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Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis, who came out of nowhere to become one of baseball’s biggest power threats, was suspended for 25 games Friday after testing positive for an amphetamine.
Davis has faced questions about performance enhancing drugs in the past, but has always maintained he’s been clean.
The suspension is a major blow to Baltimore, which has a 10-game lead in the A.L. East and is well on its way to winning the division for the first time in 17 years.
Here’s what you need to know:
1.Davis Has Hit 112 Homers Over the Last 3 Years After Hitting 11 Over the Previous 4
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Davis’ increase in power over the past three years has been unlike any other player in baseball history. After hitting 17 homers in 2008 and 21 in 2009 for the Texas Rangers, he hit a grand total of 11 over the next four seasons.
After being traded to the Orioles in 2011 for reliever Koji Uehara, though, Davis had an explosion of power during the 2012 season and turned into one of the most prolific sluggers in baseball. He hit 33 homers in 2012 and a career-high 53 last year before the total dropped to 26 this year.
In addition to the 53 homers, Davis drove in a career-high 138 runs last year and an OPS of 1.004 — 177 points higher than his next highest career mark.
2. Sports Illustrated Wrote a Cover Story on ‘Unlocking the Power & Mystery of Chris Davis’
For those of you who choose to believe in curses- have at it. Chris Davis on cover of SI. Congrats to him…or sorry. pic.twitter.com/EuLRjp0rYv
— Mark Viviano (@MarkWJZ) August 21, 2013
Davis appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in August 2013 under the headline “Unlocking the Power and Mystery of Chris Davis.
3. He Said Last He Didn’t ‘Understand Really Why Anybody Would Try to Cheat’
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As Davis made a run at Roger Maris’ American League record 61 homers last year, he fielded no shortage of questions about performance-enhancing drugs. But he steadfastly denied using any performance-enhancers and even said it had never even crossed his mind to cheat.
He told SI.com’s Joe Lemire in July 2013:
I don’t understand really why anybody would try to cheat it, but at the same time I know it’s happened. For me, all I can do is go out and continue to do what I’ve done and try to give people a little bit of hope of what to look for in the future.
For me it’s something that never really crossed my mind. I’ve always been a strong guy. I’ve always had power. For me it was more about consistently putting the bat on the ball and not swinging at balls that are 14 feet out of the strike zone.
4. The Suspension Includes 8 Playoff Games
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Since the Orioles only have 17 games left in the regular season, the final eight games of the suspension would take place in the playoffs, assuming Baltimore qualifies.
The O’s are 86-59 entering Friday’s game — the second best record in baseball and 10 games better than second-place Toronto in the A.L. East, making Baltimore a virtual lock to win the East for the first time since 1997.
5. Davis Blamed the Positive Drug Test on Adderall
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In a statement issued by the Major League Baseball Players Association, Davis apologized to his teammates and fans and blamed the positive test on Adderall, which he said he had permission to use in the past but did not have a Therapeutic Use Exemption this year.
Here’s Davis’ statement, via MLB.com:
I apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Orioles organization and especially the fans. I made a mistake by taking Adderall. I had permission to use it in the past, but do not have a therapeutic-use exemption (TUE) this year. I accept my punishment and will begin serving my suspension immediately.
