The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

AS he continues his path toward Major League Baseball, one Bahamian prospect has begun his minor league campaign in the Caribbean.

Dale Davis of the Texas Rangers has been assigned to the franchise’s summer league team in the Dominican Republic.

In four games thus far, Davis is hitting .143 with two runs scored and one RBI.

In March, Davis signed a contract with the Texas Rangers to become the first player from the Maximum Development Sports Academy (MaxD) programme to sign with a Major League baseball team.

Undrafted after he completed his collegiate eligibility at Bluefield State, Davis returned to the Bahamas but continued to train toward his ultimate goal of playing professional baseball.

He participated in the Maximum Development Sports Academy Pro Day where at least a dozen scouts from 10 Major League Baseball teams attended the event hosted at the Freedom Farm Complex in Yamacraw.

He started his collegiate baseball career at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland, where he played years. He earned NJCAA Division III All-Region 20 First Team as a freshman. He led the nation with stolen bases as a sophomore with 63 and a 96.9 stolen base percentage. For his career at PGCC, he had a .421 BA with 71 runs scored and 109 stolen bases.

At Bluefield State, Davis played two seasons for the Big Blues, batting .371 for his career, with 110 hits, 69 runs scored, 22 doubles, 10 triples, 51 RBIs and 37 stolen bases.

Davis played centrefield for the Blues but is listed as a shortstop for the Rangers.

The Dominican Summer League is a branch of affiliated minor league baseball which is played in the Dominican Republic. The league was founded in 1985. The 2015 72-game season starts May 30 and ending August 22 with the playoffs starting on August 24.

The league consists of 38 teams in five divisions. Each team is affiliated with a different major league franchise with eight organisations fielding two teams: the Astros, Mariners, Mets, Orioles, Rangers, Reds, Red Sox and Yankees.

Six teams make the playoffs, the winners of each division plus the best runner-up. The two division champions with the best winning percentages receive byes to the semi-finals.