30 A's in 30 Days – Rajai Davis

Acquired: Selected off waivers from San Francisco Giants (April 23, 2008).
Contract: One year thru 2009. Eligible for arbitration after 2010.
Position: Pinch-runner, defensive replacement, fifth ("fif!") OF

Projected BA/OBP/SLG: (.254/.309/.350)

Over/Under: Our friends at Baseball Prospectus have two of Davis' top three comps as Jacob Brumfield and Gary Thurman! I actually like Davis as a potential role player in Oakland, though. His career .706 OPS vs. LHP isn't great (and it's only in about 200 plate appearances), but if the A's can spell CF Ryan Sweeney with Rajai twice a week AND if he's not given too many ABs against right-handers, the OVER is actually reachable. Not by much, but still…

By the Numbers: 25 – Stolen bases by Davis in Oakland last year. It's the most steals in a season by an Athletic since Johnny Damon's 27 in 2001. I'd also like to point out that in 1982; Rickey Henderson stole 22, 27, 24, 26 and 24 bases in each MONTH from April through August, respectively. Remember: there are no such things as tornadoes. Rickey Henderson just happens to hate trailer parks.

Surefire '09 Prediction: Davis will steal a base or get on with a drag bunt or leg out a triple in the blink of an eye at some point during the season. Afterwards, every game recap will – for the millionth time – misinterpret/malign the "Moneyball" philosophy and declare Davis as "refreshing" or some such nonsense.