Jim Goulart

The combination of the riveting subject matter and an outstanding writing job by the Post-Crescent's Mike Woods makes this one of the most compelling player features we've ever linked to -- enjoy. Timber Rattlers outfielder Johnny Davis beats odds to start pro career *** (Woods/Davis' story also linked in the 2014 Timber Rattlers thread - please comment there if you wish.)

Timber Rattlers outfielder Johnny Davis beats odds to start pro career by Mike Woods, Post-Crescent Media GRAND CHUTE — No one could outrun Johnny Davis. Nobody. But for years, the fastest man in town lived in fear of being caught. The culture, the violence, the despair had dragged down many a man, and Johnny Davis wondered if he would be next. “Always as a kid I wondered, ‘Am I going to be here for the rest of my life?’ ” said Davis. “Things like that you always wonder. Every little kid from Compton wonders that.” Compton, Calif., has been a regular on the FBI’s list of most dangerous cities. It is a most difficult place to grow up, where children are routinely forced into adulthood long before their time. “It either makes you or breaks you. Seriously,” said Davis. “It makes you a better man or it breaks you down. It’s like the movies are true. You might not make it to 21. You might not make it to 18. I did, I made it out.” The gift Davis is not the most heralded prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, but he is the most intriguing. He is a 23-year-old center fielder playing his first full season of professional baseball with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Prior to being drafted in the 22nd round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft, Davis played only two years of organized baseball. One came as a 13-year-old little leaguer and the other at West Los Angeles Community College where, after roughly seven years out of baseball, the natural switch hitter finished with a .336 batting average in 29 games, along with 22 stolen bases. But it’s his uncanny, drag-strip speed that has given him this opportunity. No one in the Brewers organization can outrun Johnny Davis. Nobody. “I’ve never seen someone in a Brewers uniform run that fast,” said Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson. “And that’s been proven now with our time trials in spring training. He’s got a faster time than (Brewers center fielder Carlos) Gomez in the 30. I don’t know what the time was, but it was a couple of clicks faster than Gomey I’m told.” The odds of getting drafted are long. The odds of getting drafted with only two years of organized baseball behind you are astronomical. The odds of escaping a perilous environment, nobody knows. But all anybody ever asks for is a chance. And Johnny Davis now has his. “To be completely honest, if his tools weren’t off the charts, I don’t think he’d have a chance,” said Brewers scout Dan Huston, who discovered Davis through the help of a friend. “But that running speed will give him a chance to learn how to play the game for a little while because it’s just extraordinary. “He has that gift, and it’s a big one.” A rough start You’ve heard the story of Johnny Davis’ family life before. His father was in and out of jail. He tip-toed the line between right and wrong. He was raised by his mother and older brother, he said, “most of the time.” “When I was younger, I was a bad kid,” he said. “Well, I wasn’t a bad kid. I don’t know. I couldn’t find a home, really. It’s hard to explain.” He attended three different high schools. His grades suffered, as did his world. “I’ve lost a lot of friends,” he said. “People from our middle school didn’t make it to graduate high school. Lots of people. Basically, our people from our middle school were just killing each other.” He said he was a tough kid. But even tough kids become afraid. “You get scared with stuff that happens,” he said. “Like shootings, and I’ve been in the mix of all of that. It’s scary, it is. I don’t care how tough you are.” There were two adults in his life that kept tabs on him and never let him wander too far off course. The first was his Little League coach, Gerald Pickens, an iconic Southern California baseball coach who operates the Compton Academy Baseball Teams, a program noted as much for changing lives as teaching baseball. The second was his high school track coach, Derek Knight. “Those two were my mentors and they kept me off the streets and made sure I kept my head straight,” said Davis. He didn’t play any sports his first two years of high school. His junior year he went out for football, then track, where his specialty —- as a 5-foot-10, 170-pounder — was the high hurdles. Baseball was never an option because he wanted to play for Pickens, who also is the Centennial High School coach. But Centennial was one high school he didn’t attend. “Definitely my dad wouldn’t let me go there,” said Davis. “I don’t know why. I still don’t understand why.” Pickens says he does. “I show the kids more love than their parents,” he said. “And the parents get jealous.” Outside of baseball there are fishing trips and camping trips, usually in small groups, that Pickens uses as tools to keep his kids off the streets and away from gangs. He is a no-nonsense, strict disciplinarian who never shies from telling his kids what they need to hear, not what they wish to hear. The majority of his success stories you’ve never heard about, but some you have, including James Lofton, Eric Davis, Coco Crisp and Darryl Strawberry. “Compton is not a bad place,” he said. “But I always tell the boys, ‘Don’t be stuck in Compton. Be here because you want to be here. But if you get trapped here, it’ll be bad.’ ” Day of discovery Tyree Davis was supposed to be the star of this show. Tyree, the younger brother of Johnny, was at a baseball tryout camp with the Minnesota Twins. Awestruck by Tyree’s speed, a scout began to ask him about his family. Tyree told him his older brother, Johnny, was faster than him. Since Johnny was hanging around watching, the scout asked him to run a 60-yard dash. Johnny did, in 6.1 seconds. The average major leaguer will run a 6.9. The secret was out. “His high school coach (Pickens) is a friend of mine and he came to me and said, ‘Dan, I’ve got this kid. He’s older but, man, he might be the fastest guy I’ve ever seen,’ ” said Huston, who has been scouting for 28 years. “I kind of laughed it off at first. Honestly, I’ve seen some pretty fast ballplayers.” Huston told Pickens to put Davis on one of his rec teams and call when Pickens thought he was ready. “I expected him to be picked off, throw to the wrong base, the fundamental things that I thought would be tough for him,” said Pickens. “But he never forgot them.” After three games, Huston got the call. “We were in Pasadena and he went out and hadn’t played in a baseball game in five years,” said Huston. “And this kid was amazing. He hit from both sides of the plate, hit line drives, was stealing bases at will. And I’m looking at these tools going, ‘Oh my gosh, this is something else.’ ” Davis is the quintessential raw talent. He’s rough, but he could become a diamond. “I have high hopes for him only because after getting to know the kid, physically and mentally, I think he could play the game at the highest level,” said Huston. “And he’s willing to get after it and you can see that in the way he goes about playing the game. He’s not scared to go out there and put it all out there. This is Johnny. And even if he fails a few times, he’ll just get up and keep moving. You’ve got to respect that about him.” The future Erickson vividly recalls the first time he laid eyes on Davis. “Well, the first thing I thought was, ‘That kid can really move,’ ” he said. “The second thing was, ‘It’s tough. It’s raw.’ ” Though he has been with him just a couple of months, Erickson said Davis has displayed traits nearly as important as speed. “There are certain parts of the game on a daily basis that you can teach him,” Erickson said. “The great thing about it is he is very eager to learn. In the last 40 to 50 days, his baseball feel is probably 10-fold from when we started. So if he can get that kind of development over the course of five, six months, I’m excited about what he could be. “And he’s a guy that’s always smiling, bouncing around. He’s a competitor, too. When you have that attitude and those tools, you have a chance to learn quickly.” Davis understands there is much to learn, and is thankful he has an able and willing teacher. “I love Matt,” Davis said. “Matt explains everything. He explains it all. If I don’t know something, he’ll break it down. And if it looks like I don’t know something, he’ll break it down. And if I look like I know something, he’ll come quiz me and ask me questions, ‘Why did you do that in that situation?’ And I’ll have to explain it. He just makes sure I know everything. He’s a very good teacher.” When Pickens hears of Davis’ progress, digests what his manager says about him, dials in on Davis’ attitude, he stops you in mid-sentence. “His situation almost brings tears to my eyes,” said Pickens. “Johnny Davis personifies what we’re trying to do here in Compton. I build dreams, then watch over the kids and help them try and fulfill them.” Davis’ dream is to one day become a major leaguer. The odds are long. But he figures he has already been in this position. And won. That alone makes him a believer. But even if his story ended here, he knows it’s worth telling. “Just me being able to make it to the big leagues and influence another kid that comes where I came from,” he said. “That it’s never over. “It means a lot because of where I came from. Just knowing, like when I talk to my friends back home, they always tell me, ‘You made it. Against all odds.’ And I did.” Wisconsin Timber Rattlers outfielder Johnny Davis attempts to bunt in a game against the Peoria Chiefs earlier this month. Davis is the fastest player in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. / Photo by Adam Wesley/Post-Crescent Media http://cmsimg.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=U0&Date=20140412&Category=APC020602&ArtNo=304120380&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Timber-Rattlers-outfielder-Johnny-Davis-beats-odds-start-pro-career

We'll post tidbits from the Huntsville game notes here until they're available via an online presence -- By the way, you really should make use of the three media notes links above each day -- yes, portions are repetitive, but the meat of each, the new daily updates, are always worth your time. *** MULTIPLE HIT GAMES: Through 8 games this year, the Stars have had at least one player each night that has recorded a multiple hit game. Friday night Mitch Haniger and Josh Prince collected two hits apiece. Jason Rogers, Nick Ramirez and Shawn Zarraga have all had a three-hit game already this season. SCORING EARLY: The Stars have scored at least one run in either the 1st or 2nd inning of every game during their seven-game winning streak. On the season, the Stars have scored 40 runs (5 per game) which are 2nd most in the league only behind Montgomery’s 43 runs. GOOD EYE AT THE PLATE: The Stars have been disciplined hitters early in the season. After eight games, they have struck out the fewest times and have walked the second most times in the Southern League. Their 31 walks, are just one behind Jackson’s league high 32 free passes. FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: For the first time in franchise history the Stars have started a season 7-1. Never before in their previous 29 years, which includes three Southern League titles and eight division titles, has the franchise began a year with even a 6-1 record. CURRENT WINNING STREAK: After dropping the season opener in Jacksonville 3-1, the Stars have racked up seven straight victories. The last time the Stars had a seven-game winning streak was in 2009 (May26-May 31) which included a double-header sweep of the Tennessee Smokies on consecutive days (May 28, 29) It was part of an eight-game series, thanks to an April rainout, in which the Stars took the seven latter games of that series. Drew Anderson, the Stars’ all-time leader in doubles (and now an amateur scout for the Brewers), went 8-for-15 and drove in nine runs in the final four games of that series. DOMINANT BULLPEN: The Stars combination of relievers Tyler Cravy, Eric Marzec, Kevin Schackleford, and David Goforth have combined for 18.1 innings of scoreless baseball to start the season. Overall, the bullpen is 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA. PITCHERS CAN HIT TOO: With Taylor Jungmann’s RBI single in last night’s game, the Stars pitching staff is now batting .308 (4-13) on the year. Drew Gagnon has two of the four hits. Brooks Hall has the other (two-run single vs Pensacola).

Via the Stars: On Saturday, April 12th, Stars LF Kentrail Davis was placed on the disabled list. He left Thursday’s game in the top of the 8th inning after Pensacola’s Rey Navarro homered to left. Davis did walk off the field under his own power but tweaked his groin when he broke on the ball. Davis, currently leads the Southern League in hitting with his .409 batting average. Catcher Lucas May has been transferred from the Helena roster to the Stars taking Davis’s roster spot. May, a veteran catcher, appeared in 12 games with the KC Royals in 2010, logging 37 at bats. He batted .189 with six RBI.

AUDIO: Jeff Hem, the Voice of the Sounds, joined Nashville late night sports talk for this interview after Friday's Home Opener loss.

Weather.com: Nashville, TN Huntsville, AL Dunedin, FL South Bend, IN

Sortable individual stat pages: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin

STANDINGS: AAA - Pacific Coast League American Southern Division AA - Southern League North Division High-A - Florida State League North Division A - Midwest League Western Division

Look for these just prior to the respective game times -- Nashville Media Notes - it's a unique link each day, but look for it under the "Roster" banner on the Sounds' site. Brevard County Media Notes - again, it's a unique link each day, but look for it under the "Multimedia" banner on the Manatees' site. Wisconsin Media Notes - Linked on the Rattler Radio blog

To see tweets as to when the Link Report has been technically "completed" with available links, as well as to know when the new day's Report has been posted, please follow @Mass_Haas on Twitter.

Follow Saturday's action as it happens with box score / game log links: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin MiLB.com feature -- organizational scoreboard, Brewers

Saturday's Daily Menu: All times are Central Nashville: RHP Ariel Pena at home vs. Omaha (Royals), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:35 gametime Free Live Audio Link Jeff Hem is the play-by-play voice of the Sounds; follow him on Twitter @jeffhempbp; we'll link to his blog updates at On the Air…and Off MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; all Nashville games, home and away, will be available to watch via MiLB.TV's $49.99 season-long package ($12.99 to pay for a single month). The audio feed is from the home team. All MiLB.TV details available at the link. ********** Huntsville: LHP Brent Suter at home vs. Pensacola (Reds), 6:15 PM pre-game, 6:30 gametime Free Live Audio Link Steve Jarnicki is the new play-by-play voice of the Stars - welcome aboard! Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveJarnicki. All games, home and away, are scheduled to be broadcast. ********** Brevard County: RHP Jorge Lopez at Dunedin (Blue Jays), 5:00 PM pre-game, 5:30 gametime Free Live Audio Link -- Select the proper link based on listed schedule Dave Walkovic returns as the play-by-play voice of the 'Tees; follow the Brevard broadcast booth staff on Twitter @BCManateesRadio. All home games and many road games are scheduled to be broadcast. When road games are only available via the opponents' audio feed (or not at all), we'll let you know that. No Florida State League games are available via MiLB.TV. ********** Wisconsin: RHP Preston Gainey at South Bend (Diamondbacks), 5:45 PM pre-game, 6:05 gametime Free Live Audio Link - 1280 AM WNAM Chris Mehring is back to do his customary fantastic work as the Voice of the Rattlers. Follow him on Twitter @CMehring; we'll link to Chris' infamous blog often -- Rattler Radio. MiLB.TV -- for subscribers; Wisconsin is one of four Midwest League clubs that have all their home games available via MiLB.TV. South Bend, tonight's opponent, is not an MiLB.TV carrier. So for the $49.95 season-long package, fans in Brewer Nation can watch all Sounds games, Stars' road games from seven Southern League locales, and all Timber Rattlers home games and some road games. NOTE: Thirty-nine (!) of the Rattlers' 70 home games will be broadcast on TV this season. Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (9) and WACY-TV My NEW32 (30) will split duties. We'll let you know when and who, and remember to refer to the Rattlers' full TV schedule so you can coordinate your DVR activity. DVR Alert: Next TV game is Monday 4/14 (My NEW32).

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Nice photo gallery from Friday night via the Huntsville Times

Thankfully he's going to be OK, but best wishes to former Brewers farmhand OF Darren Ford, the Joshua Kusnick (agent39) client was taken off the field via ambulance Thursday night, and the video available at this link is just so scary. Watch the bullpen members race to his aid after he slides head-first into a concrete wall.

Rattlers Radio Postgame Entry -- Included are audio highlights from Chris and a pre-game interview with Clint Coulter *** It's five minute of video of game action posted by South Bend, but tough to make much of it without accompanying audio.

Nashville audio: Taylor Green's Two-Run Single Caleb Gindl's Mammoth Home Run *** Catching up from Thursday -- VIDEO: Nashville's Jimmy Nelson notches his second strikeout of the day in a 5-1 loss at Iowa - "pinpoint fastball at 93"

Tennessean coverage includes a Caleb Gindl video postgame interview, a photo gallery, a link to the media guide photos for each member of the Sounds, and more.

AUDIO via Jeff Hem's blog -- Tonight’s interview is with Sounds utility man Eugenio Velez, who discusses his hot start (.524, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs) to the season, his role on the team, the importance of playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic, and his new teammates, Irving Falu and Elian Herrera, who play a similar style and role for the Sounds.

So this is really cool from the Stars' home opener earlier this week -- Four hours time-lapsed to two minutes, stay for the fireworks!

Final: @Huntsville 5, Pensacola 1 Stars Win Seven Straight Huntsville, AL - The Huntsville Stars won their seventh straight game with a come from behind 5-4 win Friday at "The Joe" over the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, the Double-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. The Stars improved to 7-1 on the season. Stars CF Mitch Haniger launched his first Double-A homerun of the season in the eighth inning against Pensacola righty Jamie Walczak (1-1). Haniger's homerun broke a 4-4 tie. The Stars jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Blue Wahoo's starter Robert Stephenson in the second inning. Pitcher Taylor Jungmann lined a bases loaded single into center scoring Haniger. D'Vontrey Richardson followed with an RBI single scoring Brock Kjeldgaard. Josh Prince then delivered a sacrifice fly extending the Stars lead to 3-0. In the fourth, the Blue Wahoos chipped away at the Stars lead. Travis Mattair lined a double down the left field line. Two batters later with two outs, Juan Duran hit a two-run homer off Jungmann. It was Duran's first of the season and it cut the lead to 3-2. Pensacola tied it in the fifth inning after Rey Navarro hit his second home run in as many nights. His homer against Jungmann went over the right field fence which tied the game at 3-3. Jungmann earned a no decision as he struck out a career high nine batters. He allowed six hits, walked one and allowed two home runs. Pensacola took their first lead of the game in the sixth against Stars' reliever Johnnie Lowe. Bryan Anderson hit a solo home run, his second of the series, and it gave the Blue Wahoos a 4-3 lead. The Stars battled back for the second time in this series. In the bottom of the seventh with two outs, Richardson drew a walk and later stole second. That proved to be pivotal. Prince followed by reaching on an infield single. Prince's single was in the hole on the left side of the infield. The shortstop Navarro was charged with a throwing error on the play, which allowed Richardson to score and tie the game. Arcenio Leon became the third Stars pitcher to record a save on the season when he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Casey Medlen (2-0) was the winning pitcher out of the Stars bullpen. Medlen worked a scoreless eighth inning. The Stars and Blue Wahoos will play game four of their five game series Saturday night. RHP Jon Moscot (0-0, 2.08) will start for Pensacola while LHP Brent Suter (1-0, 1.80) will start for Huntsville. The game can be heard starting at 6:15 PM with Steve Jarnicki on 92.9 FM, 1450 AM WTKI and online at www.wtkiradio.com. Huntsville Box Score The Stars knocked out Wahoo starter Robert Stephenson, who had 11 strikeouts in his 2014 debut one start prior. Huntsville batters saw 55 pitches in those two frames. Only third baseman Jason Rogers (0-for-4 in the cleanup spot) failed to reach base. That includes Taylor Jungmann, who had an RBI single. Shortstop Nick Shaw left the game immediately upon a HBP in the 4th. Huntsville Game Log Taylor Jungmann's final line - 5 IP, 90 pitches (62 strikes), 6 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 9 K, 2 HR. Even better, eight of the nine K's were swinging. After surrendering a 5th inning HR, a testy Jungmann then finished up in style -- Pensacola Top of the 5th Rey Navarro homers (2) on a fly ball to right field. Yorman Rodriguez strikes out swinging. Donald Lutz strikes out swinging. Travis Mattair strikes out on a foul tip.

Brevard County AUDIO: PREGAME -- Pitching coach Dave Chavarria talks about the strong pitching performances of 2014 GAME HIGHLIGHTS -- The 'Tees knock off Dunedin 5-2 behind a strong pitching performance by Jed Bradley POSTGAME -- Andrew Luftglass catches up with Tyrone Taylor following a 3-for-4 night in Dunedin

Huntsville VIDEO from Thursday's home opening 6-3 win Sportscaster points out a sweet Hainley Statia slide and still needs a lesson on pronouncing "Gagnon" (Gahn'-yo)

Weather.com: Nashville, TN Huntsville, AL Dunedin, FL South Bend, IN

Sortable individual stat pages: Nashville Huntsville Brevard County Wisconsin