Not many people knew who Davis Martin was entering the 2022 season. If you searched for the Whtie Sox top 30 prospects before the season, you wouldn’t find Martin’s name on the list. He didn’t appear in any Spring Training games; as a matter of fact, he didn’t even receive an invite to Major League Camp.
Just before the season began, he looked at his wife before leaving his house and said the goal was to make it to Triple-A Charlotte before the end of the season. She added that it would be cool if he got there by August.
But somehow, the 25-year-old kid from Abeline, Texas, found himself pitching in some pivotal games for the Chicago White Sox as early as June. So how did Martin turn himself into the White Sox emergency pitcher?
Martin always had the stuff to be a successful pitcher. During his freshman year at Texas Tech, he set the school record in wins by posting a 10-1 record. He was selected by the White Sox in the 14th round of the 2018 draft. Martin struggled a bit, posting an ERA north of five in 2019. However, he still managed to get promoted to Double-A in 2021.
When he arrived in Birmingham, former White Sox pitcher Richard Doston helped him take his game to the next level the following season. According to Martin, he smelled the 1984 All-Star before he saw him for the first time.
He and his best friend were in the Birmingham bullpen before a game when they smelled cigarette smoke. They looked back, and Doston greeted them by saying, “What’s up, boys? How are we doing?”
Doston helped simplify the game for Martin. As Doston put it, “go get the guy out.” Doston’s approach helped Martin gradually improve towards the end of the 2021 season. By simplifying his game, he could focus on how his body moved. His mechanics became easier to repeat, and his fastball began gaining more movement.
“He preached more than anything just to be where your feet are,” Martin said. “He said, ‘if you want to be in Charlotte, that’s great. If you want to be a big leaguer, that’s great, but you can’t be in Chicago while you’re in Double-A Birmingham.’ So he was, ‘take care of your business here. Do what you need to do, and then you’ll see the fruit of all your efforts.’ The next thing you know, a month later, we did.”
Martin only pitched five games in Birmingham in 2022 before getting promoted to Charlotte. He impressed to the tune of a 3.00 ERA and 33 strikeouts in just 24 innings. That was all the organization needed to see to give him a ticket to Charlotte.
He barely had time to settle into his new home. As he was preparing for his third Triple-A start against the Norfolk Tides, he got a call that the White Sox needed him for their doubleheader against Kansas City the next day.
He initially assumed he would be an insurance arm out of the bullpen. However, he soon found out that he would be making his first major league start. Martin has to scramble to find tickets for his family and friends.
Upon landing in Kansas City, he did his best to soak up everything and enjoy the moment. But even he admitted he felt like he blinked, and it was over.
The morning of the game, he took a walk around Kauffman Stadium to take everything in. That way, it would be easier to focus on the task at hand later that night.
His strategy seemed to work as he was completely unphased. He struck out seven batters, generated 16 swings, and missed and limited the Royals to one run in five innings.
He earned his first win in Detroit a month later, on June 15t after holding after the Tigers were scoreless through 5.1 innings. After the game, his teammates celebrated the occasion with a beer shower in the locker room.
He described the scene to Chuck Garfein on the White Sox Talk Podcast.
“I don’t know how much stuff. The last thing I heard was, ‘.Kendall, Kendall, not the Overnight Oats, ‘ and then next thing you know, it was like Overnight Oats smack in the side of the face, and I was just like ‘wow,’ my hair looked great the next day.”
It would be a moment he will never forget.
Martin would continue to bounce around between the majors and Triple-A as the season progressed. When the White Sox needed to break the emergency glass and snag a pitcher, Martin got the call.
In his first 12 games, Davis Martin posted a 3.86 ERA with 39 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .239 batting average. It’s been a mostly forgettable season for the 2022 White Sox. But if your looking for a feel-good story, look no further than Davis Martin.
Agreed. A great story out of this miserable season. Thanks for sharing this.