Blue Jays prospect Mason Davenport discusses signing his first pro contract and preparation for 2026

In the history of baseball, there have only been six players (all pitchers) over 6’10 that have appeared in an MLB game. Blue Jays prospect Mason Davenport is looking to become the seventh.

At just 21 years old, his undeniable size stands out as he is only one inch shorter than the tallest player in MLB history, former Jay Jon Rauch, who stood at a towering 6’11.

It wasn’t always an easy road for the right-hander. Hailing from Tonganoxie, Kansas, he faced an uphill battle, struggling in his early years at Tonganoxie High School, grinding through JUCO ball, and eventually making a D1 roster at Stetson University. This made the moment he got the call from the Blue Jays that much more special.

“It was surreal… kind of hard to believe all at the same time”, said Davenport, speaking to Blue Jays Nation.

After completing his first year at Stetson in 2025, he entered the transfer portal and committed to Campbell University, though he remained hopeful that a team would call his name during the draft. The draft came and went with no teams picking up the phone during the rounds, making it seem like Davenport was heading back to college. Two minutes after the draft, the Blue Jays picked up the phone and offered Davenport an Undrafted Free Agent Contract.

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed RHP Mason Davenport!

Congratulations, Mason.

Davenport was given about 15 minutes from that initial phone call to decide whether or not he would accept the Blue Jays’ offer, and received another call from the San Diego Padres in that short window, now having to decide between the two organizations.

“It went from zero to 100 really quick, but it was a very surreal experience”, stated Davenport.

Just eight minutes after that initial phone call from his agent, he was a Toronto Blue Jay.

Road to Pro Ball

It was Davenport’s junior and senior years at Tonganoxie High School that catapulted him on his trajectory to pro ball, though his future on the mound was tested early after he struggled his freshman season and lost his sophomore season due to the pandemic. The last two years of his high school career, things would go Davenport’s way: he would go All-State and lead his team to the 4A State Championship in 2022.

“I remember in my junior year realizing, ‘hey, I’m actually good at this’.”

It was during his senior season that Davenport began receiving phone calls from numerous post-secondary schools and decided to stay close to home, pitching for Kansas City Kansas Community College under head coach Matt Goldbeck. In his freshman year at KCKCC, he went 7-4, and after struggling to a 7.44 ERA in his first two months, he settled in the rest of the way, pitching to a formidable 3.95 ERA.

A similar trend continued in his sophomore season at KCKCC, as he logged an 11.42 ERA in his first three appearances in February, before pitching to a 3.47 ERA to finish out the season. He would go on to play summer ball in the Cape Cod League with the Cotuit Kettleers before entering his first year at Stetson University.

“I was blessed with the opportunity to be scouted by many D1 schools and ended up committing to Stetson,” said Davenport.

Battling the Mental Game

In his lone year playing D1 baseball, Davenport recorded a 7.30 ERA across 37 innings, facing top competition against teams like Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida, and Florida State. It was during this time that he realized he had lost his conviction on the mound, which led to poor results on the statsheet.

“I started to press too much mentally and questioned myself: Am I good enough? Overall, I was trying to be too perfect”, said Davenport. “The biggest thing is having confidence in yourself on the mound. I went back and watched old videos of myself having success in JUCO, believe it or not… Seeing yourself have success is one of the biggest tools pitchers can use to gain confidence on the mound.”

This mindset translated in his second year with Cotuit during the summer of 2025, as he logged a 2.25 ERA and was eventually signed by the Blue Jays. Apart from the mental game, his strength and conditioning were refined by Connor Kehl, the strength and conditioning coach at Stetson. He noticed significant upgrades, facility-wise, at Stetson compared to KCKCC, though he attributes much of the ‘grittiness’ to his time in Kansas.

First Pro Offseason

Training with the Blue Jays in his first pro-offseason this past winter, Davenport remarked that his new training grounds are “crazier than anything I’ve ever seen before.”

“The number of tools and machines we have at our fingertips for us to succeed is mind-boggling,” explained Davenport.

The Blue Jays have been known to host one of the premier training facilities at their Dunedin Player Development Complex, and Davenport has taken full advantage of improving in his new stomping grounds.

Heading into his first pro-season, Davenport commented on what he believes will be the toughest challenge, adjusting from college ball: “I think the biggest adjustment will be workload. It’s important to have an established routine and to make sure you prioritize recovery, while still getting after it when you need to.”

Mason Davenport | 6-9/255 | JR | RHP
@StetsonBaseball

• Juco to D1 transfer this spring
• 3 pitch-mix. Low to mid 90’s FB
• swing & miss SL, locates to RHH/LHH

1 of Midwest jucos most intriguing SP’s in 2024. Brings upside & #MLBDraft prospect pedigree to NE Florida in ‘25

Davenport uses his size to his advantage

Davenport’s most noticeable feature is undoubtedly his 6’10 255 lb frame, which he leverages by maximizing his extension down the mound.

“The biggest thing for me is I’m trying to get as much extension as I can down the mound,” explained Davenport. “The further I can get down the mound, the lower the release height is going to be, which will let my fastball ride through the zone.”

This extension, paired with an emphasis on having his upper and lower body work synchronously this offseason, plays into his dominant presence when he hits the rubber.

Working with the Blue Jays training staff, Davenport noted, “the biggest thing mechanically has been raising my shoulder angle and pointing it upwards, then letting it leverage into my front hip when I get to lead leg block.” This adjustment has gotten him into an improved throwing position that aims to take stress off his lower half, which has been doing much of the heavy lifting throughout his college career. His goal is to use his entire body this season, which in turn should lead to improved results on the field.

Davenport also models his game after some of the ‘giants’ who have graced the mound before him.

“I watched a lot of Randy Johnson highlights growing up, trying to learn how he moves,” explained Davenport. “He didn’t have the most overpowering stuff, but had some wild pitch-ability, to pair with the tremendous height.”

Mason Davenport 6-9 RHP for Kansas City throws a 90 mph late tailing FB to strikeout a Johnson County hitter. Davenport has command of quality 3 pitch mix FB 88-91 late tail sink. Tight spin on late hard diving slider. Change deception and sink. ⁦@KCKbaseball⁩

Talkin’ Shop

Davenport possesses an arsenal that features a fastball with great ride, sitting in the low 90s, reaching the mid-90s, to pair with a sweeper in the low-to-mid 80s, in addition to some new pitches he has worked on in the past year.

“The cutter is a pitch I’m really excited to have over an entire season”, said Davenport. He developed a cutter that works in the low 90s during his time at Cotuit last summer and noticed immediate results, especially against left-handed batters.

The most notable adjustment to his arsenal has been the implementation of a changeup, which Davenport has tinkered with over time.

“It’s always been pretty bad metrically, so we’ve worked on a new three-finger grip this winter, and I’ve had a lot of success with it.”

In recent weeks, Davenport has been executing the release of his new changeup grip in bullpen sessions, finding the shape and velocity he has been seeking for years. It currently sits in the mid-high 80s, and should it develop into a regular part of his arsenal, it would round out an inventory of weapons he can use to both righties and lefties.

Preparing for 2026

The biggest focus for Davenport heading into 2026 will be ensuring he commits to filling up the zone with strikes and not being afraid to attack hitters with his great arsenal. Securing first-pitch strikes will allow the tall right-hander to control the pace of a given at-bat, setting up his secondary weapons in count leverage, instead of having to work from behind and forcing batters to chase from the onset.

“I have to get back to: I’m going to beat you with this pitch, get ahead 0-1, and then control the rest of the count,” explained Davenport.

This summer, Davenport is likely to begin the season with the Jays’ Florida Complex League, working alongside pitching coach Yoel Hernandez, who has worked with top prospects Johnny King, Adam Macko, and Ricky Tiedemann in recent years. Though it is yet to be seen how Davenport will adjust to his first taste of professional baseball, he has all the tools in the making to become a future noteworthy arm in the Jays’ minor league system.

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