The Brewer Advent Calendar #20: Doug Davis

Published Jan. 31, 2010 at 7:23 p.m.
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...More photos »...Ross D. Franklin - AP...

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...Doug Davis crushes a pitch, that one of the Molinas makes a fantastic play on to keep the ball in the park. Doug Davis is not good at hitting...

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Open door #5, and out jumps Doug Davis. How crazy is that?

After 3 seasons in Arizona, Doug Davis is coming back to Milwaukee, DD signed a 1yr $5.25M guaranteed deal, with a mutual option for 2011. As you may or may not remember, Doug Melvin signed Davis back in 2003, after being cast aside by both the Blue Jays and Rangers.

Since 2004 Doug Davis has been one of the more durable pitchers in MLB. Check out these crazy facts:

• DD has pitched in 1175.3 innings, only 15 more pitchers have pitched in more. He has made 196 starts, only exceeded by 5 MLB pitchers
  
• DD has walked the most batters (536) since 2004, Barry Zito is close at 535, but he uncooly took over 50 more IP to get to his mark. DD has given up 1168 hits, good for 17th place
  
• DD has allowed 1733 baserunners, 4th most in this time period, but 10 pitchers have allowed more runs.
• DD has thrown 19,903 pitches in this timespan, very deliberately.
• DD has given up 118 HRs, 29 pitchers have given up more. Doug Davis gives up .9 HR per 9IP -- 135 pitchers have (min. 50 decisions) given up more frequent jackshots.

What should come as not a huge surprise is that Doug Davis will give up some BBs and hits, but keeps the ball in the park, and he does a fairly good job of stranding runners. In fact, Doug Davis has not given up a Grand Slam since 2004. With RISP Doug Davis allows a .720 OPS, and a .669 OPS with 2 runners on.

Does Doug Davis own the Cubs? -- They have a .640 OPS against him, and he is 9-6 in 16 career starts, that's good enough for me.

This just in: Gregg Zaun has caught for Doug Davis.

One thing that has always amazed me, about DD's career, was his historically futile offensive effort in 2004. DD managed 1 hit and 1 BB in 71 PAs for a .046 OPS.

Using 60 PAs as a minimum, in the history of MLB, only 11 players have managed to get only 1 hit or less. In 1962 Bob Buhl managed to go hitless in 85 PAs, but somehow managed to draw 6 BBs for an OPS of .090. Doug Davis  has the worst OPS at .046 until we go to 54 PAs.

We find a worse OPS than DD's 2004 season, at the 54 PA mark with Ron Herbel's awesome 1964 season, (54 PA, 2 BBs, .041 OPS, somehow he scored both times, Herbie must have had some wheels). At 50 PAs, Ben Sheets from 2005, pops on the list with his 1 H, 1 BB .066 OPS effort.

At 47 PAs, we find Randy Tate's 1975 season, with one 1 BB (and somehow 2 runs?), and a robust .024 OPS

At 42 PAs we have the first .000 OPS accomplished by Nationals pitcher Jay Bergmann.

Doug Davis has been "better" since 2004, but not by a whole lot, that said, it's good to have him back in the fold!

Welcome back Doug!

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