August 9, 2007

Behind the Baysox: California "rat" migrates east to make short stop

By Tim Sparks

Blake Davis was never too thrilled with the nickname he picked up as a freshmen at California State University, Fullerton. The stubbornly determined Baysox shortstop made a name for himself at the school, literally and figuratively, for the way his plate appearances would result in "bloopers" being sprayed all over the field. That's the way Davis, hardly a power hitter at 5 feet 11 inches tall and 165 pounds, has always played the game. It also gave birth to his unusual moniker during a routine practice.

"You're kind of like a rat out there," Davis recalls former Fullerton head coach Dave Serrano saying, which marked the beginning of Davis' style of play being compared to the craftiness of a rodent. "I was like, 'what?' I didn't know if it was my hair because I had a rat tail at the time, or if it was because I was a small, little scrappy player. He said, 'you're like a rat because you'll hit it right here, you'll hit it right there, little bloopers getting right by (defensive players)'… I could have thought of a better nickname to have, but I'll take it."

While "Rat" may not be the most pleasant sounding epithet, it appears to be a fitting one as Davis has garnered a reputation for sneaking up on the opposition. His size is not intimidating, but his surprising aggressiveness is. When he was younger, the 23-year-old Fountain Valley, Calif., native's small stature would bring on derisive comments, which sparked a desire in Davis to trust in his own abilities, rather than listen to the doubters.

"I've always been a shortstop, ever since I was younger," Davis said. "People always said I was too small, this and that. But I've always been a guy who proves people wrong. It's all about working hard and knowing that giving my best effort is good enough. So I'm just going to keep doing that."

That attitude carried him through high school and college. In addition to being a key cog in Fullerton's 2004 National Championship team, Davis also provided perhaps one of the strongest pieces of evidence that his confidence was stronger than the negative opinions of some well-meaning, but ill-informed prognosticators, when he was a red shirt junior in 2006. Having been selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 46th round of the previous summer's draft, Davis decided that a potential contract would not provide a deal lucrative enough to warrant leaving school early. So he remained a Titan another year. He played for Team USA that summer, gained some much needed experience, and followed that up with an impressive 2006 campaign at Fullerton. He batted .351 and notched 15 stolen bases that year. Then, finally, it happened. He was picked in the 2006 draft by the Baltimore Orioles - in the fourth round.

"I think just having that red shirt year was good for me," Davis said. "I was a four-year member of the team even though I only played three years," Davis said. "Just gaining that experience (helped). I think Team USA helped me out just by being at that level. Hopefully, from what the Orioles saw, it was just a lot of hard work. The previous year, I was a lot younger and (the Indians) were trying to get a good player in the lowest round possible. It was a dream of mine just to get drafted, but getting drafted 42 rounds higher the next year was great. It all worked out well for me."

It seems to have worked out well for the Orioles as well. Little did they know that Davis would produce well enough in his first full season of professional ball to earn a call-up to the Double-A ranks. Then again, maybe they did. Davis definitely did, but he admits that his quick progress has, to a small degree, surprised even him.

"I was a little bit surprised, but then again I expect that of myself," the quietly confident Davis said. "Starting off in Delmarva (the Orioles' Low-A affiliate) last year, that showed that (the organization) had a lot of trust in me. They thought I was good enough to play at that level my first year. Then I expected to be in Frederick this year … and have a good year there. And I expected to be here, and things just kind of fell into place for me. Hopefully I can stay here. Down here, I'm just trying to make a good impression and do things the way I learned the game."

If that happens, it may not be long before the batter's box at Prince George's Stadium is dubbed "The Rat Hole" when Davis steps to the plate.