Chase Davis was an elite prospect coming out of high school in 2020. He bet on himself by coming to Arizona instead.
The bet paid off Sunday night.
The UA All-American outfielder was selected with the 21st pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Davis became the third Wildcat to be picked in the first round in the past four drafts, joining catchers Austin Wells (Yankees, 2020) and Daniel Susac (Athletics, 2022). It’s the first time since 1989-90 that Arizona has had first-round picks in back-to-back years (Alan Zinter, Lance Dickson).
“Chase is special,” said former UA coach Jay Johnson, who recruited Davis to Arizona and served as an analyst on the MLB Network broadcast Sunday.
“Loud contact when he swings the bat. He manages the zone really well. Takes his walks, crushes mistakes. He’s an excellent defensive player.
“It’s personality off the charts. Chase, I’m proud of you. Really happy for you.”
Davis didn’t play much as a freshman in 2021 for a team that had a stacked lineup and went to the College World Series. By his junior year, he developed into a star.
Davis tied for the Pac-12 lead with 21 home runs and totaled 39 for his career, third most in UA history. He led the Wildcats in batting average (.362), on-base percentage (.489) and slugging percentage (.742) while driving in 74 runs and scoring 71. His OPS of 1.231 ranked 17th nationally.
Arizona’s Chase Davis hit .319 with 39 homers and 132 RBIs in 147 games over three years with the Wildcats.
“I think he just needed at-bats under his belt,” Johnson said. “Knowledge of the strike zone improved, what he could hit, what he needed to take. Took his walks. (Did) major damage. He’s the guy in the lineup you have to know where he’s at because he’s going to change the game with one swing.”
Davis watched the draft at a party at his mother’s home in Elk Grove, California. When his name flashed across the screen, he rose and embraced his mom.
The projected signing bonus for the 21st pick in this year’s draft is a little over $3.6 million. Davis wouldn’t have made that much if he’d made it known he wanted to be drafted in 2020.
“You knew you had a special talent,” Johnson said. “When he came to school three years ago, you knew this is where he was gonna end up because of the makeup, the talent and how much he loves playing baseball.”
Two of Johnson’s players at LSU, right-hander Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews, went first and second in the draft, to the Pirates and Nationals, respectively. It’s the first time in history that college teammates have gone 1-2 in the MLB Draft.
Skenes went 12-3 with 209 strikeouts in 122 innings in helping lead the Tigers to the CWS championship. The pick was announced by Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., the top pick of the 1987 draft by the Seattle Mariners, at Seattle’s Lumen Field.
“A lot of work and a lot of surrounding myself with the right people and doing the right things for a long period of time,” Skenes said.
Skenes was the first college pitcher selected No. 1 overall since Casey Mize by Detroit in 2018.
Detroit selected high school outfielder Max Clark from Franklin, Indiana, at No. 3. Clark was the Gatorade national player of the year after hitting .646 with six homers and 33 RBIs during his high school season.
Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford went No. 4 to Texas, and high school outfielder Walker Jenkins, from Oak Island, North Carolina, went fifth to Minnesota.
Oakland took Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob Wilson, the son of former major league shortstop Jack Wilson, from Grand Canyon at No. 6.
The Diamondbacks took Stanford star Tommy Troy at No. 12.
The draft continues Monday (Rounds 3-10) and concludes Tuesday (Rounds 11-20). Several more Wildcats are expected to be selected. One of Arizona’s signees, right-hander Blake Wolters, is a consensus top-40 prospect.
Arizona coach Chip Hale closes the book on the 2023 season after the Wildcats were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament via a 9-3 loss to Santa Clara (video by Michael Lev / Arizona Daily Star)
