Shortstop Davison Is in a Tough Position : Baseball: Former Redondo High standout wants to show his stuff as a pitcher. September 09, 1990|SEAN WATERS | TIMES STAFF WRITER Scott Davison had a perfect 18-0 record with Redondo High and a chance to break three Southern Section pitching records until he ran into the Covina Colts in the 1988 4-A Division semifinals. The senior right-hander was roughed up for eight hits and six earned runs in two innings before he was ejected for arguing a call with the home-plate umpire. His quest for a record-perfect season ended with a disappointing 6-1 loss. It was the last game he pitched. The Montreal Expos drafted Davison in the fourth round of the amateur draft in June. They gave Davison a bonus of more than $50,000 and he agreed to give up pitching to become a shortstop full time. Davison backed out of a scholarship to USC, which recruited him as a pitcher. The Expos liked me as a shortstop, thats why they drafted me, said Davison, who also played shortstop for Redondo. Most of the (professional) teams I talked to before and after the draft wanted me as a pitcher. Deep down, I thought I would move up faster as a pitcher, but they didnt give me a choice. At the time, Davison, who was named the State Player of Year in 1988, was willing to accept the change because he had been pitching since Little League and he was still bitter about his disappointing performance in his high school finale. After three seasons in the Expos farm system, Davison would like to make a pitch to get his old position back. But Montreals management is unwilling to make a change, at least for now. We got him as shortstop and will continue his program at that position, Montreal Assistant General Manager Dan Duquette said. From what I hear, he was the best defensive shortstop in the (Midwest) League. He has a terrific arm. Playing for the Montreal Expos single-A affiliate in Rockford, Ill., Davison was one of the top three fielding shortstops this season in the Midwest League. He had his lowest percentage of errors (.958) of his pro career. Last year at Jamestown (Pa.), Davison was selected the fifth-best prospect in the New York-Penn League by Baseball America. His hitting, however, has tailed off since his high school days when he set three Southern Section records. Davison had a .215 batting average with 48 runs batted in, one home run (a grand slam) and 22 stolen bases. Defensively, Ive learned a lot about getting jumps on balls and reducing my number of errors, Davison said. Offensively, I started off really well, hitting around .280, but I got into a rut trying to pull the ball. Davisons biggest problem is hitting balls pitched on the outside corner, the same type of pitch that made him a South Bay legend in high school. The Expos sent a hitting instructor to help Davison with his fundamentals.
Posted on: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 09:02:53 +0000
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