Indians Happy to Have Rajai Davis on Their Side

After watching him on their division rival Tigers the past two years, Indians manager Terry Francona has to be pleased about having outfielder Rajai Davis hitting for him in 2016. Considering Davis hit .381 with three stolen bases, three triples and 13 runs against them last year, one can't blame Francona.

Batting average and speed have long been Rajai's calling cards, but both of those cards were visibly tattered during his final season in Detroit. A year after hitting .282 with 36 stolen bases in 461 at-bats, 2015 saw Davis hit .258 with 18 stolen bases in 370 at-bats after a May middle finger injury hindered his ability to grip a bat with his left hand. With Michael Brantley likely out until late May and the other outfield incumbents, Lonnie Chisenhall and Abraham Almonte, far from locks to produce enough to hold onto their jobs all year, there should be plenty of at-bats for Davis. 400 at-bats of .280 baseball plus 20 to 30 stolen bases isn't out of the realm of possibility, and that is more than worth a mid-late round pick.
Source: Akron Beacon Journal