After two years working out of the Sam Houston State bullpen, Davis transitioned to a starting role first in the 2023 Cape Cod League and then at Oklahoma, where he transferred for 2024. The southpaw posted a 4.30 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 92 innings in his lone season with the Sooners, and he went in the fifth round to the Cardinals that July. He signed for exactly slot at $487,500. Davis hasn’t yet been pushed aggressively, but he passed his first professional test in the Florida State League, where he had a 3.26 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 69 innings before receiving a July promotion to High-A Peoria.
The 5-foot-11 left-hander has added a tick of velocity in the pros, now sitting 91-94 mph and touching 96.9 mph with Palm Beach. The fastball comes with a combination of both ride and run, and batters so far have found that difficult to pick up, making it play better than the velo and below-average extension. Davis’ best pitch is easily his 80-83 mph changeup, which gets just as much run as the heater but has tremendous separation. Batters had a 62.2 percent whiff rate against it in the FSL, and the early Midwest League results are just as good. Davis’ slider works in the same velo band and has a gyro look with a small amount of gloveside movement, and he also works with an occasional mid-80s cutter.
The former Sooner has run into bouts of wildness early in his pro career, bringing his future as a starter into question. He runs the typical reverse splits of a pitcher with a special changeup, so handedness shouldn’t be an issue if he does need to head to the bullpen. But with his K-heavy ways early, he should keep earning rotation looks.
