Logan Davidson entered the 2019 season with high expectations as the D1 pre-season ACC Player of the Year. Davidson came to Clemson highly acclaimed out of Providence High School in Charlotte. He was drafted in the 30th round by the Philadelphia Phillies when he was the Charlotte-Observer North Carolina High School Player of the Year in 2016. The rangy shortstop kept his commitment to attend Clemson and expects to have his name called much earlier on draft day this June.
Logan Davidson 2019 MLB Draft Profile
Strengths
Davidson is a switch hitter with a similar average and power from either side of the plate. He has reached double digits in home runs in each of his three seasons in the highly competitive ACC. Many point to his large 6-foot-3, 185lb. frame as evidence that his natural power may increase as he fills out.
Davidson has collected many accolades from Baseball America during his college career. In his first campaign, he was a second-team Freshman All-American. As a sophomore, he was recognized as a third-team All-American. This season he earned honors as a first-team pre-season All American.
Davidson also has a reputation as being very durable. Since coming to Clemson he has started every game. His offensive production has also developed each season. Despite losing Seth Beer and Chris Williams’ big bats to protect him in the lineup, Davidson has not seen a dip in his numbers.
In the field, Davidson struggled as a freshman while committing 22 errors. The past two seasons he has worked hard on his defense and has improved tremendously on the miscues. In addition to all his natural abilities and hard work, Davidson also benefits from a strong baseball pedigree. His father Mark Davidson also played at Clemson and went on to play outfield in parts of six seasons in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros.
Weaknesses
Despite all his tools and awards, Davidson is not a finished product. There are still a couple of things that he will need to improve on if he hopes to fulfill the lofty expectations that come with being a first-round pick.
In the summers of 2017 and 2018, Davidson was invited to play in the Cape Cod League. The prestigious wood bat league is an opportunity for top college players to show that their talent transfers to the pro game. He failed to replicate his collegiate success in either season. In 75 games, Davidson batted .203 with only three home runs. He also struck out 80 times in those games.
The concerns about his high strikeout numbers are not only limited to his summer league appearances. In college, Davidson has averaged nearly a strikeout per game for the Tigers. However, those types of numbers are not that unusual for a middle of the lineup hitter these days.
MLB Comparison
Davidson is a tall, switch-hitting shortstop with plus power and a high baseball IQ that strikes out a lot. His work ethic to improve his defense suggests that he could still improve his plate discipline and be a dependable middle of the lineup batter in the pros. The position, skill set, and measurables suggest that Trevor Story would be a good comp for Davidson. After a decorated college career, Davidson will be an asset for whichever team selects him in June.
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