Anthony Amobi: Is Chris Davis for real?

At this point in my life, as a sports fan, I'm not often surprised by much. So far this season, Chris Davis has me wondering if what I am seeing from him is for real, based on his track record. I was not sure if he could replicate what he did last season, especially toward the end, coming into 2013. However, he is exceeding that - and a whole lot more. His nickname among fans and the media is "Crush", based on his power at the plate, size and physique. Since opening day, he has been doing just that. Last night, he willed the Orioles to their 29th win of the season, as he went 4-for-4 at the plate and hit two home runs against the Nationals. The Orioles won a thriller 9-6. Davis put on a show on his t-shirt night and made sure that the 39,129 fans who attended last night's game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards got their money's worth. He completely upstaged Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who had three home runs on the night off Baltimore starting pitcher Chris Tillman. I attended the game last night with family and friends. We just sat back and enjoyed a show in Charm City that got more exciting as it developed. Right now, Davis is hitting everything in sight and has greatly improved his batting eye. He clearly does not strike out the same level as last season and reminds me of Barry Bonds - at the turn of this century - during the first two months of the 2013 season. So Davis went through a lull in the middle of April and May. He looked somewhat normal. Well, he is on a tear - again. As of this morning, Davis is batting .359 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs. He also has a ridiculous .447 on-base percentage and a .755 slugging percentage. He has .370 with 10 home runs, 22 RBIs and 10 doubles this month. Keep in mind, Davis was named the American League Player of the month for April. Right now, he may be the best hitter in the majors besides Miguel Cabrera. After seeing what I saw last night, the question that popped up in my mind was, "The Texas Rangers truly gave this guy away with Tommy Hunter for Koji Uehara? Did Andy MacPhail pull off the ultimate fleecing?" Right now, the answer may be yes. At this point, I'm wondering if we all are seeing the real Davis, who has finally reached his potential as a hitter, or just a scorching-hot player at the plate? What do you think? Anthony Amobi blogs about the Orioles at Oriole Post. His observations about the O's appear as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our site. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.