It didn't take long for former Camden Fairview Cardinals star Jonathan Davis to make game-changing plays in the Major Leagues. On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Brewers took on the Tampa Bay Rays in a two-game road series, thanks in part to a magnificent catch by Davis.
At the bottom of the second inning in Wednesday's game, Eric Lauer's down the middle pitch to Rays batter Randy Arozarena went deep down the outfield. The ball was over Davis' head, but he was determined to secure the out.
Davis extended his left arm for a stellar leaping, over-the-shoulder catch, which he secured despite slamming into the wall from the chest up.
Davis took a brutal hit that caused him some immediate pain in his back, but he was able to get up and didn't need a cart to the locker room. He stayed in the game for two more innings before being pulled due to injury.
The Brewers finished the game strong as they defeated the Rays, 5-3, to sweep the road series. The catch was shown repeatedly on ESPN's "SportsCenter" as a potential candidate for catch of the year. It was one of the most talked-about plays on Wednesday night leading into Thursday's games.
Davis was signed to the Milwaukee Brewers on Nov. 18 after spending several seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays and part of a season with the New York Yankees before joining the Nashville Sounds, the Brewers' minor league affiliate. Milwaukee selected Davis from the Nashville Sounds, the minor league affiliate of the Brewers, and activated him to their roster on June 18.
Wednesday's game against the Rays was Davis' seventh with the Brewers. Davis has accounted for one run, five hits, one RBI and three walks in those seven games with a batting average of .263 and an on-base percentage of .364. Like he has been since his days at Camden Fairview, Davis has been a defensive presence as a highly consistent and fantastic centerfielder.
Since he was first recruited to the Major Leagues, Davis has been on edging towards full-time consistency. He is one of four outfielders on the Brewers' roster, including two star players: 2018 National League MVP left fielder Christian Yelich and five-time All-Star Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen and Yelich have been splitting time as designated hitter for Milwaukee since Davis was added to their active roster.
Davis' rise to the active roster comes after the Brewers made outfielder Lorenzo Cain a free agent after he struggled from the start of the season to early June. Davis' long-time teammate, Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez, told Bally Sports Wisconsin after Wednesday's game that Davis is "one of the best outfielders, if not the best outfielder I've ever played with."
Davis made his MLB debut on Sept. 5, 2018, for the Blue Jays against the Tampa Bay Rays. One of his best plays in the major leagues before Wednesday's game was on March 29, 2019, when he dove for an out deep down the field against the Tampa Bay Rays. He continues to make strides in his MLB career by making great catches.
On Wednesday night's edition of ESPN's "Pardon The Interruption" hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon talked extensively about the big play for Davis. Specifically, they compared the fantastic catches from 2019 and Wednesday.
Wilbon complemented the catch in 2019 as 9.5 out of 10. Kornheiser compared the two catches, saying, "I would say, Mike, that the second catch, today's catch, is the greater catch and the first catch is the more beautiful and artistic catch." Wilbon commented that the second catch added terror to it since Davis could have severely injured himself when crashing into the wall.
On Thursday's episode of "Locked On Brewers," a Milwaukee Brewers daily podcast of the Locked On Network, host Dominic Cotroneo talked about the incredible catch by Davis as part of the full-game breakdown.
"Jonathan Davis had the catch of the year. Regardless of the Brewers or just this month, that might have been the catch of the year in baseball," Cotroneo said.
He went on to talk about Davis' body after slamming into the wall, saying, "Sounds like everything is okay structurally. He's going to be sore this morning, don't get me wrong. What an incredible play that set the tone for the Brewers."
This was a play to remember for Davis and the Brewers. As long as Davis comes back on the field without pain and is able to make the big plays in centerfield, he could be securing his spot for the rest of the season for the Brewers. According to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Davis was officially diagnosed with low back/rib cage discomfort after the catch.
As of Thursday morning, the Brewers are 1.5 games over the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the National League Central Division at 44-33. They have the fourth-best record in the National League. With a star-studded lineup and reliable role players like Camden's Jonathan Davis, the Brewers are a threat to the rest of the league.
Photo taken and provided by the Milwaukee Brewers. Jonathan Davis throws a ball from the outfield.