Yankees 2015 Roster Report Card: Rookie Davis

Grade: B

2015 Statistics: 45 GS, 3.86 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 130.2 IP

2015 Level/Roster Status: Double-A/Non-40

It's been a long, slow process for Rookie Davis, but 2015 proved to be his coming out party. Drafted back in 2011, Davis became a full-time pitcher, but didn't get into a game until the following season, playing a handful of game in rookie ball, mostly in out of the bullpen. In 2013, he spent a good portion of the season in extended spring training before playing in Staten Island, but it wasn't until 2014 where he played his first full season. That year he had an unexciting 4.59 ERA in Low-A Charleston and it didn't seem like he was going to be worth following. This year, still only 22, Davis turned everything around and put together a great campaign.

The right-hander started the 2015 season in High-A Tampa and pitched to a 3.15 ERA until the month of July, where he had a 5.19 ERA in five starts through August 2nd. Overall, he had a promising 3.70 ERA, 9.7 K/9, and 1.7 BB/9 in 97.1 innings for Tampa until he got the call up to Double-A Trenton. His time spent with the Thunder was mediocre as he threw for a 4.32 ERA with a 6.5 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in just 33.1 innings over six games, but the thing to keep in mind is that he was 2.6 years younger than the league average after his promotion. It's quite possible he just ran out of steam toward the end of the year.

After ranking 23rd in the Yankees system before the season, Davis earned his place as the 10th best prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com, and is currently considered to be the team's second-best pitching prospect behind only Ian Clarkin. He throws his fastball in the 92-94 mph range, but can hit as high as 96 with a hard-cutting curveball and an inconsistent changeup. Because of his spotty command, MLB.com believes his long-term role to be that of a reliever because he could up his velo into the triple digits.

He's still young so the Yankees can continue to take their time with him, keeping him in Double-A in 2016 and maybe moving him up to Scranton towards the end of the season. He is Rule 5 eligible this offseason and will need to be added to the 40-man roster, so they're going to use him as a starter until he proves he can't make the cut. The belief is that he should be a decent mid-rotation option if things go perfectly for him, otherwise he could end up as a shutdown reliever if he can command his high-velocity heater.