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Brennen Davis was the Cubs’ second-round pick in the 2018 draft.
Despite missing the entire 2020 season, as was the case for nearly all minor leaguers, he has progressed quickly through the Cubs system. He’s now the Cubs’ No. 1 prospect — and not only that, he’s now the No. 14 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline.
Combined between High-A South Bend and Double-A Tennessee this year, Davis has hit .259/.371/.486 (76-for-294) with 22 doubles and 15 home runs in just 84 games.
Now, he’s being promoted to Triple-A Iowa for the final couple of weeks of the 2021 season and expected to make his Iowa debut tonight as the I-Cubs take on the Omaha Storm Chasers in Omaha. The I-Cubs have 16 games remaining, so this will give Davis a taste of the highest minor-league level. Nothing’s been announced yet, but I would not be surprised if Davis also was sent to the Arizona Fall League to play some more before 2021 ends.
Beyond being a solid hitter, Davis is also a good defensive center fielder. I would expect him to be the Cubs’ center fielder in 2023, and perhaps get a taste of the big leagues late in 2022. He did get a bit of big-league playing time in 2021 spring training, where he played in 16 games. He went just 4-for-22 but looked good playing center field. Davis turns 22 in December, so he’s still quite young.
It’s been a while — perhaps since Kyle Schwarber’s MLB debut in 2015 — since the Cubs have had a prospect like Davis who appears to be a “can’t miss” guy.
Davis was named MVP of the 2021 Futures Game in Denver for hitting two home runs [VIDEO].
In addition to being the Cubs’ top prospect, Davis has another connection to Chicago sports:
Davis’ father is former Bulls guard Reggie Theus, but “he’s not a part of my life,” Davis said.
Davis’ biggest booster is his mother, Jakki, a former track standout at Washington who keeps the door open for him at her home 25 minutes from the Cubs complex. She also supported his decision to bypass a scholarship to Miami in favor of signing with the Cubs for a $1.1 million bonus.
I’m excited to see what Davis can bring to the Cubs. He’ll almost certainly get a non-roster invitation to 2022 MLB spring training. The Cubs pipeline is getting ready to produce again.