Matt Kremnitzer: Looking at Chris Davis in right field

Nothing gets by Buck Showalter, but that doesn't mean you have to believe everything he says. You probably shouldn't believe everything anyone says. In February, when discussing Chris Davis' chances of playing right field during the season, Showalter said, "Chris might be as good a right fielder as we have here." That comment surely made numerous fans roll their eyes. Perhaps that was less of a compliment than an unintentional (or intentional) dig at the defensive skills of some of the corner outfielders on the team's roster.

Still, whether you believe what Showalter said or not, Davis is the Orioles' everyday right fielder for the time being. He hasn't started a game at first base since June 24. That couldn't have been what Showalter and Dan Duquette envisioned before the season started, but the O's also aren't afraid to try outside-the-box things (see Steve Pearce at second base).

Unlike Pearce at second, though, Davis had previous major league experience in the outfield before this season. Even diehard O's fans may forget that Davis played 316 combined innings in the outfield during the team's playoff run in 2012. Davis performed adequately in the outfield (split between left and right field), finishing with a Defensive Runs Saved total of -1 and a -0.1 Ultimate Zone Rating. In about 144 innings in right field this season, Davis has been about average again according to the numbers (-1 DRS, +1.6 UZR). That's not a particularly large sample of defensive innings to say anything definitive, however.

Davis won't wow anyone with his speed or quick jumps, but he essentially makes the routine plays and has a very strong arm. At least, that's what the O's are hoping Davis can do while providing similar production at the plate.

The O's can't be happy with how things have gone with their corner outfielders, which is why Davis is playing full time in right field. Just about every outfielder the O's have tried has disappointed to some extent, and with Kevin Gausman set to make his return tomorrow, yet another outfielder could be jettisoned from the roster (after the departures of Alejandro De Aza and Delmon Young).

It's admirable that Showalter seems to be doing all he can to somehow piece together the production this team needs, but it's also worth wondering if it's a fool's errand. Using Davis in right field and a platoon combination at first base of Chris Parmelee and Pearce makes some amount of sense. Parmelee is often described as a defensive wizard at first base, and he's surely made some nice plays around the bag this year. But in 939 defensive innings at first, he has a +2 DRS and a -1 UZR. Meanwhile, Davis has a -6 DRS and a -1.3 UZR (in almost 5,000 innings). For what it's worth, Pearce has a +11 DRS and a +7.8 UZR in 1,232 innings at first base.

Pearce is the superior defender of the three, and he's also been improving offensively every month after an awful start to the season. Parmelee, though, has stopped hitting, and his roster spot could be in jeopardy. Would it make more sense to simply play Pearce at first base and continue using Davis in right field? Still, none of this would have been necessary if Pearce wasn't so terrible at the plate to start the season.

The Orioles have some decisions to make, and a corner outfield addition of some kind is a real possibility. Some fans want a trade for Justin Upton, Carlos Gomez, or some other established outfield bat. Others are wondering if Dariel Alvarez could in any way provide some kind of spark or upgrade. A select few are still curious why Nolan Reimold doesn't get more opportunities (and that will likely never change). Even if a major move isn't made, changes are likely still coming. That shouldn't be any more surprising than if Davis eventually moves back to first base.

Matt Kremnitzer blogs about the Orioles at Camden Depot. Follow him on Twitter: @mattkremnitzer. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. 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.