Cubs Outfielder Brennen Davis Carries Momentum Into 2022
Outfielder Brennen Davis could already notice the difference in his swing while working out at the Cubs’ facility in Arizona—especially compared with one year ago.
That learning curve heading into the 2021 season still didn’t stop the 22-year-old Davis from emerging as one of the best prospects in baseball. He expects that momentum to carry into this year.
Davis’ trajectory is even more impressive considering that he did not specialize in baseball at Basha High in Gilbert, Ariz., where he became a Division I basketball recruit. His baseball skills developed to the point where he declined an offer from Miami to sign with the Cubs for $1.1 million as a 2018 second-rounder.
Davis took off at Double-A Tennessee in 2021, putting up 13 homers, 20 doubles and an .841 OPS in 76 games. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A Iowa, where he posted a .933 OPS in 15 games.
His emergence gave Cubs fans a reason for optimism after the front office deconstructed the MLB roster at the trade deadline.
“I have a really good team behind me,” the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Davis said. “I feel like I make adjustments pretty quick and I’m really coachable, so as soon as I get the right information in front of me, I’m able to repeat it and then just keep honing in on it and really becoming the player that I want to be.”
With that in mind, the Cubs organized a comprehensive training camp for a group of about 30 prospects that runs virtually the entire length of the offseason. The Cubs funded a program that covered housing, meals, transportation and staffing at their Mesa complex.
The franchise hopes the time spent together will accelerate players’ development and create closer bonds in the clubhouse.
Davis is viewed as a leader of that group, someone who is on track to debut at Wrigley Field in 2022.
CUBBYHOLE
— The Cubs reorganized their baseball operations department with a series of promotions and reassignments, most notably moving Matt Dorey from vice president of player development to vice president of player personnel, a role that will lean more heavily on his extensive background in scouting and coaching. Jared Banner, a longtime Red Sox staffer who previously oversaw the Mets’ farm system, is shifting to vice president of player development after spending last season running special projects for the Cubs.
— The Cubs have been searching for a new minor league field coordinator after Ed Blankmeyer—the former St. John’s head coach who managed the Mets’ High-A Brooklyn affiliate last year—reconsidered after accepting the position this winter. The job opening was created when Jeremy Farrell left the Cubs organization to become the Reds’ director of player development.
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