‘He’s not trying to make an out. We all know he’s trying to do the best’

Only one Texas Rangers player is still around the last time Chris Davis wore a Rangers uniform, and shortstop Elvis Andrus is aware of what the first baseman is going through with the Baltimore Orioles.

Davis finished Wednesday without a hit in 29 at-bats this season and, combined with his 0-fer to end last season, is riding the longest hitless streak for a position player in MLB history at 0 for 50.

Fans have booed him lustily, fueled by the fact that the Orioles still owe him $92 million.

Andrus, though, and just about every player in baseball feels for Davis, who, in 2013, finished third in American League MVP voting after ripping 53 homers, driving in 138 runs and finishing with a 1.004 OPS.

“Knowing him, he’s working hard,” Andrus said. “When you play with him, you know he’s a hard worker. You don’t expect that to happen to anybody, but if I get a chance to talk to him, I’ll just be like, ‘Keep playing hard, man.’”

Davis was the Rangers’ fifth-round pick in the 2006 draft, and he batted .285 with 17 homers in 295 at-bats as a rookie in 2008. That was his peak with the the Rangers.

They traded Davis, along with Tommy Hunter, to the Orioles on July 30, 2011, for reliever Koji Uehara. Davis, who had been up and down from the minors and fallen behind Mitch Moreland at first base, became an immediate starter for the Orioles and flourished.

He had a rough 2014, when he was suspended 25 games after testing positive for Adderall, which he had taken throughout his career but had failed to acquire a Therapeutic Use Exemption for that season.

He rebounded in 2015, but by 2018 was a .168 hitter with only 16 home runs.

Adam Jones, who played for the Orioles through last season before joining the Arizona Diamondbacks last month, agrees that watching Davis struggle is difficult.

But Davis, who still lives in the Metroplex during the off-season, keeps showing up and working.

“The best thing about it is he’s remained professional about it,” Jones said. “I’ve seen him be as hot as anybody and seen him struggle, and the best part about him is he’s remained even keel. That’s the key component.

“He understands that the game is tough and you’ve got to go through battles. But it’s not from a lack of effort. It’s not like he’s just waking up and saying, ‘You know, I’m just going to roll out of bed and go play.’ He’s there at the park early. He’s getting his work in. It’s just the results aren’t going his way right now.”

As for the booing and jokes being made, Andrus can’t stand it. If anything, he respects Davis more for continuing to show up and play regularly in the face of adversity.

“Everybody is making fun of that, but I don’t think it should be something to make fun of,” Andrus said. “He’s not trying to make an out. We all know he’s trying to do the best. From my standpoint, he’s got my respect.”

This story was originally published April 10, 2019 at 11:56 AM.