NEWSLETTER
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The Chicago Cubs minor league player of the month for July, Brennen Davis, was something of a foregone conclusion, but that doesn’t make it any less nice to see the top prospect getting some love. And the pitcher of the month, Ryan Jensen, was the 2019 first rounder, so that’s always nice to see.
Davis, 21, figures to get the bump to Triple-A Iowa by the end of the year, if for no other reason than it will give him several extra weeks of play (the Triple-A season has been extended into the first week of October, whereas the Double-A season ends September 19). He’s currently hitting .260/.375/.503 (142 wRC+) as one of the youngest players in the league, and that doesn’t include his two homers in the Future’s Game.
Jensen, 23, is getting his first full season pro experience thanks to the shutdown in 2020, so it’s been an adjustment process. The control still leaves him at times, but when he’s locked in, the stuff is absolutely incredible. The results are kind of a mess this year because the outings vaccilate between a first inning he can’t finish (organizational pitch limit) to no hits through five. It’s all about the development, though, and I’m certain the Cubs have been happy with what they’ve seen.
The Cubs release announcing the honors:
The Chicago Cubs today named Double-A Tennessee outfielder Brennen Davis as the organization’s minor league player of the month for July, while High-A South Bend right-handed pitcher Ryan Jensen was named the club’s minor league pitcher of the month.
Davis, 21, hit .298 (25-for-84) with 10 doubles, seven home runs and 21 RBI in 24 games in July, posting a .410 on-base percentage, a .667 slugging mark and a 1.077 OPS. He last month ranked second among all Double-A players in doubles and extra-base hits (17), fourth in OPS and fifth in slugging. Davis hit a home run in five of seven games from July 17-24, including a season-high two home runs and five RBI, July 21 at Rocket City. Additionally, Davis was named the Most Valuable Player at the 2021 MLB Futures Game held July 11 in Colorado, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and two RBI.
Selected in the second round of the 2018 draft by the Cubs, Davis this season is batting .268 (53-for-198) with 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 31 RBI in 57 games between Tennessee and South Bend. The right-handed hitter is batting .303 (47-for-155) with nine home runs vs. right-handed pitching, seeing time at all three outfield spots and designated hitter. Davis owns a .288 batting average (124-for-431) with 19 homers and 64 RBI in 124 career minor league games.
Jensen, 23, last month posted a 1.99 ERA (5 ER/22.2 IP) with four walks and 28 strikeouts in five starts at South Bend, with a .150 opponent batting average, a .200 opponent on-base percentage and a .413 opponent OPS to go along with a 0.71 WHIP.
The righthander is 2-7 with a 4.81 ERA (31 ER/58.0 IP) in 15 starts this season and has held opponents to a .197 average (41-for-208). A native of Monterey, Calif., Jensen was selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 2019 draft after pitching three seasons for Fresno State University. He had a record of 17-7 with a 4.44 ERA (104 ER/11.0 IP) in 63 games (27 starts), walking 99 and striking out 208 for the Bulldogs.
