. “But I think, as any professional athlete would tell you, you’re always gonna have regrets. You’re always gonna wish that you could go back and do things differently.”
Three years removed from his final big league game, Davis, 37, has begun “dipping his toe back into the baseball world,” hoping to impart knowledge on the next generation of players.
“I think being able to talk about [my struggles] to players now, especially being able to talk about what it felt like, what I was thinking, what I was feeling, the doubts that I had, the pressure that I felt, the stress that I had, I think it’s gonna help guys.”
Davis was a key component of an Orioles team that won more games than any other in the American League from 2012-16. Watching the 2023 team recapture “Orioles magic” has been a treat.
“I really enjoyed my first few years in Baltimore,” Davis said. “Not just from my own personal success but the success of the team, and getting to be a part of that team that really brought some pride and brought some legitimacy back to Baltimore. We were a force to be reckoned with in a really tough division for years, and I really wanted to be a part of that team that brought that same feel back.
“I actually texted [Orioles general manager and Executive Vice President] Mike Elias a few weeks ago and told him, ‘Look, I hope you’re able to enjoy the success that you’re having, because it’s fun to watch.’”
