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Davis has transitioned from first base to pitching and has made three appearances for the Dodgers' rookie-level Arizona League affiliate, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports. He's tossed 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and three walks while striking out five batters.
The Mets looked like they had a long-term solution at first base after Davis crushed 32 home runs for New York as a 25-year-old in 2012, but a subsequent downturn in his power production coupled with injuries and an inability to solve left-handed pitching ultimately stunted his development. After bouncing around six different organizations the last four seasons and showing little improvement with his hitting with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate at Oklahoma City in 2017, the now-30-year-old Davis decided to try his hand at pitching again after having previously served as a closer for Arizona State during his amateur career. The early returns from the mound have been encouraging for Davis, who has pitching in his bloodlines -- his father, Ron, was a reliever for 11 years in the big leagues. The lefty still has a long way to go before surfacing again in the majors, but given his existing familiarity with pitching from his college days, Davis' learning curve may be shorter than what most position-players-turned-pitchers experience.
