Chase Davis
OF Arizona
1-9-23 - FIVE SUPER-SLEEPERS WHO COULD GO NO. 1 IN THE 2023 MLB DRAFT
CHASE DAVIS, OUTFIELD, ARIZONA
Davis was an extremely high-profile blue-chip as a high schooler in 2020. Prospects Live graded him the No. 44 overall prospect available in that class. He had plenty of money offered his way but felt it best he go to the University of Arizona and develop his craft a bit more and give it another go in 2023. After being utilized in more of a part-time role in 2021, Davis worked as the starting left fielder for the Wildcats last spring, posting a .289/.414/.583 slash with 18 homers. He worked a 16.6 percent walk-rate and struck out 22.8 percent of his at-bats.
You could make the argument Davis was rather green in 2022 having not played extensive time the year before. A year older and a year wiser at the plate, Davis could see his game take off to another level in 2023. Like Hurley and Wilken, Davis is a batted-ball monster with exit velocities befitting a player much bigger than Davis is. Last season, his peak exit velocity ranked among the best in the country. His contact quality was streaky, so the variability of his batted balls was a rollercoaster, but at his best, there are very few guys in the country who can hit a ball quite as hard as Davis. He did show quite a bit of swing-and-miss in his game, whiffing on close to 32 percent of his swings. He was particularly exposed against spin last season, posting a contact rate of just 50 percent against breaking balls. That will need to improve in 2023 if Davis is to go in the first round.
Where Davis outpaces his peers, Hurley and Wilken included, is in the athleticism department. He’s comfortably an above average glove in either corner and possesses a weapon in his 70-grade arm. He is a solid average runner who has a chance to steal double-digit bags as a pro.
Davis has a bit farther of a climb than Hurley and Wilken do to reach his draft ceiling as a No. 1 overall pick, but the athletic tools and impact at the plate both exist. The swing-and-miss must improve. If it does, scouts may once again begin singing his praises as “Carlos González 2.0”.
1-3-23 - Your way-too-early-look at 2023 Mariners MLB Draft Targets
OF Chase Davis, Arizona
6’1” 217lb Throws: Left Bats: Left
Questions linger about whether Davis can stick in center field, but nobody is questioning Davis’ skills in the batter’s box, where he slugged 18 homers and slashed .289/.414/.583 in his first season as a full-time player for the Wildcats. While there’s a little swing-and-miss to his game–he posted a 22.8% strikeout rate playing largely against talented Pac-12 pitching–he posted a 16.6% walk rate. The 21-year-old struggled badly in 15 Cape Cod League games over the summer, but believers in his power stroke will be tempted to gamble that he adjusts to swinging the lumber as a pro.
11-28-22 - 2023 MLB Draft: College Top 100 Prospects - https://d1baseball.com/prospects/2023-mlb-draft-college-top-100-prospects/ -
38 Chase Davis OF Arizona Pac-12
11-12-22 - 2023 MLB Draft – Top 50 College Prospects -
https://www.prospects1500.com/mlb-draft/2023-mlb-draft-top-50-college-prospects/
40. Chase Davis, OF, Arizona – Davis has one of the smoothest swings in college baseball, and his head stays on the ball well allowing him to track the ball through his entire swing. Despite that, there is still some swing and miss in his game and his offensive production comes primarily from his power, but that is a potential plus tool. He has primarily played out in left for Arizona, but he has a very good arm that would be just fine in right so he does have some positional flexibility in the outfield.
11-2-22 - 2022 Fall Report: Arizona - https://d1baseball.com/fall-report/2022-arizona/ -
Junior Chase Davis had a breakout season in 2022 (.289/.414/.583 with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs). The toolsy lefthanded hitter brings a plus arm and plus power to the party. He may play left field for the Wildcats as Hi Corbett Field plays much like Coors Field, where the dimensions dictate that your best defender should be deployed in left (see Carlos Gonzalez). With another big year, Davis could be a very high pick.
10-19-22 - https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2022/1/15/2023-mlb-draft-prospects-fx4td?s=03 -
57 OF
Chase Davis
Arizona
Many saw Davis as a Top 50 prospect in the 2020 MLB Draft, though he went unselected due to signability concerns and headed to Tucson. Regardless of the dollars and cents, Davis always wanted to honor his commitment to the Wildcats. He's yet to get the chance to showcase his talents full-time, but we're talking about a good hitter with projectable power and a huge arm in the field. He's an above average who most believe is destined for right field. Davis figures to be a mainstay in the Wildcats lineup in 2022 and 2023.
All the 2023 Draft Prospects in the Mack’s Mets database can be viewed by going to www.macksmets.blogspot.com and clicking on 2023 DRAFT PROSPECT DATABASE found on the top, left of the front page of the site.
Chase Davis sounds like an athletic hitting talent.
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