Feature Story
Any Given Herzday
by Sam Weiderhaft
When Davidjohn Herz was called up in front of the team on Sunday, June 6 in the clubhouse, he didn’t know what to expect.
“Our manager [Buddy Bailey] called a meeting in the clubhouse,” Herz said. “Usually when Buddy calls you up, you might be in trouble.”
No, he wasn’t in trouble. Not this time, anyway. Buddy Bailey called the 20-year-old starting pitcher, who goes by DJ, up in front of the team to tell him the news that he was receiving the Chicago Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Month award for the month of May.
“I was pretty shocked and rattled,” Herz explained. “It was cool to see a lot of hard work pay off.”
To say Herz was dominant in the season’s opening month would be an understatement. The lefty allowed just a single run over his 12 innings pitched through four starts. He also struck out 20 batters with only six walks to start off the season. Even with the honor, Herz remains focused on continuing his momentum.
“It’s a great feeling, but it’s only one month,” Herz said. “We have four more left.”
The early-season success comes as a bit of a surprise to Cubs fans, but not Herz. The North Carolina native was selected in the eighth round of the 2019 draft out of high school, forgoing a verbal commitment to North Carolina. He was sent straight to the desert, where he played in the Arizona League for his first assignment. The rookie didn’t turn too many heads through six starts, throwing a little over 10 innings with a 2.61 ERA paired with eight walks and eight strikeouts. Now, Herz is grabbing the attention of Pelicans and Cubs faithful every night he starts. And they have dubbed his start dates “Herzday”.
“The lockdown was like a blessing in disguise for me,” Herz said. He added 20 pounds of muscle and continued to work on adding a changeup to his arsenal by throwing it “every day.” Low-A East hitters are becoming very familiar with that pitch now as Herz has used that, his curveball, and a mid-90s fastball to punch out 31 batters through six starts this year.
Standing at 6’2, Herz is much more than just a pitcher. He’s that all-around athlete that just happened to be the best player in whatever sport he chose to play that day. In North Carolina, he starred in both football and basketball for Sanford High School in Fayetteville. The three-sport athlete passed for over 1,800 yards and 13 touchdowns as the quarterback for the Bulldogs in his high school career and played in 46 basketball games through two years.
“Me and my dad practiced everything growing up, it was just all sports,” Herz said. “But pitching just came so easy and took off for me in high school, so we really narrowed our focus on that.”
The numbers backed up his confidence. In his senior year of high school, Herz had an 8-1 record with a 0.50 ERA with 106 strikeouts to only 17 walks. As dominant as he was as a pitcher, he also hit .419 with four home runs and 26 RBIs.
Through his first month with the Pelicans, choosing to stick with baseball is paying off.
Herz feels comfortable in Myrtle Beach, he grew up just a little over two hours away and used to visit the Grand Strand for spring break. As the southern summer weather warms up, Herz continues to bring the heat for every start.
He began the month of June with his best start of the season, throwing four no-hit innings against the Columbia Fireflies with a career-high nine strikeouts. As his start went on, Herz was seen pumping his fist and passionately yelling as the strikeouts tallied up.
“I remember I heard on the announcements that if this guy strikes out, the fans get something,” Herz explained, his fun personality starting to show. “When I hear stuff about sending the fans home with something, that pumps me up.”
It looks like more in-game strikeout promotions will be needed at Pelicans Ballpark.
As the summer rolls on, Herz looks to continue his development by continuing to work with Pelicans’ pitching coach and five-year MLB pitcher Clayton Mortensen and the rest of the Cubs’ staff.
“We’re taking it day by day, I’m just going to keep trusting my pitches,” Herz said with confidence.
If May was an indicator of bigger things to come, Herz may be standing in front of the team at a few more clubhouse meetings.
