J.D. Davis

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Houston Astros #11 prospect in 2018
  The Astros' depth at first and third base meant that Davis faced a tough-to-swallow assignment in 2017. Coming off of a productive full season at Double-A Corpus Christi and a strong spring training, he was sent back to the Hooks because Houston had Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel set in the majors and Colin Moran and A.J. Reed above him in Triple-A. To Davis' credit, he didn't pout and was a little more productive in a second stay with the Hooks. He eventually made it to Triple-A and made his big league debut. Davis has some of the best raw power in the organization and one of the strongest arms. It will always come with a significant number of strikeouts and he's unlikely to hit better than .230-.240 albeit with decent on-base percentages because he draws some walks. While many Astros have embraced hitting more fly balls, Davis' swing leads to a lot of screaming ground balls. If he could get the ball into the air more he could hit 30+ home runs. Davis is a fringe-average defender at third and is the same at first with limited range but good hands. He's also tried left field, where his arm is an asset, but his below-average speed is a detriment. Davis is an injury fill-in for the Astros for now, which may make him a trade asset eventually.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #12 prospect in 2017
  No college team of recent memory had a better collection of position-player arms than Cal State Fullerton in 2013 and 2014. Davis has a 70 arm on the 20-80 scouting scale that is one of the better throwing arms in the minors, but it ranked third-best on his college team because he shared the field with a pair of 80 throwers: third baseman Matt Chapman (now in the Athletics system) and center fielder Michael Lorenzen (now a Reds righthander). Davis played mostly DH and right field in college because of Chapman, but the Astros have focused on developing him at third base. His arm compensates for a lack of speed and agility, but scouts don't see him developing into better than a below-average defender because of limited range and below-average footwork, though his hands work well. He's a well below-average runner, which limits him to first base if he changes positions. Davis' plus-plus raw power is as impressive as his arm, but is more strength-based than generated from bat speed, and he strikes out frequently. That and his pull-heavy approach make it hard for scouts to project him as more than a fringe-average hitter. Davis is blocked by Alex Bregman and Yulieski Gurriel, so he will head to Triple-A Fresno in 2017 to wait for an opportunity somewhere.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #14 prospect in 2016
  After playing first base, right field and DH at Cal State Fullerton, the Astros decided to make Davis a full-time third baseman with the hopes it would increase his value and take advantage of his arm. His plus arm is his best attribute at third because it buys him some extra time and allows him to make some highlight plays. He was a closer in college whose fastball touched 94-95 mph. His size and lack of mobility limit his range, which scouts worry will only get worse as he ages. He's a below-average runner without a quick first step. He's a fringe-average defender at best, but he's shown a strong work ethic. Davis' real calling card is his power. He can clear the fence to left, center and right and is most comfortable driving the ball the other way. Davis has 20-plus home run potential, but how much he gets to will depend on how his bat holds up against more advanced pitching. He has average bat speed. Although his swing is a little long he should make enough hard contact to be a fringe-average hitter as well. Headed to Double-A in 2016, Davis projects as a second-division everyday third baseman with power and fringy defense.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #15 prospect in 2015
  An unsigned fifth-round pick out of high school, Davis played both infield corners and right field at Cal State Fullerton and also pitched for three seasons, starting earlier in his career but closing as a junior. The Astros saw Davis play third base while Matt Chapman, the Athletics' first-rounder in 2014, was injured, so they plugged him in at the hot corner after signing him for $748,600 and were pleased. At best, he'll be an average defender with a plus arm, but club officials were impressed at how nimble and agile he was for his size. It's at the plate where Davis shines. He had the best debut of Houston's 2014 draftees, reaching low Class A Quad Cities for 43 games and carrying his above-average raw power into games while showing opposite-field power. He projects as an average hitter, though scouts were concerned in his Titans career that he was susceptible to breaking balls. He's a below-average runner. He could return to Quad Cities to begin 2015 and will remain at third base for now.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #118 prospect in 2014 draft
  An unsigned fifth-round pick by the Rays out of high school in 2011, Davis ranked as the No. 12 prospect in the Cape Cod League last summer but has had an up-and-down junior year, during which his strikeout rate has climbed. He has played both infield corners and right field for the Titans, and scouts are divided about whether his future lies in left field or at first. He's a below-average runner, and would need a lot of work in the outfield, but his feet work fine at first base. His best tool is his above-average raw power, and he's still learning to translate it into game power. Some scouts think he projects as an average hitter, while others are concerned about his tendency to drift and susceptibility to breaking balls. He shows good arm strength off the mound, showing 91-93 mph heat and a decent breaking ball, but his fastball is straight and his arm action isn't great, so most scouts prefer him as a hitter.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Texas League #13 prospect in 2017
  The best power prospect in the TL, Davis hit 21 home runs in 87 games at Corpus Christi before spending 16 games in Fresno and receiving a callup to Houston on Aug. 5. Davis has great leverage is his swing, which helped him produce 26 home runs in the minors this season. He swings big and sometimes misses big, with high rates for swinging strikes, which will limit his ability to hit for average. Defensively, Davis has good hands and one of the strongest infield arms in the Astros organization, though an eventual move to first base is possible based on Houston's infield depth.

• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Astros' depth at first and third base meant that Davis faced a tough-to-swallow assignment in 2017. Coming off of a productive full season at Double-A Corpus Christi and a strong spring training, he was sent back to the Hooks because Houston had Alex Bregman and Yuli Gurriel set in the majors and Colin Moran and A.J. Reed above him in Triple-A. To Davis' credit, he didn't pout and was a little more productive in a second stay with the Hooks. He eventually made it to Triple-A and made his big league debut. He even got to show off his big arm, throwing 92-93 mph fastballs in mop-up relief work.Scouting Report: Davis has some of the best raw power in the organization and one of the strongest arms. It will always come with a significant number of strikeouts and he's unlikely to hit better than .230-.240 albeit with decent on-base percentages because he draws some walks. While many Astros have embraced hitting more fly balls, Davis' swing leads to a lot of screaming ground balls. If he could get the ball into the air more he could hit 30+ home runs.The Future: Davis is a fringe-average defender at third and is the same at first with limited range but good hands. He's also tried left field, where his arm is an asset, but his below-average speed is a detriment. Davis is an injury fill-in for the Astros for now, which may make him a trade asset eventually