Jason Davis has come full circle.
The former Charleston High School athlete – a Mike Turner protégé – has pitched for professional baseball teams in Cleveland, Ohio; Arlington, Texas; Pittsburgh; Seattle; Akron, Ohio; Columbus, Ga.; Burlington, N.C.; Kinston, N.C.; and Buffalo, N.Y. Along the way he added a wife and four children.
Now the former MLB pitcher is returning to the diamond, this time as pitching coach for Joe Shamblin and the Walker Valley Mustangs. And his career path didn’t originally include baseball.
“I went to Cleveland State (Community College) on a basketball scholarship and wasn’t going to play baseball,” the 6-foot-6, 200-pounder recalled. “They had an issue in the fall and were struggling for pitching, and (coach) Mike Policastro approached me about coming to throw a little and see how I liked it.”
He loved it.
“That’s one thing I’m grateful for. I played basketball one year and decided to devote all my time to baseball,” Davis said. “Baseball presented more opportunities.”
Getting drafted by the Indians as a draft-and-follow after his freshman year probably influenced that decision.
He signed with the Indians after his sophomore season and prior to the 2000 draft. After a season in Burlington, he won 14 games for Columbus of the South Atlantic League and then went from high-A to AA and to the big-league Indians all in 2002. He was a starter for four seasons before moving to the bullpen, and toward the end of his career he made four starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
With the Indians he was on a staff that included CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook. His catcher was Victor Martinez.
“CC was sort of like an adviser to the younger guys, and Victor used to ride to the park with me every day,” said Davis, who played against current Ooltewah coach Brian Hitchcox in Double-A – Davis in Akron and Hitchcox (Phillies) in Erie, Pa.
When he first retired from baseball, Davis took a year off but also wound up working as an individual pitching coach in the Cleveland (Tenn.) area. He then “entered the work force” with M&M Mars in Cleveland.
Initially working other than day shifts, he had to give up tutoring, but then everything came together to Walker Valley’s benefit. Shamblin’s longtime pitching coach, Dustin McPherson, accepted the head coaching position at Tennessee Christian Prep. Davis was moved to the day shift at M&M Mars.
“The timing was right for him and us, too,” Shamblin said. “I hated to see Dustin leave, but I don’t think we could have found a better replacement. Jason and I have similar philosophies.”
Those philosophies are being implemented already, with the team working more on core strength.
“What we’re doing is what the Cleveland Indians did,” Shamblin said. “The kids have bought in. It’s a major league workout and coming from a major leaguer.”
Davis said the call from Shamblin and a reconnection with Turner, now Walker Valley’s athletic director, came out of the blue.
“He asked me, and I didn’t say no,” Davis said. “I knew I was going to do it, but I had to talk it over with the family. I knew when I retired that it was time, and there were no regrets, but working with those kids and seeing them progress – I really developed a passion for that.”
Shamblin has a reputation for “discussions” with umpires. Davis plans conversations of a different sort.
“Umpires aren’t perfect, but they have the best view,” he said. “First, I’ll ask him if my catcher needs to make some adjustments. There’s more to the approach than yelling at a guy, and I want the ump to know that I’m looking to make adjustments and work off what is being called.”
He did add, though, “When you’re between the lines and competing, things happen.”
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.