Longtime Orioles Slugger Chris Davis Announces Retirement

Longtime Orioles slugger Chris Davis announced his retirement from baseball Aug. 12. The club tweeted the following message from Davis:

And the Orioles stated the following:

Davis has been rehabbing from arthroscopic surgery on his left hip labrum, causing him to miss the entire 2021 season. The hip injury forced him to miss most of spring training, and he underwent surgery in May.

Davis was in the sixth year of a seven-year, $161 million contract that he signed ahead of the 2016 season. He will still be paid what he is owed, but he reportedly agreed to restructure the deal to help out the team.

Davis struggled mightily after signing the club-record contract, hitting .196/.291/.379 with 92 home runs and 762 strikeouts from 2016-2020. His final home run came on Sept. 23, 2019, against the Toronto Blue Jays. His final hit came on Aug. 12, 2020, against the Philadelphia Phillies. He played his final game for the Orioles on Sept. 11, 2020, against the New York Yankees.

However, Davis earned the contract as one of the most prolific sluggers in Orioles history. He was acquired by the Orioles as part of a 2011 deal that sent reliever Koji Uehara to the Texas Rangers. He went on to hit 253 home runs for the Orioles, sixth in club history, and was an integral part of an Orioles club that led the American League in wins from 2012-2016.

From 2012-2015, Davis hit .256/.342/.533 with 159 home runs. He hit 53 homers in 2013 and 47 in 2015, leading the majors in home runs both times. He finished third in AL MVP voting in 2013 and 14th in 2015. He also made his presence felt in the community, donating $3 million to the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital in 2019.

Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox

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