Appy notes: Rays' Davis making big impact

One of the keys for Devin Davis achieving bigger numbers this season in the Appalachian League was becoming smaller.
He put an offseason emphasis on improving his conditioning and he likes the results.

As a bonus, he's put himself in the good graces of the Tampa Bay Rays organization, landing an invitation to fall instructional league.
Davis, a 20-year-old first baseman, entered the last week of the season tied for the league lead with 10 home runs and within a couple of spots of the RBI lead. He had 45 RBIs with two games remaining.
"I'm trying to get more, for sure," he said.

This was made possible, in part, because of his offseason commitment following a 2016 season with Princeton when he managed one home run and 10 RBIs in 25 games.
Davis said he reached 243 pounds, but shed 13 of those and put on good muscle.
"Last year was rough," Davis said. "I wasn't playing as much. I got discouraged a little. I wasn't game-ready. This year, I made sure I was in shape, made sure my swing was better."
He's played in twice as many games this summer compared to a year ago, with manager Danny Sheaffer pointing out that he wants the slugger in the lineup on a regular basis.
"Devin has got a chance to play every day, and he's opened some eyes," Sheaffer said.
Davis realized it was about time he made a bigger impact. This is his third season in the organization after the Californian was drafted in the 25th round in 2015. He gave up a scholarship to play for Loyola Marymount to sign with the Rays organization, then soon realized there was no easy path to higher levels.
This has been a breakthrough season for Davis, whose 20 doubles rank third in the league. He has become a well-rounded batter.
Last Friday, Davis came close to belting his first opposite-field home run of the season. Instead, the ball hit off the wall at Burlington Athletic Stadium and he ended up with an RBI double.
"He's earned a spot in instructional league and I'm proud of the progress he has made," Sheaffer said.
Davis said he knows there's more he must do to continue to stand out. He said the Rays have a nice collection of first basemen in the organization.
"We've got some very good athletes at first base. … and we just got Brendan McKay (a first-round selection in June out of Louisville)," he said. "I'm on board with whatever they've got for me."

In brief

More to manage: Pulaski Yankees manager Luis Dorante has returned from a three-game suspension that ended last weekend, a penalty stemming from his prolonged post-ejection antics in a game. Dorante's team will face the Bluefield Blue Jays in an East Division playoff series. "A lot of first-year players on this club and it's going to be very exciting, get that [playoff] feeling early in their career," Dorante said. "We've got that solid pitching and defense, and we've been able to win a lot of games."
Neighboring notes: If the defending-champion Johnson City Cardinals can hold onto the second playoff spot in the West Division, it will mean the Cardinals will have a playoff matchup with neighboring Elizabethton for the third time in four seasons. The E-Twins wrapped up their eighth West Division regular-season title in a 13-season span.
Keeping up with Jones: Burlington outfielder Cal Jones, a 19-year-old selected in the sixth round of the 2016 Draft, hit a game-winning home run and game-winning triple in back-to-back games in the final week of the season. Three of his five homers have come over the last 11 days in the season. "Just trying to put a few good swings together and trying to finish strong," Jones said.