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It's been a roller coaster for former Chicago Cubs top prospect Brennen Davis. Unfortunately, the last two seasons have been mostly plagued with injuries, and the young slugger is looking to reinvent himself in 2024. A good sighting here, as Davis was seen taking BP with fellow prospects Luis Vazquez and Alexander Canario:
Big swings in the batting cages at @Cubs camp with @BrennenDavis__ Luis Vazquez & Alexander Canario #Cubs #CubsProspects #ST2K24 pic.twitter.com/f43LEr2SHf
— Rich Biesterfeld (@biest22) February 8, 2024
At his best, Davis is a potential five-tool player who has received praise for his marks. That potential has not come to fruition, as Davis owns a .241/.347/.409 slash across the minors. Most of that production is also inflated by much better numbers at the lower levels. Given his former top-100 status, few believe there isn't more to unlock in his bat. The highlight of his career thus far is the two home runs he launched in the 2021 Futures Game at All-Star weekend in Coors Field, receiving the honor of MVP for his work.
The most important thing now is health. The talent is there if he can stay off the IL for a prolonged period and get into a rhythm at the plate. There's no telling how much his injuries have hindered his ability or confidence to swing the bat as he wants. If his back issues are, in fact, behind him, he still has a high upside as a prospect.
Davis potentially returning to form takes the Cubs' already top-tier farm system to over-the-top status. There's already an overload of talent in the outfield of the Cubs' minor league system. At the very least, the Cubs have some serious assets they could consider moving in a trade to reinforce major league-level talent on the MLB roster.
Davis will avoid rule-5 eligibility as he was added to the 40-man roster in November of 2022, where he has since been. However, several outfielders are ahead of him in the farm system, so he will have much to prove moving forward. Staying healthy is step one, followed by putting up better numbers than he did before the injuries. If he can't do either, he may, unfortunately, be closer to a DFA candidate than anything else, as the Cubs will need the 40-man spot eventually. 2024 is vital for his development. With the clock ticking for Davis, the time is now or never.