Future Games Spotlight: Jayden Davis

Jayden Davis OF / RHP / AMHERST COUNTY HIGH, VA / 2026

Davis is an athletic, 5-foot-9, 183-pound right handed pitcher. While there is definitely some intrigue with the two-way potential for him, he is an arm first. I think because of the mix of raw tools and athleticism, the two-way opportunities make stick around a little longer for Davis. He is a sub 6.8 runner (6.69 best), he has well above average arm strength in the outfield, can really defend multiple spots out there, and is a switch hitter with a little extra juice from the left side. He abandoned the left side for pretty much the last 6-8 months, but is working on some things back on that side again.

As much intrigue as some of these things bring for Davis, it is the arm talent on the mound that is at the forefront of the recruitment. Typically sits upper 80's and will flash some low 90's with the fastball. It is a riding fastball that can compete in the zone, especially when the breaking ball is dialed in, which is basically when he gets out of bed. I have seen Davis four times in 2024 and every time the fastball command has been very hit and miss, but the one thing that separates him is his feel for a near elite breaking ball. It is a power curveball sitting upper 70's with high end makeup on the data side. Usually averages around -6" of IVB on the breaking ball and can throw it whenever he wants, as he displayed versus South Carolina. The spin metrics generally average in the 2600-2800 range. While Davis could not find the feel for the fastball in the zone during that outing, he was a one pitch guy (CB) that could not find a bat with that pitch during his two innings. Swings and misses in the zone, hitters count 58' breaking balls that wound up as chases, and just produced some very uncomfortable swings from some pretty good hitters. 

With the departure of Dalton Wentz (Wake Forest), Amherst will more than likely need to rely on Davis a little more on the mound this spring. What will it take for him to be a front line starter for them and to be a guy that can be an asset at a Power 5 program? Showing he can land the fastball consistently. The arm talent is there, the athleticism and movement piece is there, the spin is there, he simply needs to be more competitive with the fastball in the strike zone. That will allow that breaking ball to be even better than it already is, as well as it will allow him to be more efficient with his pitch count and work deeper into games.