Premature Excitation: Toronto Blue Jays CF D.J. Davis
For the second week in a row, Premature Excitation takes a look at one of the young center field prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays‘ organization. Last week, we profiled Dwight Smith Jr., center fielder for the Bluefield Blue Jays. This week, we’ll turn our attention to 2012 MLB draft pick, D.J. Davis, who plays one level below Smith in the Gulf Coast League.
D.J. Davis is fast – that much we know. Whenever one’s name is mentioned in the same breath as Billy Hamilton – he of the 113 stolen bases on the year – one will be well known and highly touted for one’s speed alone. On the 20-80 scouting scale, Davis, like Hamilton, ranks out at an 80.
However, what propelled the draft status of Blue Jays’ center field prospect D.J. Davis was a developing bat. He has shown the ability to be more than just a slap hitter; rather, he has demonstrated surprising power both in his final year of high school and thus far in his professional career for the Blue Jays.
D.J. Davis has exceeded expectations at the plate. Although he has struck in 25.2% of plate appearances, he has also been walked at a decent clip, 8.7% of all plate appearances. Much of the rationale for his rocketing up draft boards was a drastically improved approach at the plate. Like many young left-handed hitters, Davis has had his troubles with strikeouts and with his performance against left-handed pitching. Nevertheless, Davis has hit .265/.341/.389 with 3 home runs, 3 doubles, and 1 triple on the season, hitting for more power than most expected from the young center fielder.
Perhaps not the Blue Jays - the Jays were highest on Davis in the draft, and some analysts cited his developing power as a primary reason for his surge. Davis has the potential to be more than just a slap-hitter with speed; he could be a legitimate threat with the bat at the top of an order if he continues to develop his power. With his speed, a solid bat could make him an excellent center field option.
Naturally, this leads us to his defense. D.J. Davis has phenomenal range in center field, and despite an average or below-average arm, he will be a superb defender due to his range alone. In this way, Davis has received comparisons to Jacoby Ellsbury.
Although Davis is still a long ways away from making an impact in the major leagues, the early returns have been very good on the speedy center fielder. He has been one of the best players on his team, which is, of course, full of high-profile draft picks and huge signing bonuses. As a 17-year old (well, actually, Davis just turned 18 a few days ago), this is an outstanding feat, as he is playing amongst players who are almost three years older than him, with an average league age of 19.7 years.
Keep an eye on D.J. Davis as he moves through the Blue Jays system. Though his progression could be delayed due to the plethora of center fielders standing above him among the Blue Jays‘ minor league affiliates, his speed alone will make him worth following on a regular basis.
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Premature Excitation is a weekly column/project that I have decided to embark on in which I will attempt to get Blue Jays nation, and prospect followers everywhere, excited about young prospects far before we have any concrete idea of how successful they will be as they move through the system. It will be all the more rewarding when the prospects covered here achieve success at higher levels and, eventually, reach the major leagues. I hope that you enjoy following their journey as much as I do. Subscribe to my author page to ensure that you don’t miss a feature.
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Charles Davis is a baseball writer for www.RantSports.com with a primary focus on the Toronto Blue Jays, their farm system, and prospect league-wide. Read his articles and keep up with this column here and follow him on Twitter@CPDavis90
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