“I know I can help the team in this area,” Davidson said of pitching. “It’s not an ego thing. I am a position player and hitter. If I can help the team pitching and be an asset for the organization, that would be great.” White Sox 3B/DH and sometimes relief pitcher Matt Davidson is training to become a two-way player. After another disappointing season for White Sox fans which included, 100 losses, Michael Kopech needing Tommy John and a number of prospects battling injuries, at least some good came out of it. On three occasions this season White Sox fans got to see Matt Davidson on the mound.
Matt Davidson improved upon his 2017 season. His slash line in 2017 was .220/.260/.452 with 68 RBIs and 26 home runs. In 2018 his slash line was .228/.319/.419 with 62 RBIs and 20 home runs. Although there was a bit of a dip in the power numbers, it was encouraging to see improvement in Davidson’s slash line.
Moving his OBP from .260 to .319 is a pretty strong improvement for Davidson. He still had a high strikeout rate but was able to cut it down a bit. In 2017 his K% was 37.2 while in 2018 he cut it down to 33.3%. The biggest improvement, however, was his walk percentage. Davidson went from a 4.3% walk rate in 2017 to 10.5% in 2018.
Of course, the most interesting part of Davidson’s 2018 season was his three relief appearances. Davidson finished the season with three innings pitched, giving up one hit and one walk with two strikeouts and no runs were given up. One of his strikeouts came against Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton.
He showed a top speed of 92 MPH on his fastball last season and had a curveball with a really strong break. Davidson also used a splitter on occasion. Davidson’s appearances made him just one of the three players in MLB history with 20 or more home runs and at least 3 mound appearances.
Davidson has added the goal of becoming a two-player this off-season. He lives near the White Sox complex in Arizona and the White Sox organization has given him the green light to work towards achieving his goal.
Davidson did an interview about his goal in late September:
This is something that will take a lot more work in for me, I think it is something that can be done. It is something I am passionate about, so I enjoy doing it. I told them this is something I wouldn’t mind doing.”
So, Matt Davidson is training to become a two-way player but he is just trying to help out the White Sox in any way he can. He also talked about his mindset during his training.
“I know I can help the team in this area,” Davidson said of pitching. “It’s not an ego thing. I am a position player and hitter. If I can help the team pitching and be an asset for the organization, that would be great.”
Featured Image From NBC Sports
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