Mason Davis: Story and Interview

Growing up in Georgia, Mason Davis attended Redan High School, which has graduated the likes of Wally Joyner, Brandon Phillips, and Domonic Brown to the major leagues. Davis hopes to follow in their footsteps and become the next player from Redan High School to achieve success in the major leagues.

At Redan, Davis lettered all four years and hit .340 while swiping 21 bases his senior year. He did not get selected by any major league team during the 2011 amateur draft. Even though he was not selected, Davis had his sights set on continuing his education and his baseball career at The Citadel, which is located in Charleston, South Carolina. As a freshman, Davis who models his game after all-star infielder Jimmy Rollins started all 58 games at second base and flashed his speed stealing 14 bases. Davis picked up some accolades, being named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team once the season came to an end.

In 2013, as a sophomore, Davis once again started in all 60 games at second base for The Citadel. Davis led his team with 272 at bats setting a school record for most at bats in a season. In those at bats, Davis found success hitting .306 on the season. The speedy infielder saw his stolen bases increase to 22 and was named to the all-conference second team.

Davis looked to improve on those numbers entering his junior season and saw additional success during his 2014 season. Davis was once again a consistent force at second base and at the top of the Bulldogs lineup. In 242 at bats, Davis hit a career best .310 on the season while also swiping a career high 27 stolen bases. The switch hitting second baseman at put himself in good position to be selected in the upcoming 2014 amateur draft.

In the 19th round of the 2014 draft the Miami Marlins selected Davis and after some debate on returning for his final season at The Citadel he decided to turn professional.  He got his first taste of pro-ball when the Marlins assigned him to the Batavia Muckdogs in the NY-Penn League. With the Muckdogs, Davis saw most of his action at his familiar home second base (39 games) but he did play at times all over the diamond. Davis saw action at 3rd base (9 games) and played in all three outfield positions in six additional games.

At the plate Davis picked up right where he left off with The Citadel. He picked up 216 additional at bats at the pro level and hit .319 getting on base at an impressive .393 clip. Davis also was a force on the base paths stealing nine times. He was caught stealing seven more times however a sign that there were things to work on now that he was facing some of the top catchers who had been drafted from the high school and college ranks. During his season with the Muckdogs, Davis was named to the New York-Pennsylvania League All-Star Game and represented the Marlins at the game in Brooklyn New York. Davis went 2 for 2 in a game that ultimately ended in a 1-1 tie.

As the season was winding to a close, the Marlins promoted Davis to the Greensboro Grasshoppers in the South Atlantic League. The Grasshoppers were in the midst of a playoff race and for Davis he was able to gain valuable experience being a part of the successful Grasshoppers. Davis appeared in seven games and saw time both at second base and in the outfield. He hit .256 in his 27 at bats at the single A level and while scoring and driving in three runs in each category.

With the 2015 season on the horizon, Davis will look to continue to build on his previous season of success as he most likely will become an important part of the Greensboro Grasshoppers line up.  We will continue to follow his journey all season long as he continues to chase his dream to the major leagues in the Marlins organization. Be sure to follow him on twitter @_MaeDay20 and follow us at @CTD_Sypien as we will provide updates on Mason all season long and into the future.

Seven Questions with Mason Davis

1. What was draft day like for you? What were you doing when you got the news the Marlins had selected you?

I was anxious that day, probably like everyone is on draft day.  Me and my brother we were going to grab a bite to eat together and my adviser called me and said the Marlins were going to take me.  The Marlins called shortly after and told me they selected me and congratulated me. I was real excited after that, I had talked to the Marlins once or twice but I didn’t know how interested they were until they selected me.

2. What was the most difficult thing for you jumping from the college ranks to the professional level? 

One of the most difficult things for me was stealing bags. The speed of the game is close but it’s definitely a bit faster. The pitchers throw harder and your facing everyone’s Friday night guy now every time you go out there and compete.

3. A big part of your game is your ability to switch hit. What made you become a switch hitter and what challenges do you have to maintain hitting from both sides of the plate?

When I was younger we would go out and play with a tennis ball on this little field and one of the rules was if you wanted to hit a home run you had to do it from the opposite side. We would always switch hit to try to hit the home run. I stuck with it and my dad worked with me on it. I started doing it in games and I stuck with it. I feel like I’m pretty equal on both sides but once you get into a good rhythm from one side of the plate and then you switch over to the other side it does feel a little weird.  I’m naturally a right-handed hitter but I feel way more comfortable left-handed due to the fact that there is so many more right-handed pitchers out there.

4. You had the honor of representing Batavia and the Marlins in the NYPL All-Star game. How did you find out the news you were selected and how did it feel to play in the game itself?

I was sitting in the locker room and someone came by and congratulated me. I didn’t even know what for and then they told me I made the all-star team. It was a pretty cool feeling. Brooklyn was a real nice place and it was really a fun experience. I got to meet a lot of different guys from different organizations. Everyone was really nice and it was just a great experience being able to represent the Marlins at the game.

5. After spending most of your season with the Batavia Muckdogs you got promoted near the end of the season to Greensboro. How did you get the news of your promotion and how did it feel?

After the games our coaches would call a couple of players in the office to talk and everyone would always talk and say things like this is it your going up. You have a lot of fun with that. One day I got called in, I didn’t expect it and he told me that I was getting promoted. It felt really good and it felt great that people took noticed of everything I was doing and I was being rewarded for it.  Being in Greensboro at the end of the season was awesome. I was right in the playoff race and I got to play in two playoff games and that was a great experience. I wish  we could have stuck around a little longer but it happens like that sometimes. Greensboro had a great atmosphere, the experience was great and I had a great time.

6. Speed is a big element of your game throughout your college and now professional career. Why is speed an important part of the game you play?

Speed is a big part of baseball and a big part of my game. With me being the size that I am, there is no way I’m ever going to be a big home run guy. Most of the time people want me to be the guy who gets on base, steals some bases and scores some runs. That’s going to be a big part of my game throughout my career and I need to keep working on those aspects of my game.  Stealing bases, I had a lot of success in college but once I got to the next level it was harder and I have been working real hard on that.

7. In 2014 you played all over the diamond. Everyday when you saw your name in the lineup there was a good chance you were penciled in somewhere different. Did you like playing all over the field in your first year of professional baseball?

I just want to be on the field. As long as I’m in the line up and on the field it doesn’t really matter what position I’m playing its fine with me.

A Few For Fun

1.  Who was your favorite player growing up? Is there a player in today’s game you try to model your game after?

I would have to say Derek Jeter was the guy. Everyone loves Derek Jeter. As far as a player I model my game after it would be Jimmy Rollins. He is a switch hitter, he plays infield and that’s a guy I’ve kinda looked to as I’ve played baseball and worked my way up.

2. Who has been the biggest prankster you have come across in your short time in the Marlins system?

My roommate Josh Hodges was a pretty crazy guy. He did some pretty funny stuff when we roomed together.

3. Heading into 2015 any ideas what your walk up song may be this year?

I’ve been thinking a lot about it. Last year I used Careless Whisper by George Micheal and everyone thought that was pretty funny. I might come back with something new for this year. I’m still thinking on it.

4. Top moment of your first season in professional baseball?

I broke my nose and I was out for seven or eight games. I came back from that and we had a double-header and in the second game we were tied up zero to zero in the bottom of the eleventh inning. I hit a walk off home run with two outs. That was my first walk off home run ever, it was just awesome.

A big thank you to Mason Davis for taking some time out of his schedule to chat with us.  We look forward to following him all season long and into the future.  Please remember to give him a follow on twitter @_MaeDay20 and like Chasing MLB Dreams on Facebook and follow us on twitter @CTD_Sypien as we continue to feature and follow all of our featured players as they chase their way to the major leagues.