The Road to The Show™: Brennen Davis

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken to reach the brink of realizing his Major League dream. Here's a look at Chicago Cubs outfielder Brennen Davis. For more player journeys on The Road to The Show, click here.

It's fair to say that no Minor Leaguer but Brennen Davis grew up with pet llamas named Marco and Polo. Nor may any Minor Leaguer feature the all-around tools and sheer athleticism of the Cubs' No. 2 prospect.

The Cubs selected Davis with the 62nd overall pick in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft -- he might have gone higher had he not been slowed by a hamstring injury that spring -- and signed him to a $1.1-million bonus. Davis was expected to be something of a project, as he'd only committed fully to baseball in his senior year at Basha High in Chandler, Arizona. (In 2017, Davis helped lead the school to a state title in basketball and was named the Premier Region's Defensive Player of the Year.)

Davis immediately showed his potential in the Rookie-level Arizona League in the summer of 2018 despite a steep learning curve. He hit .298/.431/.333 and stole six bases in seven attempts over 18 games.

"The adjustment to pro ball pitching was tough," he told MLB.com's Jim Callis. "My first year in the [Arizona League], I remember I was talking to a buddy back home and I was like, 'Dude, I just learned what a two-seam does.' I know it sounds stupid, but I didn't really play club ball a ton. So just learning what stuff does and where you need to contact pitches and all the intricacies that go about in baseball, it's just a big learning curve but I think I'm on the right path."

Excited by Davis' progress, Chicago sent the outfielder to Class A South Bend in the full-season Midwest League in 2019. He played just 50 games due to a pair of injuries to his right index finger, but did enough damage in his 204 plate appearances to earn the Cubs' Minor League Player of the Year award. Davis batted .305/.381/.525 with eight homers during the regular season and added another nine hits in seven postseason games as South Bend rolled to the Midwest League title.

Needless to say, the Cubs were delighted with the right-handed hitter's results.

"I think our thought process on the amateur side was this guy's going to be a slower build and his raw athleticism needed to be harnessed on a baseball field," Cubs director of player development Bobby Basham told MiLB.com's Joe Bloss after the season. "But he made some adjustments with our hitting staff, really dug in, moved him off the plate a little bit, created some space, started to understand his body. It just clicked way quicker than we could have hoped for ... and we hope it's just the tip of the iceberg."

Drafted at 6-foot-4 and 175 pounds in 2018, Davis was up to 208 pounds by the summer of 2020, and he probably would have played at Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach or even Double-A Tennessee as a 20-year-old had there not been a pandemic. MLB Pipeline considers him the best athlete and power prospect in the Cubs system and thinks he has the potential to become Chicago's second 30-30 hitter after Sammy Sosa.

In the absence of a Minor League season, Davis spent the spring working out in Arizona before heading to the Cubs' alternate training site in South Bend. It marked his first time facing upper-level pitching, and after some initial success, he hit a major slump -- perhaps for the first time.

"It was a great opportunity for Brennen," Chicago vice president of player development Matt Dorey told MLB.com. "In the middle part of camp, our advanced pitchers knew his weaknesses and had the ability to exploit them. He had a two-week run where he was getting beat up. For the first time in his career, he faced adversity. That's exactly where growth happens.

"It was tough for Brennen to process it at first, but he was able to take a step back and make adjustments. We were proud of his ability to reassess where he was and utilize data and video. He got punched in the face and responded very well. He made some mechanical tweaks because he got defensive and was pushing his swing a little bit, starting to chase a little bit. He got back to his swing and approach and was making more contact and better decisions."

Now 21 and ranked as the Minors' No. 72 prospect, Davis is already the most exciting prospect in an improving Cubs system. With more actual game experience, he should rise quickly toward a Wrigley Field debut.