SURPRISE, Ariz. – Brennan Davis is the future and while it may be a while before he plays at the corner of Clark and Addison, the Cubs’ top prospect is already getting rave reviews.
Davis is just three years removed from playing high school baseball about 30 minutes down the road in Gilbert, Ariz., but the Cubs aren’t treating their 2018 second-round pick like a kid.
The 21-year-old outfielder has been getting more opportunities to show what he can do, and after playing at the Cubs’ alternate site in South Bend, taking part in his first big-league spring training has been an eye-opening experience.
“I’m taking everything that I can from this experience,” Davis said. “The way the guys work, being prepared, the preparation it takes to go be successful, I see it from all the guys and I’m gonna take that into my season and hopefully have a successful season.
“He’s becoming a man right in front of [our eyes],” manager David Ross said. “Every time I see him, I’m like, ‘This guy’s just one of the best athletes every time he steps out on the field.’ It’s been fun to watch that.
Davis came on strong in his first full season in 2019 with a .305/.381/.525 slash line, eight homers and a .907 OPS in 50 games at Single-A South Bend (now Advanced Class-A). With no minor league season due to the pandemic, developing at the team’s alternate site allowed him to train against higher competition, including right-hander Adbert Alzolay.
“He’s a great friend of mine,” Alzolay said. “I have so much respect for him, because he’s still super young. ... He’s still learning. He’s still developing, but to me, he’s gonna be really, really good.”
“I think he’s gonna be an incredible baseball player,” center fielder Ian Happ said. “I really am impressed by his wanting to be around and ask questions. He’s really attentive. I know that in this spring training environment, it’s difficult to work younger guys in with the group that’s going to start at Wrigley just from a numbers and protocol standpoint. But it’s been great to get around him a little bit more.
When the Cubs were building what would ultimately be their championship core, players like Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, Willson Contreras and Anthony Rizzo became pieces of a loaded farm system.
The Cubs’ system has had to restock the next wave of position players after those players graduated to the Major Leagues and Davis has a chance to be the face of that next wave. He’s currently ranked as the Cubs’ top position player prospect by MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus.
“Those are superstars and I’m just here to help Chicago win a championship when it’s my time,” Davis said. So I mean, [the] media is awesome, but you don’t really take anything into account. It’s just what you can do to help the team win.”
Davis’ time in big-league camp hasn’t gone unnoticed by the players in the Cubs’ clubhouse and what he may lack in age, he’s made up for in his desire to learn and soak up everything from the players around him.
“I think he’s gonna be an incredible baseball player,” center fielder Ian Happ said. “I really am impressed by his wanting to be around and ask questions. He’s really attentive. I know that in this spring training environment, it’s difficult to work younger guys in with the group that’s going to start at Wrigley just from a numbers and protocol standpoint. But it’s been great to get around him a little bit more.
“I remember, as a young guy, just being able to be around and ask questions and learn. Having a guy like Jason [Heyward] in the outfield that you can ask and learn from is huge. There’s a lot of things that change from being in the minor leagues being the big leagues responsibility standpoint, from relying on the other guys, the analytics part of it. He hasn’t played baseball in a full year. He’s practiced a lot, but he hasn’t played and so a lot of those guys are just eager to get out here and actually play baseball and show what they can do.”
