Bret "Braz" Davis was a star for Pearland (TX) High School, eventually (in 2005) being inducted into their Hall of Fame. Okay, so it's only a high school's Hall of Fame, but I don't see
you being honored along Kirk Dressendorfer and Craig Smajstra, so…
Drafted in the 34th round by the Yankees in 1984, Braz opted to attend Baylor instead, and after three years as a Bear, he was tabbed by the Cubs in the 21st round of the 1987 draft. Rather than return for his senior season, he signed this time. Ursine loyalty?
Soon Davis was Braz-ing a path up the Cubs' chain, a year at a time. Wytheville, Charleston (WV), Peoria, Winston-Salem…his control kept improving and his WHIP kept dropping, while his strikeouts and ERA stayed good. Okay, the ERA took a small bump at Winston-Salem (at 3.73, it was the first time he'd ever been over league average) but the Cubs were impressed enough to give Davis his first in-season promotion, bringing him up to AA Charlotte to finish the year.
Where he got banged around pretty good. 1-2, 5.94 in 3 starts and relief outing, 16 hits and 14 walks in only 12.2 innings (and only 3 Ks to go with all that carnage)…not the best way to finish a season. But it shouldn't have finished his career…except that it did.
What happened? Yes, four BAD games at Charlotte, but it was his first taste of AA and it was only four games. And yes, Davis was now 25 (college years take away the time organizations are willing to invest), but he was a lefty and you'd think they'd keep getting chances. And if the Cubs didn't want him, you'd think someone else might take a flyer.
Perhaps what happened was that Davis had set his own deadlines, giving himself until a certain age to make progress towards the bigs and his AA struggles at age 25 had convinced him to return hang up his spikes? In any event, Davis settled in Corsicana TX and became a decorated firefighter. Myself, I'd rather be putting out "fires" in a relief role than fighting them for real, but perhaps that's just me.
(And sorry about that Braz-en pun. And that one, too.)
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