Davis Tries to Prove His Worth : He Wants to Live Up to Contract Dodgers Have Given Him

On the morning of Dec. 15, when Dodger owner Peter O’Malley officially disavowed his conscientious objector status on pursuing free agents and decided to pay a guy named Davis $1.95 million over two seasons, many figured it had to be Eric. Or maybe Glenn. Or, at the outside, Chili.

They were wrong. The Dodgers made Mike the second-highest paid of the 13 Davises in the major leagues. Only Jody Davis of the Chicago Cubs makes more.

Giving a talented but still unproven outfielder such a lucrative deal surprised and annoyed many in baseball’s Establishment, mostly because it awakened memories of the long-gone days of runaway spending on free agents.

Though it is not really fair to compare the zeros and commas on the contracts of the Davises, it still is surprising that the former right fielder for the Oakland Athletics--coming off a knee injury, no less--would earn more than the Cincinnati Reds’ Eric Davis, who makes $889,000, and Houston’s Glenn Davis, who earns $340,000.

Eric and Glenn, of course, aren’t yet eligible for free agency, but even Chili Davis, the Angels’ recent free-agent acquisition, has a base salary of only $850,000.

Since the Dec. 15 signing, the question has been whether Davis, who has never hit .300 or had more than 24 home runs, is worth this vast sum.

“Yes, he is, or we wouldn’t have signed him,” said Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ executive vice president.

Meanwhile, across the country in Phoenix, A’s vice president Sandy Alderson maintains that the Dodgers spent too much on a player whose potential so far has outstripped his production.

Alderson, admittedly bitter after losing his starting right fielder, said in mid-December that the Dodgers were “crazy” to sign Davis for $987,500 this season and $962,500 in 1989.

Reached in Phoenix recently, Alderson was less bitter about his loss but still resolute in his belief.

“Essentially, I still think it was too much to pay,” Alderson said. “I know I’m not being very complimentary to either (Davis or the Dodgers) but, frankly, I think the Dodgers went beyond what they needed to do to sign Mike. But remember, I’m a little subjective about this.”

So, too, is Claire.

He maintains that Davis, who will play either in right or center field this season, is on the cusp of stardom. And besides, Claire said, Davis would have signed with the New York Yankees had the Dodgers not acted quickly and signed him.

Regardless of the quibbling over Davis’ salary, the Dodgers have him now, for richer or poorer, streak or slump. For the time being, they have him injured. He still is recovering from an ankle sprain he suffered during the team’s trip to Puerto Rico earlier this month.

For some, an introduction is necessary. Oakland is not exactly considered obscurity, unless you’re a stuffy Nob Hill socialite, but Davis didn’t get a great deal of recognition in the Bay Area. Basically, it was because he played on the same team with Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire and, frankly, he hasn’t approached their sustained level of play.

A native of San Diego, Davis has played full time in the A’s outfield since 1983. Mostly, he was rooted in right, only occasionally filling in for Rickey Henderson and then Dwayne Murphy in center. Season by season, he improved as a defensive outfielder. Always, he has shown flashes of power-hitting excellence.

In five seasons as a regular, Davis has hit .267 and averaged 63 runs batted in and 16 home runs--credible, if not overly impressive, statistics.

It is what Davis accomplished last season before the All-Star break that persuaded Dodger management to sign him. Davis was hitting .292 with 20 home runs and 53 RBIs when the A’s went on the three-day All-Star break.

In Oakland’s first game after the break, in Boston, Davis failed to advance a runner, then vented his frustrations on old Fenway Park. He stormed up the runway leading to the clubhouse, kicked a door, then slipped and fell. He hyper-extended his knee but continued to play, never taking more than a few days off.

Davis had only 2 home runs and 19 RBIs after the All-Star break. His average dropped to .265 and he committed 9 of his 13 errors in right field in the second half of the season.

“I’ve heard all the criticism about him,” Claire said. “Things like he can’t put (a full, productive) season together. But here’s what stays in my mind: If you go back to 1986, every month he got better. Then, he goes into 1987 and he takes off from that point. He then injures himself and his season unravels for him.

“I think he will finally put the season together for us. He’s in his prime.”

Davis is 28 and, before injuring his ankle, said he never felt better. A 6-foot 3-inch, 185-pound left-handed hitter, Davis is especially optimistic because his knee has healed.

“That’s why I’m excited about this year,” Davis said. “The way I look at it, it was the Dodgers’ gain and the Oakland A’s loss, because Mike Davis developed as a ballplayer last year. In 1985, he did some good things for the first time. In ‘86, he had a slow start for the first half and came out of it. And he had it together in ’87 before the injury. So, I’m really excited to be where I am and look forward to improving myself in L.A.”

Davis often refers to himself in the third person. He also has developed a habit in recent interviews of ending each, regardless of its subject matter, with “ . . . but I’m looking forward to playing here.”

Alderson said he never took Davis for granted nor under-evaluated his talent.

“He has got great speed and an outstanding arm,” Alderson said. “He’s made some of the best plays the last few years in our outfield, and that’s saying a lot, considering we’ve got a 6-time Gold Glove center fielder (Murphy).

“Michael wants to play every day and wants to hit left-handed pitching. He doesn’t want to take himself out of the lineup.”

The hesitancy to rest after his knee injury probably hurt Davis’ statistics last season.

Said Davis: “Kicking the door was a dumb thing to do. It was just being caught up for a moment in the excitement of a game. I did something I don’t usually do and it cost me. I won’t harp on it or anything that happened last year. I’m looking forward to playing for the Dodgers and doing big things for them.”

The Dodgers signed Davis shortly after failing to trade for Kirk Gibson at the winter meetings. Then later in the winter, after Gibson had been granted free agency, the Dodgers signed him as well. Suddenly, they had four outfielders for three spots.

That problem was apparently solved early in spring training when the Dodgers moved Pedro Guerrero from first base to third base and put Mike Marshall at first, opening right field for Davis.

Was Davis surprised when the Dodgers signed Gibson?

“Why should I be surprised?” Davis asked. “They’re trying to improve the club.”

But would Davis have decided to sign with the Yankees, or another team, had the Dodgers been this well stocked with outfielders in December?

“Um, I tell you what. I really don’t feel myself fighting for a job now,” Davis said.

Observers in Oakland say that Davis is the type who makes the great plays but sometimes fumbles the routine ones, as his 13 errors last season illustrated. One Bay Area writer said: “All of his errors are embarrassing.”

But the flip side is that Davis also makes outstanding plays in the outfield. Once last season in Kansas City, he threw out a runner at home plate to save a game for A’s reliever Jay Howell, now a Dodger. “When I flew to Orlando for some meetings, I ran into John McNamara (Boston’s manager),” Claire said. “I said, ‘John, what do you think of Mike Davis as a defensive outfielder?’ He said that every time he played against them, he was great. So, there is a report from an opposing manager.”

The debate about whether Davis is worth nearly $1 million a season probably will continue. But the last word on the salary question comes from Mike Davis, himself.

“I’ve got the money, don’t I, so I’m worth it.”