BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – APRIL 08: Chris Davis #19 of the Baltimore Orioles flys out against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 8, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. According to the MLB, on the out, Davis broke the Major League record for consecutive at-bats without a hit by a position player. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The weather is warming up but no one is colder than Chris Davis.
Chris Davis lined out in his third at-bat of Monday night’s Orioles game to set an MLB record with his 47th consecutive at-bat without a hit.
The Orioles first baseman went 0-for-21 to end last season and is still without a hit in his first 26 at-bats to start the year.
Davis’ remarkable run of futility breaks the record set by former Giants and Dodgers infielder Eugenio Velez who went 46 straight without collecting a hit in the 2011 season.
Davis last reached base via hit when he hit a double off James Shields during a Sept. 14 game vs. the Chicago White Sox last year.
This dubious record is the latest for Davis who set a new record low with his .168 average in 128 games and 522 player appearances last year.
Naturally, Orioles fans are upset that the high-priced Davis can’t get on base and have showered him with a chorus of boos every time he comes to the dish and, for the 47 last at-bats, recording an out.
It’s hard to justify playing a player mired in such a cold streak on a routine basis, but he is owed more than $90 million on the seven-year, $161 million extension he signed after posting a .923 OPS and leading MLB with 47 home runs and racking up 117 RBI.
Davis won’t be a free agent until 2023 so there’s no escaping him. He’ll continue to get at-bats so this record could be extended, albeit with much less fanfare than Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak.