The Career of Davis Holden...

[PurdueBrad]

The 2003 June Amateur Draft is less than a month a way and I've got to say, I'm nervous about it. The reports are that I'm one of the top ranked third basemen, but not the best. That would be Rick Kiser who played freshmen year at USC and is already coming out.

I've thought a lot about going to college, but it just doesn't seem like its for me. I would much rather give baseball a shot 'cause hey, you can always fall back on school, right? I've heard the whispers and seen plenty of scouts at my games but I'm trying not to get too excited. June's a big month, the draft starts the month and just ten days later I graduate from high school.

[PurdueBrad]

Pre-Draft Player Report
Name: Davis Holden
Age: 18, 11/21/1984
School: Batavia H.S., Batavia, IL
Throws: Right
Hits: Right
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 216
Primary Position: 3B
Secondary Position(s): 1B, 2B

***Skills Report***
Contact: Average, hits to all fields
Power: Good, strong to the gaps
Running: Poor, very slow
Fielding: Excellent range despite poor speed, versatile
Throwing: Average infield arm

***Intangibles***
Consistent player, rarely slumps or goes on "hot streaks"
Good attitude despite immature approach to education

***Projection***
Late 1'st round, early 2'nd round pick
Should eventually earn starting spot in ML, will require patience in order to develop to such a level, 3 or 4 tool player

***Deliver to/Requested by***
NY Yankees (late 1'st)
AZ Diamondbacks (late 1'st)
BO Red Sox (late 1'st)
KC Royals (early 2'nd)
PT Pirates (early 2'nd)
MW Brewers (early 2'nd)
MN Expos (early 2'nd)

Scouted by Pro Prospects Scouting, Inc.

[PurdueBrad]

The Night Before...

I can't sleep, I'm just laying here watching the digital numbers on the clock change. It officially became draft day like two hours ago and I've done nothing but stare at the ceiling ever since. I keep thinking back to The Question. I've heard The Question so many times over the last month or so.

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?

I have no idea and everytime I'm asked, I have a different answer. Sometimes I want to be drafted by the Florida Marlins because they have a minor league club just fifteen minutes away, the Kane County Cougars. Other times though I want to escape the Midwest and all the expectations that are here. All my friends are going away to college anyway so there isn't going to be much left for me here.

All I'm thinking about right now is what to do with the signing bonus I expect. I'm buying a car, a Jeep actually. I want to get a Wrangler, black exterior and interior. I've heard the numbers tossed around about what to expect but it doesn't matter as long as I can afford my Wrangler I could care less. I know I'll make my money one day.

I just keep laying here, guessing who's jersey I'll be wearing later in the day. Maybe the Cubs or the Sox, that would be kind of cool. Or maybe one of the big clubs like the Yankees or the Diamondbacks, it would be awesome to be drafted by a winner. But who knows, maybe I'll get more chances with a loser like the Tigers or Devil Rays. I can't wait...

[PurdueBrad]

Local High Schooler Drafted in 1'st Round
Batavia, IL- The talk for the past few weeks was about when and by whom local High School third baseman Davis Holden would be drafted. And on the first day of the draft, it didn't take long for the phone to ring.

"I was totally surprised to get the call so early, in fact, I really didn't think it was THE call, I figured it was a last minute well-wisher," said Holden, who was selected with the 13'th overall pick by the Texas Rangers.

"The Rangers are a team I never expected. They were a middle of the round team when I expected to go either late in round one or early in round two so this is still sinking in," said the young player.

Holden has already received his placement in the organization, starting out with the Single A Stockton Ports in Stockton, California.

"All I hear about Stockton is great. They won the California League last year and this year they opened up a new ballpark, Billy Hebert Field," said Holden.

Not all the news was good for the new professional baseball player though. The Rangers have requested that he report within two days in order to get him acclimated to the life of minor league baseball as soon as possible. This decision means that Holden will be forced to miss his high school graduation day, something he was very much looking forward to.

"I hate to miss it but in the scheme of things, they can always just mail me the diploma," said Holden, expressing slight disappointment.

Regardless of what may happen in the future, the 18 year old Holden is living for today. He quickly signed a contract with the Rangers the same day he was drafted and within half an hour of doing so, he was at a car dealership purchasing a new Wrangler for his trip to California.

[PurdueBrad]

Diary, June 18'th, 2003

Well, I'm here and I've been here for two weeks. Stockton isn't so bad and I'm enjoying playing under the California sun. So far I'm hitting .333 with 2 homeruns through my first thirteen games. Not too bad but there are some things I don't like.

Texas has WAY TOO many third base prospects. There are two key guys ahead of me, Mark Teixeira and Marshall McDougall. Teixeira is already starting for the Rangers and Marshall is in AAA, I'm not sure there is room for me. There has already been some talk that they may trade me for a starting pitching prospect or perhaps switch me from my natural position.

Speaking of switching from natural positions, I'm having some trouble making friends here. Dwayne Miranda was the starting third baseman before I got here, and now he's been moved to shortstop. He really has been pretty cold towards me and I'm not sure what to do about it.

I guess if I have a good friend on the team, its Clemente Padula. His family named him after their sports hero, Roberto. He's a pretty good guy and although he's not great at speaking English yet, we get along pretty well. I've been sharing a hole in the wall apartment (if you can even call it that) with him and the two catchers, Federico Loya and Angel Morales. There are only two beds, so we take turns with who gets a bed each night. But what more can you ask for a $150 each per month?

California is way too expensive. I don't drive the Wrangler around much because I can't afford to gas it up all the time. I've had to learn to cook to save some money so I'm living off of grilled cheese sandwiches and Mac and Cheese. We can't even afford Coke or Pepsi, we've been drinking R.C. and some generic pop. Beer, ha, don't even think about it. We can only afford to drink on special occasions.

[Delgadodawg]

Good stuff Brad!

[Psicosis]

Nice story so far, Brad. Can't wait to see what happens with Davis, and whether Texas trades him or moves him to another position.

[PurdueBrad]

Holden Receives Player of the Month Honors (radio transcript of Bill Walters' Baseball Show)

Bill W.- Welcome listeners and today I've got a special treat for you. I'll be interviewing first round draft pick and the Stockton Ports' Player of the Month for July, Davis Holden. Welcome Davis.

Davis H.- Thanks Bill, I'm not sure what I'm more excited about, winning Player of the Month or being on your show.

B.W.- Well I've got to start with the big news of July, you've been switched from third base, how do you feel about that?

D.H.- Its been kind of challenging but it also seems to be working out for the team. I know that Dwayne (Miranda) is happy to be back at third, his natural position, and if I can help the team by playing second, hey, thats what it is all about.

B.W.- What challenges have you faced with the move?

D.H.- I haven't played second since sophomore year in high school so there are some little things that I have to remember like covering second when a runner is stealing or getting my turn a little faster on double plays. I know that Federico Loya got a little pissed off at me when I forgot to cover second base during a pitch out and the runner pretty much got to walk to second.

B.W.- Despite a couple difficulties in the field, your hitting has been great. Since joining the club you've hit .316 with 4 homers and a team leading 18 RBIs. Why have you been so good?

D.H.- Hitting has always been my strongest skill. I just feel at home inside the batter's box, I can't really explain it. I've been seeing the pitches well and I've got to say, the time can't be that far from when the Rangers bump me up to Frisco to play for the Roughriders.

B.W.- I don't know if you are aware of it but with the Player of the Month honors, you also receive dinner for two at Outback Steakhouse. Any idea who you will be taking?

D.H.- Well, I haven't gotten to know too many of the California beach bunnies so I'll probably take my roomie Clemente Padula. He could use the pick me up after the news he got this week. He'll be missing the rest of the season with bone chips so I guess this dinner will be his farewell party.

B.W.- Well Davis, I appreciate you spending time with us today and keep trying to help turn our Ports into a winner...

[PurdueBrad]

Diary, July 30, 2003

Clemente came up lame the other day on a throw and the news has been the worst imaginable. Out for the year! My best friend, and sometimes it feels like my only friend, and now he'll be gone for the year. The club has turned down his request to continue to travel with the team following his surgery so he'll be heading back to Miami in two days.

Although its been overshadowed by Clemente's injury, I had some good news, Player of the Month for Stockton. I've really just been in good hitting situations, it seems like there are always guys on when I come up. I even got to appear on a local radio show which was way cool, I guess high school speech classes paid off!

With the award I won dinner at Outback so Clemente and I went to celebrate on our last off day. Somehow, even with free dinners, we spent $70!!! Gotta watch that bar tab but for now, it looks like it'll be a lot of PBnJ and Mac & Cheese for the rest of the week.

With Clemente down, I've been shifted to second base which really isn't so bad plus it seems to have gotten me off of Dwayne Miranda's bad side. I feel awkward at times but I guess I'll get the hang of it. We've been visited by a couple scouts from inside the organization this past week and everyone is saying that they are looking to move some people up. Who knows, maybe it'll be me.

[PurdueBrad]

Diary, August 13, 2003

It finally happened, unfortunately I'm not talking about being called up. Dwayne Miranda and I got into a shoving match in the clubhouse after today's game. He got upset over a poor turn I made on what should have been a double play started by him. When I went to make my turn, I slipped on the bag and fell flat on my face. Second base isn't as easy as I remember.

Anyway, the runner we didn't get ended up scoring the game-winning run against us so it was kind of my fault we lost. I didn't get two steps into the clubhouse before Dwayne started in on me. It began with him yelling at me but quickly elevated to him getting in my face. I finally pushed my way past him but that was a mistake as he shoved me hard from behind.

I turned around, gave him a hard shove and then we locked up. But lucky, probably for both of us, a few of the other guys broke it up and kept us separated the rest of the day. I don't really have a problem with him but I know he was pissed when I got drafted and took his starting spot right away.

The fallout doesn't look good. It hurts both our reputations within the organization but even worse, we both are probably facing suspensions. We'll find out in a few days if and how long we'll be suspended.

[NYJuggalo45]

this is one of the better reads on here in awhile, reminds me of the one about Bubba that died out

[PurdueBrad]

Ports, Draft Picks, and Organization All Struggle

Stockton, CA- The pressure is on in the Texas Rangers organization. On June 2'nd, just twenty-four hours after the amateur draft, the Rangers had the tenth ranked minor league system. Now just two and a half months later the Rangers have fallen to the lowly spot of twenty-seventh, with only two Top 100 prospects.

The Stockton Ports epitomize the organization's struggles with an embarrassing 50-80 record. Hope was high following the June draft, which saw an influx of such talented players as Davis Holden, Clemente Padula, and Robert White.

Davis Holden, the team's first round pick and the July Player of the Month, has struggled in August. His season-long average has dropped to .279 and he has only driven in four runs over the last three weeks. Perhaps most disappointing of all though is that the team was forced to suspend Holden for three games because of a clubhouse confrontation with Dwayne Miranda. "It definitely looks like I won't be winning that Outback dinner this month," said Holden in a rare moment of levity.

Clemente Padula, the team's second round pick, has been the biggest disappointment of all though. Fresh out of the draft Padula earned the starting spot at second base but just five weeks later, he would be gone. Padula, who made a diving stop and came up lame on the throw, is expected to miss the rest of this season and perhaps part of next season with shoulder surgery.

"I can't really pinpoint what is wrong with the club. We've got a lot of guys that can drive the ball but we just haven't been doing it," said Davis Holden. The young player refuses to discuss publicly the fight that earned him his suspension but he will say that "clubhouse chemistry is something that this team struggles to maintain."

The Rangers are in need of a massive influx of quality young talent. The aging team is currently in last place in the West and over the next few years will be looking to replace veterans with cheaper homegrown talent.

[LivnLegend]

Excellent!! First rate.
Of course I am no stranger to Brad's material but I am glad others are getting a chance to see his talent! Keep up the fine work!

[PurdueBrad]

September 4, 2003

Dear Mom and Dad,

It looks like I'll be coming home for the winter. I thought about staying but California is way too expensive so I'm gonna jump in the Wrangler and drive it back to Illinois. You should probably see me around the end of the month, I'm going to kind of take my time coming back.

I'm sure you guys probably saw it on the Internet or in Baseball Weekly but my final numbers weren't too bad. I ended up hitting .274 with 6 homeruns and 26 RBIs. I can already hear you saying it though Dad, I did strike out WAY too much. 87 times in 354 at bats. I'm just glad you weren't there to watch them!

Anyway, I'm thinking of maybe catching a couple Rangers games on the way back which is why it'll take me some time to get there. I still haven't seen the big club play and with how bad they are doing, it should be pretty easy to get a ticket!

Sorry I haven't called lately, we had the phone disconnected because we can't really afford it. Money got a lot tighter after Clemente left for his surgery because there were only three of us splitting the apartment and the bills. I'm trying not to touch the rest of my signing bonus since my agent put it all into the stock market.

Speaking of my agent, his firm is doing a year end evaluation of my current status as well as my future potential. He'll meet with me to discuss the results and I'm kind of nervous about it. We should be meeting in the next day or so.

Well you guys will be seeing me soon, till then, love ya.

Davis

[PurdueBrad]

INDIVIDUAL CLIENT REPORT by Sports Agent Marketing Group
Player Name: Davis Holden
Age: 18, 11/21/1984
Sport: Baseball
Team: Texas Rangers (Stockton Ports)
Position: 2B (3B and 1B as well)
History: 1'st round draft pick 2003 Amateur Draft
Financial Status: Signed to a minor league deal, received signing bonus of $725,000, $690,000 of which is currently locked into a growth fund as well as a stock portfolio


***ON THE FIELD (year end stats)***
Batting Average: .274
On Base Percentage: .307
Slugging Percentage: .370
OPS: .677

Hits: 97
At Bats: 354
Doubles: 14
Triples: 1
Homeruns: 6
RBIs: 26
Runs: 29
BB: 14
K: 87
SB: 3
CS: 2

Comments: Manager worries about maturity issues due to in-team fighting, so-so "team player", versatile in the field

Potential: Solid hitter for average, some deceptive power, offensive threat, great fielder

Plan: Needs to cut down on strikeouts, must work on endurance/durability (Stats steadily declined as season wore on), needs to mature in addition to develop


***OFF THE FIELD***
Personality: 4/10
Team Leadership: 2/10
Fan Relations: 4/10

Marketability: 1/10
Visibility: 2/10

Comments: Player seems slightly intimidated by media causing his personality to stay hidden, shows feelings of isolation from teammates, fans enjoy his presence, often signs autographs before and after games as well as tossing baseballs to fans when possible, not yet marketable due to low level in organization, being a 1'st round pick provides more visibility than most young players

Potential: Has good media personality, should develop into good interview candidate as well as team spokesperson, best suited for promoting products such as beer, cars and accessories, and sporting goods, visibility and marketability will increase as he develops

Plan: Focus on improving on the field skills should equate to major increases in visibility, marketability, and fan relations, need to work on leadership skills as well as player-to-player relations


Report prepared by: Jeff Willis (agent of Davis Holden)

[Psicosis]

You're not really just going to a couple of Rangers games, are you? You know what I'm saying, right?

Great story. I eagerly await finding out what the future holds for young Davis.

[PurdueBrad]

Diary, September 13'th, 2003

All I can say is wow!!! I made the drive to Arlington, Texas in time to make a two game homestand between the Rangers and A's. I've been to Major League games before and felt the awe of walking out of the tunnel but its different now. I'm a professional baseball player and now when I walk out of the tunnel to my seat, I think to myself, "I have to play here."

The Ballpark is so amazing, a long way from Billy Hebert Field in Stockton. I immediately fell in love with every little thing about the stadium, from the perfectly manicured infield to the crackerjack feeling of the outfield. The team isn't drawing too well so I was able to snag a single ticket pretty close to the field, down the third base line.

Sitting here and watching Mark Texiera take infield practice really makes me miss playing the hot corner. I look at his Major League jersey, his Major League hat, and listen to the Major League fans and see the realization of all my dreams.

I watched the two starting pitchers get rocked, Oakland's Buddy Hernandez didn't even make it out of the first while Chan Ho Park somehow last five plus. I saw A-Rod drive in his 120'th run but he didn't homer, he stayed stuck at 48. Perhaps best of all though was watching Herbert Perry break the tie in the bottom of the ninth with a sac fly to beat Oakland. I never thought I would be so proud of a team that I don't even play for!

After the game I bumped into Jorge Lopez, one of the Rangers' minor league scouts. He recognized me and we had a brief talk about the game but he promised to leave me a ticket at Will Call for tomorrow's game so I won't have to actually buy one.

Well, time to hit the sack and get ready to return to the Ballpark tomorrow to cheer on the Rangers...

[PurdueBrad]

Diary, September 14, 2003

The free ticket at Will Call was even better than I expected. Mr. Lopez got me a good seat behind home plate but even better, he sat next to me the WHOLE game. It was so cool to watch the game through the eyes of a scout.

He taught me a lot about the little things. He showed me how A-Rod makes his turn at second and I realized that my own footwork can benefit from watching this guy. He kind of gets a bad rap as a fielder but Mr. Lopez showed me how hard he works.

I watched another pitcher get shelled, this time unfortunately it was Brad Radke. He gave up seven runs in two innings and the Rangers lost 12-4. Marshall McDougall, who apparently got called up for the 40 man expansion, started at third today instead of Texiera and he looked terrible. He went 0-4 and made a terrible throwing error, bad for him but maybe good for me.

Texiera is going to finish the year hitting less than .230 while McDougall has been pretty bad since being called up. My agent tells me that the worse these guys do, the better my future looks. Of course, for this to matter, I've got to get back to playing third base.

Mr. Lopez offers to take me down to the clubhouse and maybe introduce me to a couple players, so I jump at the opportunity. I can't believe the way the clubhouse looks. I've seen better high school locker rooms than we have at Stockton but this place is like heaven. A huge food spread, nice new carpet, beautiful lockers, televisions everywhere, it just makes me long to play here even more.

I meet a couple of the players, most notably Rafeal Palmiero who was really nice. I wasn't sure what to expect since he does the Viagra commercials and all but he actually asked me about my season and talked hitting with me. I now have a sudden desire to hit the batting cages to try out some of the things he taught me!

Anyway, its time to leave for home to spend the winter. I told my Dad he better have the Dish ready because I want to watch as many Ranger games as possible while I'm relaxing. Too bad I won't be watching them in the playoffs.

[Psicosis]

Those last two entries made me break into a huge grin from ear to ear, man. It's like I'm living vicariously through Davis.

[PurdueBrad]

Diary, March 11, 2004

I've found out that I'll be starting the season in Single A again, so it looks like I'm off to Stockton and that wonderfully small apartment again. Actually I'm not surprised since the team wants me to develop more. I'm a little frustrated though that Dwayne Miranda got promoted over me to Frisco. But hey, I guess they can't leave a 25 year old in Single A forever. Besides, it'll make life easier not having to see him in the same locker room.

Jorge Lopez came up to me in the batting cage the other day and said he was impressed with how I was swinging the bat. He asked about my off-season training regimen so I told him some lies about weight-lifting and running. Really all I did was eat a lot, watch football, and have a few beers.

One good thing that came out of the whole Miranda promotion though is my return to third base. I am really excited to be back at home on the left side of the infield. I'm a lot more comfortable over there than trying to turn two at second.

It was hard leaving home again for Spring Training. I felt like a celebrity being back in Batavia, everyone wanted to know how I was doing. I even got to give interviews to both local papers and my high school newspaper. All in all, it was a great winter but I can't wait to get out of the cold weather that the Midwest offers.

The only bad thing that happened was on my 19'th birthday. I got a little drunk with some friends and when I was leaving, I fell down the steps and landed hard on my right shoulder. It swelled up pretty good and stayed sore for about a month but everything seems okay now. Hope it stays that way.

I have to say though, all those amazing feelings from my visit to The Ballpark in Arlington came back to me when I dusted off the spikes and put on my glove at our training facility in Surprise, Arizona. Can't wait to get back to Stockton...