MINOR LEAGUES / SEAN WATERS : Davison Looks for Another Chance

For four years, Scott Davison twisted arms trying to get an opportunity to pitch again. But when executives in the Montreal Expos organization finally granted his wish, they discovered that Davison’s arm was out of alignment.

Recovering from injuries to his right arm and shoulder, the former Redondo High standout was released during the off-season after struggling as a shortstop in the Expos’ farm system.

Once the most prolific pitcher and hitter in the state, Davison acknowledged he made a mistake when he signed with Montreal in 1988 after being selected in the fourth round of the draft. He signed for a $57,000 signing bonus and agreed to give up pitching to become a shortstop. He also had to back out of a scholarship offer from USC, which recruited him as a pitcher.

At the time, Davison, who was selected state player of the year in 1988, welcomed the opportunity to play every day and was willing to make the change.

Montreal was one of the two organizations that considered Davison a better prospect as a shortstop than a pitcher. He played both positions for the Sea Hawks.

While playing for the Expos’ Class-A affiliate in West Palm Beach, Fla., Davison made a pitch to get his old position back. The Expos needed a shortstop to finish the Florida State League schedule, but agreed to make the change in the winter.

Davison, however, separated his shoulder while diving back to first during a FSL game.

“It didn’t hurt at the time, but when I went to throw between innings, I could hardly move my arm,” Davison said.

Davison sought the advice of Dr. Frank Jobe and spent two months rehabilitating his shoulder in the same workout room with Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Randall Cunningham and Laker center Vlade Divac.

Two months later, when the shoulder was slow responding to rehabilitation, Davison sought to speed the process through surgery. Montreal agreed to pay for the operation, but also informed Davison that he was released.

“Basically, we did not have a spot for him,” Expo farm director Kent Qualls said. “We didn’t think he had the ability to advance to the next level.

Davison was released because he not only thought like a pitcher, but hit like one, too. He batted .239 at Jamestown, N.Y., his highest average in four seasons in rookie and Class-A ball. Last season at West Palm Beach, he batted .168 with six doubles, four triples, a home run, 24 runs batted in and 11 stolen bases.

“I don’t want to get into great detail about it, but you can look at his numbers the last few years,” Qualls said. “We felt we had players that were ahead of him. There was some discussion about him trying to pitch, but it wasn’t something that was realistic to do.”

The Expos had been reorganizing their front office, losing several executives to the 1993 National League expansion Florida Marlins.

Davison was judged by Baseball America to have the strongest infield arm in the FSL and the strongest arm in the Expo organization for two consecutive years. Davison believes the holdover Expo executives were not familiar with his pitching record.

Davison was 18-0 as a senior at Redondo and is still listed among the leaders in several all-time Southern Section categories.

“I don’t think they were aware I was pitcher in high school,” Davison said about the new executives in Montreal. “Why else would they release me? How could I hurt them by being on their roster?”

Harry Jenkins, Davison’s coach at Redondo and now the coach at West Torrance, was surprised the Expos released Davison without giving him a chance to pitch. He said most major league teams wanted to draft Davison as a pitcher with the exception of Montreal and San Francisco.

“Typically, a team will ask you back as pitcher after releasing you as a regular player,” Jenkins said.

As a senior, Davison was nationally recognized as one of the top three prep pitchers. The other two were current Atlanta Brave left-hander Steve Avery and Chicago White Sox right-hander Alex Fernandez.

“He was one of the greatest pitchers in California history,” Jenkins said. “They should have at least known his background.”

Davison was offered a tryout with the Marlins in April by a former Expo scout, but he declined because his arm wasn’t in shape.

“I hadn’t picked up a baseball in four months and I hadn’t pitched in four years,” Davison said. “I wasn’t ready to pitch and light up a speed gun.”

Davison’s shoulder has healed, but he has discovered a more serious pain in his right elbow. Davison has bone clips that cause a sharp pain when he lifts his arm.

Rest, however, will not cure this problem and Davison cannot get the Expos to pay for surgery. He might sue the organization because he cannot afford to pay for the operation.

In the meantime, Davison has worked as a volunteer coach for Jenkins and is hopeful of resuming his career in the spring with Florida or the Colorado Rockies, another National League expansion team.

“I think I’m capable of pitching at double A or high A ball,” Davison said. “I have something to prove.”