Australian outfielder Drew Davies signed a professional contract with the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Davies, 18, starred for South Australia in nine games of the U-18 National Championship, going 17-for-27 with two home runs and 16 runs batted in (RBIs).
"I really liked his swing," said Cincinnati's scout Donald Lutz, a former MLB player developed in Germany who played in the Australian Baseball League (ABL) in the 2015-2016 season. "It looked really good. I liked his aggression. He's got a good body. He has the tools to be an outstanding baseball player. When it comes down to it, the Reds think he's got what it takes."
In the summer of 2022, Davies was cut from the Australian U-18 National Team before the XXX WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup as a 16-year-old.
"When I came back [ from Florida], I started to train like I was already a professional. I tried to train as much as I could, work around school, and get in as many reps as I possibly could," he said on Baseball Australia's website.
Davies made the final roster for the XXXI WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup earlier this year but couldn't participate due to a broken finger.
Baseball South Australia's high-performance manager Austin Gallagher commented: "He proved he's one of the top talents in Australia at the [Under 18s]. He works really hard and is consistent with it. The positive about Drew is that you can't tell if he's going good or bad. He always stays consistent with his approach and how he goes about things."
