Noah Davis

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Colorado Rockies #21 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Davis had Tommy John surgery his junior year at UC Santa Barbara, but the Reds liked his stuf and gave him an above-slot $127,500 bonus to sign as an 11th-round pick. Davis returned to make his pro debut a year later and, after waiting out the coronavirus pandemic, was off to a strong start at High-A Dayton in 2021 when the Rockies acquired him as one of two prospects for Mychal Givens at the trade deadline. Davis showed well at High-A Spokane after the trade and was added to the 40-man roster after the season.
  
  Scouting Report: Davis has a well-rounded four-pitch mix headlined by a 93-94 mph fastball that can get up to 96 mph with slight sink. He complements his fastball with a mid-to-high-80s slider, a high-70s curveball and a developing changeup. His potentially plus curveball is his best secondary, and he is confident throwing it in any count. Davis’ control is inconsistent and has been below-average at its worst. The Rockies primarily want him to throw more fastballs and continue to develop his fastball command. Davis’ biggest concern is his health. In addition to his Tommy John surgery, he has also battled shoulder soreness and blister issues at various points.
  
  The Future: Davis has the stuff to be a back-end starter if he can hone his control and stay healthy. He’ll move to Double-A in 2022.
  
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #15 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: As a freshman, Davis served as UC Santa Barbara's No. 2 starter behind ace Shane Bieber as the Gauchos made their first College World Series. Davis pitched through a significant toe injury as a freshman, but an elbow injury derailed his junior season after just three appearances. He had Tommy John surgery in March 2018. The Reds drafted him knowing he wouldn't pitch until a year after he was drafted.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Davis impressed in the Rookie-level Pioneer League in his return to the mound in 2019. He battled some shoulder soreness at instructs, but got back on the mound and showed a potentially plus fastball and slider. Davis' top-end velocity bumped up to 96 at instructs, but he sat 91-94 as a starter in 2019. His fastball has solid carry. He also throws a curveball that isn't as impressive as his slider. Davis' changeup needs to improve if he's going to remain a starter. Davis' control has wavered in his limited pro action, but he could eventually get to average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Davis is ready to jump to high Class A in 2021. Between injuries and the pandemic, he's not gotten to pitch much, but his patience may pay off before long. He has potential to be a No. 4 starter.
• 
  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #16 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Davis had Tommy John surgery that March after just two starts and fell out of top-10 rounds consideration. The Reds' were intrigued by his upside and signed him for $127,500 after taking him in the 11th round. Davis had a successful rehab process and got back on the mound in 2019. He stretched out to pitch two five-inning outings in the month of August, posting a 2.49 ERA that month to close out the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Davis is known for his competitive nature and attack-first mentality. His fastball topped out at 96 mph after his surgery, sitting more in the 90-93 mph range with good life. He already shows an advanced feel for his potentially plus changeup, which has good deception and movement off his fastball. Davis has two breaking pitches, a curveball and slider, but they tend to blend and he will need to focus on one for it to improve. He tends to walk batters and lose the strike zone at times, projecting for fringe-average control at best.
  
  THE FUTURE: Davis' pure stuff and ability to attack hitters should help him move through the Reds' system as a starter. His health will determine his ultimate ceiling.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #227 prospect in 2018 draft
  Davis established himself as one of the top pitching prospects in the draft class with a stellar stint in the Cape Cod League last summer, but injuries limited him to just two starts this spring and he had Tommy John surgery in March. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Davis was in second-round consideration prior to surgery. He's an athletic righthander who sits 92-95 mph, reaches 97 and commands his fastball to both sides of the plate. Davis backs up his heater with a plus slider in the low 80s that has the sharpness and depth to be a swing-and-miss pitch in pro ball, and his changeup is a projectable third pitch that flashes average. While Davis' injury hurts his draft stock, he still projects to be picked in the top 10 rounds, with some teams interested in the top five. He won't be ready to pitch again until summer 2019, but his upside as a mid-rotation starter has teams believing he's worth the wait.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Pioneer League #8 prospect in 2019
  Davis was a projected top pick out of UC Santa Barbara in 2018, but he had Tommy John surgery before the draft and fell to the 11th round. He got back on the mound this summer with five outings in the Arizona League and took off after reporting to Billings in late July. Davis primarily used a sinking fastball in the low 90s that touched 95 mph. His plus slider from college was more average this summer as Davis continued to build stamina after the injury. He needs to improve his below-average changeup, but he has a chance to be a plus command pitcher and a mid-rotation starter.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Davis had Tommy John surgery his junior year at UC Santa Barbara, but the Reds liked his stuf and gave him an above-slot $127,500 bonus to sign as an 11th-round pick. Davis returned to make his pro debut a year later and, after waiting out the coronavirus pandemic, was off to a strong start at High-A Dayton in 2021 when the Rockies acquired him as one of two prospects for Mychal Givens at the trade deadline. Davis showed well at High-A Spokane after the trade and was added to the 40-man roster after the season.
  
  Scouting Report: Davis has a well-rounded four-pitch mix headlined by a 93-94 mph fastball that can get up to 96 mph with slight sink. He complements his fastball with a mid-to-high-80s slider, a high-70s curveball and a developing changeup. His potentially plus curveball is his best secondary, and he is confident throwing it in any count. Davis’ control is inconsistent and has been below-average at its worst. The Rockies primarily want him to throw more fastballs and continue to develop his fastball command. Davis’ biggest concern is his health. In addition to his Tommy John surgery, he has also battled shoulder soreness and blister issues at various points.
  
  The Future: Davis has the stuff to be a back-end starter if he can hone his control and stay healthy. He’ll move to Double-A in 2022.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Davis ranked as the Reds No. 15 prospect entering the year and posted a 3.60 ERA in 13 starts for High-A Dayton. He is an athletic 6-foot-2 righthander who had Tommy John surgery in college but returned with his stuff intact. His fastball sits 93-95 mph with solid carry and his sharp slider flashes plus with exceptional movement, although his command of the slider can be inconsistent and he is prone to hitting lefthanded batters in the foot with it. Davis' fastball and slider give him promise, but his changeup needs to improve for him to remain a starter. It's a fairly straight pitch at 85-88 mph that doesn't have a ton of deception or separation from his fastball. His control has also been below-average. Davis has only 107.1 career innings under his belt due to his Tommy John surgery and the canceled 2020 minor league season, so he's less polished than most pitchers his age and still has room to improve. In addition to his Tommy John surgery, he battled shoulder soreness at instructional league last year and has had blister issues this season, so his health is a concern. Davis has a chance to be a back-of-the-rotation starter if his changeup and control improve and he is able to stay healthy. Otherwise, his fastball and slider combination should play in relief.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: As a freshman, Davis served as UC Santa Barbara's No. 2 starter behind ace Shane Bieber as the Gauchos made their first College World Series. Davis pitched through a significant toe injury as a freshman, but an elbow injury derailed his junior season after just three appearances. He had Tommy John surgery in March 2018. The Reds drafted him knowing he wouldn't pitch until a year after he was drafted.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Davis impressed in the Rookie-level Pioneer League in his return to the mound in 2019. He battled some shoulder soreness at instructs, but got back on the mound and showed a potentially plus fastball and slider. Davis' top-end velocity bumped up to 96 at instructs, but he sat 91-94 as a starter in 2019. His fastball has solid carry. He also throws a curveball that isn't as impressive as his slider. Davis' changeup needs to improve if he's going to remain a starter. Davis' control has wavered in his limited pro action, but he could eventually get to average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Davis is ready to jump to high Class A in 2021. Between injuries and the pandemic, he's not gotten to pitch much, but his patience may pay off before long. He has potential to be a No. 4 starter.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: As a freshman, Davis served as UC Santa Barbara's No. 2 starter behind ace Shane Bieber as the Gauchos made their first College World Series. Davis pitched through a significant toe injury as a freshman, but an elbow injury derailed his junior season after just three appearances. He had Tommy John surgery in March 2018. The Reds drafted him knowing he wouldn't pitch until a year after he was drafted.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Davis impressed in the Rookie-level Pioneer League in his return to the mound in 2019. He battled some shoulder soreness at instructs, but got back on the mound and showed a potentially plus fastball and slider. Davis' top-end velocity bumped up to 96 at instructs, but he sat 91-94 as a starter in 2019. His fastball has solid carry. He also throws a curveball that isn't as impressive as his slider. Davis' changeup needs to improve if he's going to remain a starter. Davis' control has wavered in his limited pro action, but he could eventually get to average control.
  
  THE FUTURE: Davis is ready to jump to high Class A in 2021. Between injuries and the pandemic, he's not gotten to pitch much, but his patience may pay off before long. He has potential to be a No. 4 starter.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Davis had Tommy John surgery that March after just two starts and fell out of top-10 rounds consideration. The Reds’ were intrigued by his upside and signed him for $127,500 after taking him in the 11th round. Davis had a successful rehab process and got back on the mound in 2019. He stretched out to pitch two five-inning outings in the month of August, posting a 2.49 ERA that month BA GRADE 50 Risk: Extreme BA GRADE 50 Risk: Extreme BA GRADE 50 Risk: Extreme to close out the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Davis is known for his competitive nature and attack-first mentality. His fastball topped out at 96 mph after his surgery, sitting more in the 90-93 mph range with good life. He already shows an advanced feel for his potentially plus changeup, which has good deception and movement off his fastball. Davis has two breaking pitches, a curveball and slider, but they tend to blend and he will need to focus on one for it to improve. He tends to walk batters and lose the strike zone at times, projecting for fringe-average control at best.
  
  THE FUTURE: Davis’ pure stuff and ability to attack hitters should help him move through the Reds’ system as a starter. His health will determine his ultimate ceiling.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Davis had Tommy John surgery that March after just two starts and fell out of top-10 rounds consideration. The Reds' were intrigued by his upside and signed him for $127,500 after taking him in the 11th round. Davis had a successful rehab process and got back on the mound in 2019. He stretched out to pitch two five-inning outings in the month of August, posting a 2.49 ERA that month to close out the season.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Davis is known for his competitive nature and attack-first mentality. His fastball topped out at 96 mph after his surgery, sitting more in the 90-93 mph range with good life. He already shows an advanced feel for his potentially plus changeup, which has good deception and movement off his fastball. Davis has two breaking pitches, a curveball and slider, but they tend to blend and he will need to focus on one for it to improve. He tends to walk batters and lose the strike zone at times, projecting for fringe-average control at best.
  
  THE FUTURE: Davis' pure stuff and ability to attack hitters should help him move through the Reds' system as a starter. His health will determine his ultimate ceiling.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Davis was a projected top pick out of UC Santa Barbara in 2018, but he had Tommy John surgery before the draft and fell to the 11th round. He got back on the mound this summer with five outings in the Arizona League and took off after reporting to Billings in late July. Davis primarily used a sinking fastball in the low 90s that touched 95 mph. His plus slider from college was more average this summer as Davis continued to build stamina after the injury. He needs to improve his below-average changeup, but he has a chance to be a plus command pitcher and a mid-rotation starter.