SURPRISE, Ariz. -- First baseman Chris Davis joked that the strikeout in his final at-bat on Friday meant that he should "pack things up and head home."

The fact that Davis can joke about a strikeout shows how well things have gone for him this spring training. This is the same guy that in 2009 had 114 strikeouts and was sent to Triple-A before the All-Star break to get it figured out. But maybe that's the point: This isn't that same guy.

Davis posted a .308 batting average when he returned in late August and cut down on his strikeouts. In an effort to keep the momentum going, he picked up a bat and started swinging again only a couple of weeks after the season was over.

"I made it a point to get in the cages and start swinging so that I had a feel for it before coming out here," Davis said. "When you get here, you want to have a little bit of a comfortable feel when you get in the box so you can worry about getting your timing down. That way you clear your head and go out and play."

Davis said clearing his head is one reason he's playing so well in spring training.

"I'm not really thinking about anything," Davis said. "I'm just trying to figure out when to start my trigger. When the pitcher breaks his hands, I take my hands back and that's all I've been concentrating on. Last year, when I was struggling really bad, I was thinking about everything -- what he was going to throw, what not to swing at -- instead of just thinking about one thing. I was thinking about everything under the sun and not really giving myself a chance to hit. That's something I'm doing differently this year."

Davis' final at-bat strikeout ended a streak of eight consecutive hits that included a double, a homer and six singles. He's now sporting a .550 spring training average. The most encourgaging sign for Davis is that all three of his hits on Friday came off left-handed pitching.

"I've felt like I hit lefties better," Davis said. "I can't bail with my front side. I have to stay ready on pitches a lot longer. That was something I did in the minors. I've always felt that I had more confidence against them."

Manager Ron Washington said he isn't concerned about Davis, only that he wants his first baseman to stay patient and stick with his plan. Davis doesn't appear worried about Justin Smoak or anyone else trying to sneak up on him.

"If you start looking behind you, you'll get caught," Washington said.

Davis is just worried about his own game. And he's playing well. The Rangers hope it means he'll pick up in 2010 where he left off in 2009. And that he'll leave that high strikeout total far behind.