Noah Davis Shines In Return From Rehab

When the Reds drafted righthander Noah Davis in the 11th round in 2018 they knew that they were taking a bit of a risk.

The 22-year-old out of UC Santa Barbara was injured earlier in his draft year and had Tommy John surgery that March. They knew that he wouldn’t be pitching for the organization for at least a year.

After rehabbing his way back from the injury, Davis began his season with a handful of short outings in the Rookie-level Arizona League. Near the end of July, he moved up to Rookie-level Billings of the Pioneer League.

“The experience he had pitching in Goodyear (Ariz.) at the complex and then in Billings was really good. We were thrilled to just get him back out there and get him healthy,” senior director of player development Eric Lee said. “Credit to (physical therapy director) Brad Epstein, (rehabilitation coach) James Baldwin and Noah—they got it done.”

Once he arrived in the Pioneer League, the work to get back began to show. Davis made eight starts and posted a 2.10 ERA in 34.1 innings in the most hitter-friendly league in the affiliated minors.

During his Aug. 19 start against Idaho Falls, Davis put together his best start, tossing five shutout innings on just two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. In total, the righthander walked 13 batters, allowed four home runs and struck out 30 once he joined Billings.

“He showed arm strength and good life on the ball, and he showed all of the reasons why we drafted him,” Lee said.

“A fastball with life up to 95 (mph). A breaking ball that showed plus, and he’s got two breaking balls that he worked with. And then he showed the makings of a good changeup.”

RED HOTS

— Outfielder Stuart Fairchild and catcher Tyler Stephenson both performed well in the Arizona Fall League. Fairchild hit .353/.405/.471 in his 34 at-bats for Glendale. Stephenson hit .347/.418/.490 in 49 at-bats for the Desert Dogs.