Power surge continues for Jaylin Davis of Cedar Rapids Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS — Jaylin Davis has backed off the plate and moved forward with his production. Big time.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder had three more hits Thursday night as his team peppered Clinton, 9-2, at Veterans Memorial Stadium. That included his 11th home run, which leads the Midwest League.

Davis has eight longballs this month, seven of which have come in the last 10 days. You might recall he had a three-homer game May 16, which tied a club record.

His batting average has climbed 30 points as well, to .268, in this less-than-two-week span. It has corresponded with an adjustment he made, moving to the middle of the batter's box.

'I just feel like I'm free,' Davis said. 'I was getting tied up a lot.'

'We just felt like with his swing, he likes to get his hands extended and his barrel out into the zone,' said Kernels hitting coach Brian Dinkelman. 'When he was on top of the plate, he couldn't do that. You pitched him middle-in, he'd tie himself up and couldn't get extension. We just felt like backing him off the plate just a little bit would give him a little more room to expand and open up the zone a little bit more.'

Dinkelman pointed out this Davis power surge has been almost all non-pull related. He said he thought only one of the right-handed hitter's homers have been to left field.

He went oppo in the first inning here, driving a pitch over the fence in right-center field. There is just that much strength there.

'His power is unbelievable,' Dinkelman said. 'If he gets the barrel to the ball, it's going to go.'

The parent Minnesota Twins took a chance with the 22-year-old, drafting him in the 24th round in 2015 out of Appalachian State, despite a torn labrum he suffered while diving for a ball in the outfield. He didn't begin his pro career until last season, when he hit 16 homers in 64 total games for the Kernels and Rookie-level Elizabethton. Looks like he's going to go well past that number this season, thanks to a little tinkering.

'It has just been really big for my game because I get pitched there (outside) the most,' Davis said. 'I really don't get pitched inside much. When they go in there, it's usually something soft.'

The Kernels (27-20) also received a two-run home run from Lewin Diaz, another guy with huge power potential, to split this four-game series. Starting pitcher Eduardo Del Rosario (4-2) threw six strong innings, striking out nine, to pick up the pitching win.

Cedar Rapids has a game lead on Kane County for first place in the Midwest League's Western Division, with a significant four-game series against the Cougars on tap this weekend in suburban Chicago. The club will add pitchers Ryan Mason and Patrick McGuff to the roster Friday from extended spring training, with a corresponding pitching move to be announced.

Starter Tyler Beardsley was placed on the disabled list Thursday, leaving Cedar Rapids with just 11 active pitchers and 24 active players. Pitching coach J.P. Martinez said reliever Max Cordy will get a spot start Friday night as part of a 'staff day.'

McGuff pitched in last season's playoffs for the Kernels, after posting nine saves in the regular season for E-town. Mason was 3-2 with a 5.33 earned run average in 11 games, nine starts, last season in the Appalachian League.

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