Texas notes: Astros' Davis biding his time

When J.D. Davis looks around the Astros organization, the third baseman becomes motivated instead of discouraged.

It would be easy for a prospect to feel disappointed about the crowding of young talent within the Astros' Minor League system. This season, Alex Bregman and Teoscar Hernandez have debuted with the big league team after starting in Double-A Corpus Christi. That's not to mention Colin Moran, A.J. Reed and fellow third baseman Yulieski Gurriel, who all worked their way to Houston at different points this year.

But Davis said he's never gotten discouraged about spending the whole season in Corpus Christi. He's encouraged by the fact that the Astros have shown no hesitancy in recent years to move players through their system. That provides motivation, but Davis knows it means he has to perform, too.

"You can't sugarcoat it," he said. "It's a blessing and also it's kind of a curse. You know there are guys in front of you and you know there are guys behind you. It's a blessing. You always have to have competition -- it can get you better every single day."

Davis, a 2014 third-round pick out of Cal State-Fullerton, has seen it first-hand. He lockered near Moran during Spring Training and broke into the season on a Hooks roster with Bregman and Hernandez, both currently with the Astros.

Meanwhile, he has stayed in Corpus Christi to improve his play at third base and get the hang of regularly facing advanced pitching. However, his numbers don't equal his big 2015 season in the California League.

Entering Monday, Davis was coming off a six-game road trip in which he hit safely in each contest, raising his average to .260 with 18 homers, 28 doubles and 65 RBIs. It's not equal to what he put up last season when he hit .289 with 26 long balls and drove in 101 runs at Class A Advanced Lancaster, but Davis isn't taking the dip in production as a step back.

He knows the jump from Class A Advanced to Double-A means seeing better pitchers, and the elements of the Texas League always make it more difficult than the California League, where the wind is regularly blowing out.

"There's no doubt in myself," he said. "This league tests your patience and your attitude, and your confidence and your strength. The ball doesn't fly anywhere. Learning from that only makes me better.

"I'm proud of where I'm at. Do I wish I could have done a little bit better? Of course."

Davis does take positives from his improvement at third base. He was a first baseman and pitcher in college before the Astros decided to turn him into a first baseman. He's getting the hang of it as evidenced by a fielding percentage that has improved each season, from .914 in 2014 to .932 in 2015 to .953 this season.

"You've got to really work at it," he said.

The same goes for progressing through a crowded system. But, like at third base, Davis is steadily getting to where he wants to be.

"I just turned 23 and I'm in Double-A," Davis said. "I set my goals a little high because that's what you do. And this is just my first year in Double-A. So [I'm] pretty satisfied with where I am and the track I'm on and hopefully I'll be up there quick."

In brief

Homer leader advances: Former Midland third baseman Matt Chapman is setting his sights on Pacific Coast League pitchers now. Chapman leads the Texas League with 29 homers and is second with 83 RBIs while hitting .244 this season. The Athletics' No. 4 prospect was promoted this week to Triple-A Nashville, where he'd gotten off to a 2-for-21 start entering Monday.

Season ends abruptly: Eric Aguilera was second in the league with 124 hits and led the Arkansas Travelers with 14 homers and 65 RBIs. But the first base prospect won't be adding to those totals. He was suspended by the Angels for the rest of the season for poor conduct, the Travs announced Sunday. Aguilera, a 34th-round pick in 2013 out of Illinois State, was hitting .270 with a .313 on-base percentage and a .434 slugging percentage.

Streak comes to end: An 18-game hitting streak at Lancaster earned Drew Ferguson a promotion to Corpus Christi. He kept it going in his first game, too, with a single in his Double-A debut Saturday against Arkansas. He went 0-for-4 on Sunday to end the streak. Ferguson, a 19th-round pick by the Astros in 2015 out of Belmont University, hit .313 with 14 homers and 69 RBIs at Lancaster before getting the call to Corpus Christi.

Power increase: Frisco's Kellin Deglan has hit five of his nine homers this season since Aug. 3, including a grand slam Friday in a win over Tulsa. The slam, the fourth for a Frisco hitter this year, was the highlight of a six-RBI effort for Deglan, who also doubled in the game.