Young Blue Jay from Stone High looks to father for baseball advice
DUNEDIN, Fla. -- D.J. Davis recalls his first appearance at the plate for the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
The center fielder donned the jersey of the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays, a uniform his father, Wayne, wore in 1985.
Last June, Davis went 1-for-3 in his pro debut.
"I was scared. I didn't know what I was facing," said Davis, who prepped at Stone High School in Wiggins. "But just a couple of games, I got into it. The emotion, I started feeling better."
In 43 games in 2012, he had 38 hits, 12 RBIs, four home runs and a .233 batting average. For D.J. Davis to play for the same organization as his dad is a great feeling.
"It's great because he knows a lot of the guys," said Davis, "and when he comes, they (former players) will be talking and having fun."
Davis never got a chance to see his father play, but recognizes him as the biggest influence toward the path through baseball's farm system.
"He knows the process, he was a player," said Davis of his father, who never played in the big leagues. "Everybody else is giving some ideas and tips but they don't know how it really is to play the game."
The most important advice he ever received was to play hard and don't give up.
"You're going to have those bad weeks, months," said Davis, "Just keep going."
Davis, who is a big fan of rapper Jay-Z, believes the best way to persevere is to keep pressing on.
"People who say you will never make it... just ignore it and keep trying," said Davis.
Falling in love with the game
From falling in love with this game while playing in the backyard of his parent's home in Wiggins, to being drafted by the Jays in the first round (17th overall) of the 2012 Amateur Draft, Davis continues to try and impress himself and work hard.
He is currently ranked fourth among Blue Jays prospects by MLB.com entering into the 2013 season.
With all the changes the Jays have made this year hopefully turning the franchise into a legitimate contender, it may seem difficult for a top prospect to crack the major-league roster.
That doesn't faze Davis as he will continue to work toward a spot with the big club patrolling the outfield.
"[Playing] center field, you just got to take control [of the outfield]," said Davis.
The 18-year-old would like to emulate Braves slugging right-fielder Jason Heyward.
Outside of baseball you may find Davis chilling with friends, having fun and playing video games, including his favourite MLB 2K.
The center fielder donned the jersey of the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays, a uniform his father, Wayne, wore in 1985.
Last June, Davis went 1-for-3 in his pro debut.
"I was scared. I didn't know what I was facing," said Davis, who prepped at Stone High School in Wiggins. "But just a couple of games, I got into it. The emotion, I started feeling better."
In 43 games in 2012, he had 38 hits, 12 RBIs, four home runs and a .233 batting average. For D.J. Davis to play for the same organization as his dad is a great feeling.
"It's great because he knows a lot of the guys," said Davis, "and when he comes, they (former players) will be talking and having fun."
Davis never got a chance to see his father play, but recognizes him as the biggest influence toward the path through baseball's farm system.
"He knows the process, he was a player," said Davis of his father, who never played in the big leagues. "Everybody else is giving some ideas and tips but they don't know how it really is to play the game."
The most important advice he ever received was to play hard and don't give up.
"You're going to have those bad weeks, months," said Davis, "Just keep going."
Davis, who is a big fan of rapper Jay-Z, believes the best way to persevere is to keep pressing on.
"People who say you will never make it... just ignore it and keep trying," said Davis.
Falling in love with the game
From falling in love with this game while playing in the backyard of his parent's home in Wiggins, to being drafted by the Jays in the first round (17th overall) of the 2012 Amateur Draft, Davis continues to try and impress himself and work hard.
He is currently ranked fourth among Blue Jays prospects by MLB.com entering into the 2013 season.
With all the changes the Jays have made this year hopefully turning the franchise into a legitimate contender, it may seem difficult for a top prospect to crack the major-league roster.
That doesn't faze Davis as he will continue to work toward a spot with the big club patrolling the outfield.
"[Playing] center field, you just got to take control [of the outfield]," said Davis.
The 18-year-old would like to emulate Braves slugging right-fielder Jason Heyward.
Outside of baseball you may find Davis chilling with friends, having fun and playing video games, including his favourite MLB 2K.
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