AL Central Rankings: Who is the No. 1 centerfielder?
By Brett Pnazek
No. 3: Rajai Davis (Detroit Tigers)
Mar 11, 2015; Melbourne, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers left fielder Rajai Davis (20) connects for an RBI sacrifice fly Washington Nationals at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
2014 Stats
Batting Average: .282
Home Runs: 8
Runs Batted In: 51
Steals: 36
oWAR: 2.3
dWAR: -1.4
Davis played the majority of center field for the Tigers last year.
He responded by tying a career high in home runs and fell just short of a career high in RBIs. Davis is known more for his speed, and he showed that off with 36 stolen bases in 47 attempts.
With the solid offensive numbers, Davis posted his second-highest oWAR in his career, putting him in that starter-type range. In the field, he didn’t post a very good dWAR. The -1.4 was his lowest of his career, and his career dWAR is -1.3, so it’s something to be concerned about.
To make matters worse, the Tigers went out and traded for Anthony Gose. He’s a younger version of Davis and also a former Blue Jay like Davis.
Gose could steal some at bats against righties as Davis hit only .247 against them last year. The uncertainty that Davis faces is one of the reasons why he is third on the list.
Next: No. 2: The Sparkplug