Orioles' Chris Davis Says He Considered Walking Away From His Contract Toward End of Last Season

Once upon a time, Chris Davis was one of the most feared sluggers in all of baseball. At one point (2013), he finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .286/.370/.634 alongside 53 home runs and 138 RBI.

Though Davis' power never quite waned, his overall production has plummeted, particularly in the last two campaigns in which he's failed to hit over .180.

Those struggles unsurprisingly did a number on the 33-year-old's mentality in 2019, and he recently revealed how close he was to walking away from baseball altogether.

Davis said he's considered walking away from his contract. There were discussions with his wife during the end of last season and this offseason. But he believes he can still be productive. Wouldn't call this a last chance season -- contract runs thru 2022 -- but it's a big one
— Dan Connolly (@danconnolly2016) February 17, 2020

"I’d be lying if I told you that wasn’t at least talked about at the end of last season," Davis told reporters on Monday. "I know what I’m capable of. I know what I expect of myself. I don’t want to continue to just struggle and be a well-below average producer at the plate. That’s not fair to these guys. That’s not fair to our fans or anyone associated with Baltimore. But I still think there's something left in the tank.”

“After two real grinding years. I do still think there is some time to kind of right the ship.”

Chris Davis pondered retirement, but still thinks there is something left in the tank:https://t.co/heSy5AUnqs
— Joe Trezza (@JoeTrezz) February 17, 2020

If that quote doesn't prove that baseball is one of the most mentally-sapping sports in the world, then nothing does.

The last two years have been a horror show for Davis. Across 874 plate appearances, the former All-Star has logged a .172/.256/.308 slash line. On top of it all, he set the MLB record for plate appearances between hits at a whopping 62.

Mental health is obviously a prevalent issue in today's world, particularly in the MLB, and we will absolutely be pulling for Davis to conquer his demons at the plate.