SEATTLE — As the Cardinals’ scouts searched wide, far, and eventually only virtually for talent leading into the shortened 2020 amateur draft, their eyes returned to the Sacramento area and a California high schooler with a left-handed swing and advanced athleticism.
In the same city — Elk Grove, California — where they once spotted Dylan Carlson, the Cardinals were intrigued by Chase Davis and his projectable power.
But with only five rounds, they — and every other team — passed.
“You can’t draft everyone you like,†said Randy Flores, the Cardinals’ assistant general manager who runs amateur scouting and helms the draft. “So we kept on following his arc.â€
After a downturn for Davis due to limited playing time as a freshman at Arizona, the young outfielder’s career found its upswing, that rising, soaring arc that not only describes his ascent on draft boards but his hits, too. That projectable power of 2020 manifested as punishing, Pac-12-leading power by 2023. With only one pick on Day 1 of the MLB draft, the Cardinals went for the biggest slugger still available Sunday and selected Davis with the 21st overall pick.
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Davis, 21, hit 21 home runs in his junior season at Arizona and 39 in the past two seasons for the third-most in his school’s history.
"Chase is a supreme talent," LSU coach Jay Johnson told the Post-Dispatch on Sunday in Seattle. He recruited Davis to Arizona. "There was no doubt in my mind when he he came to college that he would end up in the first round as a junior. ... I really, really believed in the talent."
“This is a dream come true,†Davis said late Sunday night. “I’m super-excited to get to the work.â€
Davis spent the draft night at home in Elk Grove, and during a conference call with ºüÀêÊÓƵ media, he was animated about changes he made to his swing, about talking with All-Star Carlos Gonzalez on Instagram about the similarities in their swings, and about the time he met Carlson this past offseason at the batting cage. He also beamed about his familiarity with the “beautiful†Busch Stadium that he’s played in many times — while competing in the video game “MLB The Show.â€
Davis talked about being reunited with Jordan Walker, the Cardinals rookie and their first-round pick in 2020, whom he met through MLB’s Breakthrough Series.
“I’m ready for this for the city of ºüÀêÊÓƵ,†Davis said. “Can’t wait.â€
The bonus assigned to the 21st pick of the draft is $3,618,200, and that’s more than half of the Cardinals’ overall bonus purse of $6,375,100 this year. The Cardinals have the smallest bonus limit in the National League Central and fourth-smallest in baseball in part because they do not have a second-round pick. The Cardinals forfeited it to sign free-agent catcher Willson Contreras, and the Cubs recouped the 68th pick as compensation. The Cardinals had one pick in the first 89 selections and will not pick until No. 90, on Day 2.
For the second year, the MLB draft was held as a headline event during the All-Star Week, moved this time into Seattle’s Lumen Field, home of the Seahawks. An amphitheater-like setup was placed in on the field, complete with pine trees and a podium. From that spot, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced history as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals selected teammates, Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, from the same college team for the first time. A few weeks after LSU won the College World Series, its ace pitcher Paul Skenes was Pittsburgh’s top pick, and the Tigers’ all-around talent and outfielder Dylan Crews went second to Washington.
CBC standout Nazzan Zanetello, a shortstop, was selected 50th overall by Boston.
Belleview East's Zander Mueth, a pitcher, was selected 67th overall by Pittsburgh.
The division-leading Cincinnati Reds borrowed from the Cardinals’ past blueprints in the draft and took two of the more polished and advanced college pitchers — Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder at seventh overall and Ty Floyd from LSU at pick No. 38.
The Cardinals had been tied to Davis often as the draft approached.
A strong showcase player coming out of high school, Davis adjusted his swing in college and erased one of the biggest questions ahead of his second chance at the draft. He nearly cut his strikeout rate in half, down to a career-low 14.4% for Arizona this past year. In 57 games, he hit .362 with a .489 on-base percentage and a .742 slugging percentage. His 21 homers tied for the lead in the Pac-12, and most impressively he had more walks (43) and as many extra-base hits (40) as he did strikeouts.
“Anytime you see someone who improves their plate discipline and their swing decisions and you couple that with athleticism, left-handed and exit velo(city) that are in the upper echelon in college baseball, it bodes well,†Flores said Sunday night during a news conference at Busch Stadium. “You look at his banner junior year, the statistics, (you) see tremendous power. … Make no mistake Chase Davis takes aggressive passes at the ball. And so any little bit that he can gain and recognition is going to set his game off and that looks like what happened this year.â€
Davis adjusted his swing by moving his right foot, opening up so that he could get to inside pitches, especially from left-handed pitchers.
His swing has drawn comparisons to the three-time All-Star Gonzalez, who had a smooth, left-handed swing, complete with a leg kick and lean like Davis.
Gonzalez saw it and they struck up a friendship on social media.
Davis knew a change was necessary after getting only 30 at-bats at Arizona as a freshman, after striking out 66 times in 235 at-bats as a sophomore, and before the 2023 draft approached.
“I knew I was going to be a better major-leaguer at 21,†he said, “not 18.â€
Davis played left field for Arizona, but after he signs and reports to the Cardinals’ organization in the coming weeks, they’ll explore whether he can start his pro career as a center fielder. The enthusiasm he brought Sunday to just talking about being drafted by the Cardinals is the same they’ve heard to expect as he approaches being a Cardinal.
“He plays with joy,†Flores said. “And I’m so confident that he’ll do everything in his power to be the best player possible.â€