Can Chris Davis combat the shift, plus more on Andrew Susac

Whenever there is discussion about the Orioles offense, it seems almost all roads lead back to first baseman Chris Davis and his struggles of the last two years. He is a focal point - that comes with the big contract he signed.

Of course, there is a lot more to any offense than just one player, but Davis is a key player no doubt. As his strikeout totals remained high - and even went over the 200 mark in 2015 and 2016 - his home run total dropped. He hit 47 homers in 2015 and then 38 and 26 the last two seasons. At the same time, his OPS went from .923 to .792 to .732. As the numbers decreased, the criticism he got from fans increased.

Over the last few months, hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh has spent time working with Davis in Texas where they both live in the offseason. Coolbaugh has talked about this in several interviews, including at FanFest a week ago.

"Why were there so many called third strikes looking? That's the first thing," Coolbaugh said in analyzing Davis' 2017 season and how he can improve. "Was that the mental thing or a physical thing? We talked about that and we talked about the shift. The ground balls on the right side where you try to hit through the shift instead of taking advantage and using the other side of the field. That's when he's really good, when he's driving the ball the other way.

"So, (we've worked on and discussed) a lot of things in that regard to eliminate the called looking strikes and the shift part of it. He's been very receptive and I think his mindset is really good right now."

So how can Davis combat defensive shifting, which can frustrate him and fans alike, and take points off his batting average?

"I think it is more about the mindset," Coolbaugh said. "Instead of worrying about the shift and just doing what you do best. Sometimes guys go out there and they try to overcome the shift, so to speak, or try to hit through it. I think Chris got away from what he does well. When he drives the ball the other way and gets the ball a little more in the air, the home runs and walks both are more to what he is capable of doing."

More on Susac: Right now, no one is selling Andrew Susac - a catcher the Orioles added Friday via a trade - as anything more than a contender for the backup catcher's job when spring training begins. That is subject to change, but that appears to be the case right now. There are four catchers competing for playing time and roster spots with Caleb Joseph ahead of the field and the likely No. 1 catcher or at a minimum the leader of some time share come opening day.

Susac however, was once a top-rated prospect. In fact, he made Baseball America's top 100 list at No. 88 after the 2014 season. He was also ranked as then San Francisco's No. 1 prospect and the scouting report projected him as a future big league regular, one that could even possibly lead to Giants catcher Buster Posey eventually moving to first base. Susac has not been able to live up to that billing, but again that was a report coming after the 2014 season and we are a few years removed from that. Four times he was ranked by Baseball America among the Giants' top 13 prospects.

The Orioles, for the moment, have four catchers on their 40-man roster with Joseph and Susac joining Austin Wynns and Chance Sisco. Right now, Toronto also has four catchers on its 40-man roster while Boston and New York have three and Tampa Bay has two, among American League East clubs. Milwaukee did have five until they recently designated Susac for assignment when they signed pitcher Matt Albers.