Toronto Blue Jays 2018 Top Prospects: #30 Jonathan Davis

Jays Journal kicks of their Top 30 Prospects countdown with Jonathan Davis. The 26 year old outfielder appears to be coming into his own and is ready for the next step this season.

Jonathan Davis was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2013 amateur draft out of Central Arkansas. The athletic outfielder has been slowly building a solid name for himself, and has a great swing that is free and easy to the ball. He has a nice leg kick that allows him to generate some great pop as well. He is best know for his legs. He is really quick, which allows him to terrorize pitchers on the mound and hitters while he is in the field.

Name: Jonathan Davis
Position: OF      Age: 26
Height: 5’8″    Weight: 190 lbs
Throws: Right            Bats: Right
Acquired: 15th round pick 2013 draft

After a stand out 2015 in which he had a great showing in Lansing with the Lugnuts, Davis has continued to just chug away toward getting a chance to impress the big club. In 2016 he had a good season with the Dunedin Blue Jays, but had trouble with strikeouts which allowed his batting average to drop to .252. The rest of his tools got him a chance to play with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in Double A.

He played well for the Cats and was one of the main contributors in their attack. In 128 games for them he batted .249 with 75 runs scored and 45 RBI. As a table setter he also compiled 20 steals, but really did not find his groove until later in the season. He was caught stealing 14 times during the season, but the speed is there. As he grows as a player he continues to become more of a threat on the base paths. He was also a doubles machine with 20, and collected four triples as well.

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The leg kick that he has developed is beginning to pay off for him. This was on full display during his most recent showing in the Arizona Fall League. In 21 games he batted .295 and was impressive on both sides of the ball. In the video below you will see his nice load step to his swing. He gets that leg kick going and moves that weight to his back leg quickly. His quick hands then ratchet back and he explodes to the baseball. If he can learn to cut down on the strikeouts and see some better pitches his pop and natural abilities will take over.

In the AFL he was also able to rake in 13 RBI while scoring 15 of his own. This while hitting six doubles, a home run, and stealing seven bases. Davis was on average two years older then most of the players in the AFL. He did however show that he can handle playing with excellent competition. The AFL is known for being a showcase of great talent. Davis found away to be a big contributor for a team that ended up winning it all.

So what is next for Davis? He is part of a deep position within the Toronto Blue Jays system. He might be destined for another season in Double A with the Fisher Cats depending on where

Roemon Fields

,

Dwight Smith

Jr., and others end up. His fellow Fisher Cats teammates from 2017 will also be looking for promotions as well.

Harold Ramirez

might have a slight edge on Davis to start the season with the Bisons in Triple A.

Davis has all the tools to be a spark plug for a team. He plays great defense while possesing enough pop in his bat to be a nice threat. His speed is the kind of stuff that makes other players jealous. He gets to balls in the gap that others can’t reach, and he legs out hard singles that become doubles. This toolsy outfielder has a bright future and he starts off the Jays Journals Top Prospect countdown for the 2018 season.

Next: Jays are heading to arbitration with Stro and Osuna