Cubs Prospect Profile: Brennen Davis |
Arguably, the hardest part of grading a prospect is trying to predict the unknown. You never know how these prospects will turn out, and the only thing you can go off of is what you see on film or how they looked when you initially scouted them. That is the case for Brennen Davis, who checks in at No. 19 on the top 30 list for the Cubs.
While 19 is still a very respectable ranking, considering that Davis was once the top prospect in the system and a top 100 overall guy, you can see how far he has fallen, and some are starting to wonder if he will be on the top 30 list at all come next season. Davis has been the classic case of someone who has battled injuries his entire career, and you could make the case that is what has set him back throughout his professional career. When healthy, he has shown what he can do, but that has been hard for him to do, and looking at how the rest of this Cubs roster is constructed, Davis could be the odd man out if he doesn't stay on the field next season. A second-round pick back in 2018, Davis was a two-sport star in Arizona specializing in Basketball and Baseball. Eventually, he made the decision to focus on baseball only, and with a 1.1 million dollar signing bonus out of High School, that was the right decision. From the moment Davis was drafted, he was considered one of the steals of that entire class as he had immense talent, but was still raw in terms of the type of player he was. Davis would see 18 games that summer at the Cubs Arizona facility, and although he didn't produce much, his .298 average was encouraging. That set the tone for 2019, where Davis played a huge role in the South Bend Championship that season. Sure, Davis missed time with a wrist and hand injury after getting hit by a pitch early in the season, but he still played in 50 games that season and was one of the Cub's best hitters down the stretch. Davis hit a career-best .305 that season with eight homers and 30 RBIs as he started to show his potential. Then came 2020, as the pandemic shut down baseball and cost Davis a crucial year of development. Since then, Davis has never been the same as he has played in just over 200 games the past three seasons as the injuries pile up. 2021 was an excellent season for him as he began the year in South Bend and finished with AAA Iowa. That was the jump the Cubs hoped to see him make as he hit a .260 across 99 games that season with 19 homers and 53 RBIs. The past two seasons are where things are getting concerning, as Davis has been stuck in AAA since his 2021 promotion. A big reason for that has been the nagging injuries he has had to deal with, especially a back injury that still doesn't seem 100%. In 121 games the past two seasons, Davis has hit just .193 against AAA pitching with 10 homers and 47 RBIs. While he has still shown some good patience at the plate, he seems overmatched at this level, and he needs to show something this upcoming season to remain in the Cubs long-term plans. Davis was the 2021 Futures game MVP before the injuries caught up to him and started to transform his game for the better. Once a guy focused on being a more balanced hitter, Davis has let his 6-4 frame take over in recent seasons as he has gone for more power. Perhaps an additional chance to get back to hitting the baseball would bring in some much-needed confidence, as this kid could use some. He still works counts and doesn't completely sell out for home runs, but he also shows more holes in his swing and strikes out more frequently than he did in the past. Never the fastest runner, Davis has lost a step in his past few seasons as he has gained more muscle to help try and stay healthy. Davis still has decent enough speed to remain in the OF, but once viewed as a CF, he seems more likely to land in the corner spots. If he can prove the injury issues are behind him, Davis still has the potential to significantly impact this roster, but his time is running out in a hurry.
