JetHawks: A.J., J.D. are two of a kind
April 9, 2015
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
LANCASTER — They were both drafted in the 2011 MLB Draft out of high school, but both decided not to sign and go to college instead. There, both excelled as two-way players who got new opportunities when the Houston Astros made them back-to-back draft selections in 2014.
As if their paths weren't parallel enough already, both of these brand new JetHawk infielders - whom each have initials as names - decided to share the same residence in Lancaster for the 2015 season.
"Unfortunately," third baseman J.D. Davis said in jest.
Less than a year into meeting each other after the Astros flew them into Houston to sign their first professional contracts, this is the kind of brotherly relationship first baseman A.J. Reed and Davis have.
"We're really good buddies, living together, some of us call us brothers," said Davis, who had a .293 batting average with a .371 on-base percentage in 73 combined games at Tri-City and Low-A Quad Cities in 2014. "If one of (our teammates) is looking for one of us, they got to look for the other guy because we'll be on each other's hips here and there.
"We went to (short season) Tri-City and just kind of hung out, got better, because he was learning his new position at first base, too."
However, in overcoming the same challenges and aiming for the same goals, Jonathan (Gregory) Davis and Andrew Joseph - both power hitters - are looking for much more than the fraternal connection they've already made, namely ones from third to first for outs and from bat to baseballs out of The Hangar.
Reed, a designated hitter/pitcher at Kentucky who hit .336 with a .476 OBP and a nation-leading 23 home runs, and owned a 2.09 ERA and a 12-2 pitching record, batted .289 and had a .375 OBP in 68 games at Tri-City/Quad Cities last season to earn a promotion to Lancaster along with Davis, also a former standout pitcher.
The potential with the bat their biggest talent, Reed and Davis, who had a 2.66 ERA as a reliever during his last season with the Titans, have already come to terms with the fact that their pitching careers could be over.
"I kind of would give the coaches a hard time last year, 'Hey you know for a game let me get out there on the mound,'" Reed said. "And they said that if they put us out there they would lose their jobs, so that kind of tells you that you're not going to pitch anymore."
It's the harsh reality that comes with landing your first real job, or in this case signing a contract with a professional team. It's a business, the very reason Reed and Davis - who are ranked as the No. 12 and No. 13 Astros prospects by MLBPipeline.com, respectively - chose to go to college for three years instead of signing right out of high school.
For Davis, who played first base at Cal State Fullerton, it's been a transition he's looked forward to all his life. His hard work is paying off.
"He's only been playing third base for a little bit, but he's picking up really well," JetHawks infield coach Ramon Vasquez said of Davis. "He's handling himself extremely well at third base with the little bit of time he's been working there, so I'm looking forward for him to get better.
"It's exciting having A.J. and J.D. here. They're exciting players."
One has to go no further than comparing their responses when asked about their decisions to go to school instead of signing with a major league team in 2011 to detect an air of resemblance.
"It's definitely been probably one of the best decisions I ever made," said Reed, who was drafted in the 25th round by the New York Mets. "Not just for the money, but I just became a better baseball player and I matured a lot."
Said Davis, originally a fifth-round draftee by the Tampa Bay Rays: "It's worked out pretty good. The Rays financially really just wouldn't come up to my number. I just went to school, got better as a baseball player and as a person."
Their lives linked by turning down MLB contracts after high school, pitching backgrounds, the 2014 draft and now an apartment, A.J. and J.D. are infield partners looking to connect their way to Double-A Corpus Christi and, eventually, the majors.
First up, their debut with the JetHawks tonight, where they'll once again be fighting to follow similar paths forward.
"Offensively I'm looking for them to have really good numbers this year and defensively as well," Vasquez said. "They've worked their butt off in spring training and I don't think they're going to have a problem adapting here playing this season."
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
LANCASTER — They were both drafted in the 2011 MLB Draft out of high school, but both decided not to sign and go to college instead. There, both excelled as two-way players who got new opportunities when the Houston Astros made them back-to-back draft selections in 2014.
As if their paths weren't parallel enough already, both of these brand new JetHawk infielders - whom each have initials as names - decided to share the same residence in Lancaster for the 2015 season.
"Unfortunately," third baseman J.D. Davis said in jest.
Less than a year into meeting each other after the Astros flew them into Houston to sign their first professional contracts, this is the kind of brotherly relationship first baseman A.J. Reed and Davis have.
"We're really good buddies, living together, some of us call us brothers," said Davis, who had a .293 batting average with a .371 on-base percentage in 73 combined games at Tri-City and Low-A Quad Cities in 2014. "If one of (our teammates) is looking for one of us, they got to look for the other guy because we'll be on each other's hips here and there.
"We went to (short season) Tri-City and just kind of hung out, got better, because he was learning his new position at first base, too."
However, in overcoming the same challenges and aiming for the same goals, Jonathan (Gregory) Davis and Andrew Joseph - both power hitters - are looking for much more than the fraternal connection they've already made, namely ones from third to first for outs and from bat to baseballs out of The Hangar.
Reed, a designated hitter/pitcher at Kentucky who hit .336 with a .476 OBP and a nation-leading 23 home runs, and owned a 2.09 ERA and a 12-2 pitching record, batted .289 and had a .375 OBP in 68 games at Tri-City/Quad Cities last season to earn a promotion to Lancaster along with Davis, also a former standout pitcher.
The potential with the bat their biggest talent, Reed and Davis, who had a 2.66 ERA as a reliever during his last season with the Titans, have already come to terms with the fact that their pitching careers could be over.
"I kind of would give the coaches a hard time last year, 'Hey you know for a game let me get out there on the mound,'" Reed said. "And they said that if they put us out there they would lose their jobs, so that kind of tells you that you're not going to pitch anymore."
It's the harsh reality that comes with landing your first real job, or in this case signing a contract with a professional team. It's a business, the very reason Reed and Davis - who are ranked as the No. 12 and No. 13 Astros prospects by MLBPipeline.com, respectively - chose to go to college for three years instead of signing right out of high school.
For Davis, who played first base at Cal State Fullerton, it's been a transition he's looked forward to all his life. His hard work is paying off.
"He's only been playing third base for a little bit, but he's picking up really well," JetHawks infield coach Ramon Vasquez said of Davis. "He's handling himself extremely well at third base with the little bit of time he's been working there, so I'm looking forward for him to get better.
"It's exciting having A.J. and J.D. here. They're exciting players."
One has to go no further than comparing their responses when asked about their decisions to go to school instead of signing with a major league team in 2011 to detect an air of resemblance.
"It's definitely been probably one of the best decisions I ever made," said Reed, who was drafted in the 25th round by the New York Mets. "Not just for the money, but I just became a better baseball player and I matured a lot."
Said Davis, originally a fifth-round draftee by the Tampa Bay Rays: "It's worked out pretty good. The Rays financially really just wouldn't come up to my number. I just went to school, got better as a baseball player and as a person."
Their lives linked by turning down MLB contracts after high school, pitching backgrounds, the 2014 draft and now an apartment, A.J. and J.D. are infield partners looking to connect their way to Double-A Corpus Christi and, eventually, the majors.
First up, their debut with the JetHawks tonight, where they'll once again be fighting to follow similar paths forward.
"Offensively I'm looking for them to have really good numbers this year and defensively as well," Vasquez said. "They've worked their butt off in spring training and I don't think they're going to have a problem adapting here playing this season."