Determination Drives Davis

J.D. Davis faced one of the biggest decisions of his baseball career and life three years ago.

Professional baseball seemed a possibility for the 18-year-old from Elk Grove, Calif., as he approached high school graduation.

As former high school teammate - and once again teammate in the Houston Astros organization - Jake Rodriguez recalled, Davis stood out on the baseball diamond.

"J.D. has always been a bigger kid," said Rodriguez, who graduated from Elk Grove High School a year ahead of Davis. "He's one of the greater hitters that I've seen."

In June 2011, the Tampa Bay Rays drafted Davis in the fifth round of the First-Year Players Draft.

But Davis had chosen California State University-Fullerton after his junior year of high school, and when the Rays did not have an offer of life-changing money, Davis was headed to one of the top collegiate baseball programs in the country.

His choice was not the recommended one by some scouts talking to Davis, however, as they felt the odds were that Davis - even if he stayed healthy and succeeded in college - could only decrease, not help, his draft stock.

"I knew that wasn't going to happen; I stayed confident in myself," Davis said of his talent potentially being wasted.

Instead, Davis matured on the baseball field and as a young adult - learning to live on his own and getting the benefits of a classroom education, as well as one in the Titans baseball program.

In three college seasons and two summers in the highly regarded Northwoods and Cape Cod Leagues, Davis starred as both a position player and pitcher.

Before his junior season this spring, Davis was named to the watch list for the John Olerud Award - given to the nation's top collegiate two-way player.

Through his junior season, Davis had played 159 games and hit for a .308 batting average with 14 home runs and 113 RBIs. He also hled a 2.98 ERA in 35 pitching appearances.

The success on the mound and in the batter's box prompted scouts to ask about a different decision for Davis as the 2014 draft approached. When asked whether he wanted to continue pitching or playing as a position player, Davis kept the conversation short.

"I knew in my heart that I was always a hitter first," said Davis, who also told teams he was most comfortable playing third base.

The Houston Astros took Davis in the third round - two rounds higher than he was taken three years earlier - and signed him to continue his career as a hitter, while using his arm strength and other skills at third base.   

With a hitting approach developed through coaching from his father, Greg, and coaches at both Elk Grove High School and Cal State-Fullerton, Davis quickly showed consistency - the elusive goal of many of his peers - when he started with short-season Class-A Tri-City.

After an 0-for-2, two-walk debut June 14, he collected at least one hit in each of his next 14 games. He cooled to a 2-for-11 stretch before beginning a Fourth of July weekend series against Lowell.

Davis helped the ValleyCats celebrate the holiday with a 6-for-12 series, in which he had two doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs.

"That was the big momentum and confidence booster," Davis said. "I think that was the turning point of (saying), 'I'm a pro, I can do this.'"

Eight days after the series against Lowell, Davis was leaving the New York-Penn League for the Midwest League and Davenport, Iowa. He was the first of the Astros' 2014 draft picks to reach Class-A.

The adjustment period seemed to also be short with the River Bandits. He was reunited with Rodriguez, who was playing in his second season after being drafted by Astros from Oregon State University.

On the field, Davis immediately became the regular starting third baseman, and although he began just 2-for-14, he quickly warmed up during a stretch where Quad Cities won eight of its last nine games against Eastern Division opponents.

From July 20-28, Davis went 15-for-32 - a .469 batting average - and raised his batting average in his first pro season across two professional levels, to .306 - nearly matching his three-year collegiate mark.

But the success did not surprise Davis, or anyone who knows his baseball background.

Rodriguez gave the scouting report Astros and River Bandits fans would want to hear.

"He's a great ballplayer, and he's got his head on right," Rodriguez said. "He's going to do everything right to make it to the big leagues."