Former Manatee High pitcher Weston Davis heading to New York-Penn League All-Star Game

Another New York-Penn League baseball game finished, and Manatee High School graduate Weston Davis was with teammates in the visitor’s clubhouse.

Pitcher Tyler Watson, who had thrown six scoreless innings, came over to Davis’ locker with a smile on his face. It had nothing to do with Watson’s performance Monday night, but a bit of news he found while scrolling through Twitter.

“I said, ‘What are you smiling about,’” Davis said. “He just showed me the screen. I’m like, ‘Dude, stop messing with me. Is this real?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, we just got picked for the All-Star Game, dude.’”

Davis, who plays for the Auburn Doubledays, received confirmation of his selection from manager Gary Cathcart on the bus ride back from Monday’s 1-0 loss in Batavia, N.Y. He is headed to Tuesday’s All-Star Game, which is being played at the Hudson Valley Renegades’ home park in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.. And it comes in Davis’ first NYP season.

“It’s a great feeling. Everything I’ve put myself through into this season has been paying off.”

The Washington Nationals drafted Davis out of high school in 2014, and he learned he couldn’t rely on just his fastball against opposing hitters during Gulf Coast League ball. So Davis said he figured out how to pitch more effectively, utilizing his change-up and slider to mix with his fastball, which was topping out at 94 or 95 miles per hour in high school.

But he needed to get himself in front of more fans to further his career.

“My mindset was I just had to get out of Florida,” Davis said. “I’ve got to go play some real minor league baseball in front of fans, in the lights and in the stadiums. Not playing in 12 o’clock in the afternoon in front of nobody.”

Leaving Florida would move Davis’ career to the next level, but the former Manatee standout almost had his career derailed before it started.

Just before his second professional season was set to begin in 2015, Davis felt shoulder pain. It is a scary area for pitchers to deal with: There isn’t a long, successful history of hurlers returning from shoulder surgery as there is with Tommy John surgery for elbows.

“To be out for a full year, it was brutal,” said Davis, who was suffering from a Hill-Sachs lesion in his right shoulder. “Nobody wants to be hurt and stuck in the GCL all year and not even pick up a baseball.”

So Davis set out to prove himself.

Surgery wasn’t needed. Rehabbing from the inflamed tendons in his shoulder required rest, before he bagan slowly throwing from various distances. Bullpens and simulated one-inning games followed. Finally, he was back with a healthy shoulder.

“When it happened, I was slinging the ball,” Davis said. “I couldn’t even get my arm up, it hurt so bad.”

Shortly after Washington activated Davis from the disabled list, he was assigned to Auburn (N.Y.) for New York-Penn League games — five days shy of the one-year anniversary of his being placed on the disabled list.

He’s delighted with a 2.65 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in 34 innings pitched and seven starts. Davis has racked up 18 strikeouts against just four walks in that span.

“My first year, I was a young kid,” said Davis, whose next start is slated for Thursday. “I was drafted at 17 and I’m going up against kids that played Division I college, any level of college. I guess the difference is I’m 20 now. I’m older, I’m bigger, I’m stronger, I’m mature (and) I’m smarter. ... When you make it to professional baseball, we say, ‘What did we hire you for? We didn’t hire you to be a thrower, we hired you to be a pitcher.’ (So) you’ve got to learn how to pitch against batters, be smarter, mix up pitches (and) hit your location perfect. Get hitters’ timing off.”

So far, he’s succeeded at a high clip getting hitters off-balance.

And now it’s given Davis his first All-Star honors. All just a year removed from sitting on the shelf, away from America’s pastime.

“I absolutely love the fire and adrenaline and the tough games and being in front of all these people,” said Davis about pitching in front of a few thousand fans in certain NYP League parks.

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 12:02 AM with the headline "Former Manatee High pitcher Weston Davis heading to New York-Penn League All-Star Game."