It’s like he can’t help himself. He swings the bat, and the ball finds a hole… or a wall to soar over. The Houston Astros’ slugging prospect, JD Davis, is currently raking for the team’s Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, to the lofty point of being named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for August 13-19.

UPDATE: JD Davis Traded to Mets For Three Minor Leaguers, January 6, 2019

In fact, his offensive production has been so prodigious lately, that it’s possible, if not likely, he’ll beat his fellow Grizzlies in the September call-up race. In that way, he’ll follow the recent lead of Chicago White Sox phenom pitcher, Michael Kopech, who was called up over the weekend, so impatient were the Sox to wait for the turn of another calendar page.

For Davis’ POW prize, he put together an MiLB-best six home runs, including back-to-back two-dinger games, 31 total bases, and 15 RBIs, with a .462 BA. For the week, too, he had a stretch of four straight games (and five out of six) with at least one home run.

Mostly a corner infielder, the 6’3″, 225-pound Davis has spent time with both Fresno and Houston in left field, and ever so sparingly in right field (as he did Sunday, August 19, for the Grizz).

Perspective

Davis has two 26-homer seasons in his five-year minor league career, but those performances pale in comparison to his recent homer-happy exploits.

The 2014 third-round pick hit one round-tripper during his 30-game combined stay with Houston and has now hit 15 in 287 at-bats with Fresno this season (through August 19).

Davis experienced a similar homer run in 2015 while with Houston’s Advanced-A Lancaster club in the wind-aided California League.

“Yeah, when I was in Lancaster I had a stretch of six or seven in a row, but some of them were a little cheap, you know Lancaster — 20 mph winds. But right now I’m just driving the ball all over, driving the ball to left field, right field, center,” he recently shared with MiLB News.

Power Play

Davis says he tweaked his stance a bit, leading to a better contact rate.

“Watching film from up in the big leagues and my mechanics, and comparing to Spring Training when I had the big jump, I broke it down,” he revealed. “I spread my stance out to be a little more balanced. It’s about loading up my hips to keep things simple. And I continue to work on my plate discipline because that goes a long way, too.”

Davis’ career strikeout percentage is 24.6 percent, but this season it’s dipped to 18.8, a statistic that the Cal State-Fullerton product doesn’t take lightly. He credits Fresno hitting coach Darryl Robinson and big league instructor Jeff Albert for his improved contact and power numbers.

Both coaches are no doubt taking their cues from the recently uncovered system-wide emphasis on power and increased launch angle to improve Davis’ hitting performance.

“It goes along with my swing; I had a big loop in my swing. That allowed me to catch some off-speed out in front and still hit homers, but with learning how to deliver my back elbow in time with my back hip, I can time my swing,” he explained. “And it allows me to foul off tough pitches and stay through the ball a little more. I can also make it to a 3-2 count and then put the ball in play [more].

“I do make a really good effort now to hit the fastball, make contact or foul it off,” he continued. “That’s the biggest thing to make improvement from 2017 to now, [especially] against high velocity.”

The Yo-Yo Stops Here

Ironically, Davis and outfielder Derek Fisher both made the Houston club out of Spring Training this year, with Tyler White and Tony Kemp starting 2018 at Fresno. Now, White (.294, seven homers, .988 OPS) and Kemp (.280, 12 doubles, .365 OBP) are making themselves indispensable with Houston, while Davis and Fisher have been spending the summer back in Fresno. Fisher will certainly be a September call-up but with a rather tepid .261 batting average on his Fresno resume. Eleven doubles and 10 homers, though, point to a welcome power addition.

Davis, 25, has been demoted to AAA three times this season, which means he’s been promoted twice, with one more due within days. During his 30 games with Houston, he compiled a .176 BA, with a paltry .483 OPS. He has flashed Bregman-like defensive play at third base and offers manager AJ Hinch flexibility at the other corner and LF.

For Fresno, on the year, Davis has gathered a .348 average, 23 doubles, two triples, and 15 homers. He’s just under the number of plate appearances to qualify for the PCL lead in any category, but his 1.009 OPS is impressive, as are his 71 RBIs.