Shortstop Davison Is in a Tough Position : Baseball: Former Redondo High standout wants to show his stuff as a pitcher.

Scott Davison had a perfect 18-0 record with Redondo High and a chance to break three Southern Section pitching records until he ran into the Covina Colts in the 1988 4-A Division semifinals.

The senior right-hander was roughed up for eight hits and six earned runs in two innings before he was ejected for arguing a call with the home-plate umpire. His quest for a record-perfect season ended with a disappointing 6-1 loss.

It was the last game he pitched.

The Montreal Expos drafted Davison in the fourth round of the amateur draft in June. They gave Davison a bonus of more than $50,000 and he agreed to give up pitching to become a shortstop full time. Davison backed out of a scholarship to USC, which recruited him as a pitcher.

“The Expos liked me as a shortstop, that’s why they drafted me,” said Davison, who also played shortstop for Redondo. “Most of the (professional) teams I talked to before and after the draft wanted me as a pitcher. Deep down, I thought I would move up faster as a pitcher, but they didn’t give me a choice.”

At the time, Davison, who was named the State Player of Year in 1988, was willing to accept the change because he had been pitching since Little League and he was still bitter about his disappointing performance in his high school finale.

After three seasons in the Expos farm system, Davison would like to make a pitch to get his old position back.

But Montreal’s management is unwilling to make a change, at least for now.

“We got him as shortstop and will continue his program at that position,” Montreal Assistant General Manager Dan Duquette said. “From what I hear, he was the best defensive shortstop in the (Midwest) League. He has a terrific arm.”

Playing for the Montreal Expos single-A affiliate in Rockford, Ill., Davison was one of the top three fielding shortstops this season in the Midwest League. He had his lowest percentage of errors (.958) of his pro career. Last year at Jamestown (Pa.), Davison was selected the fifth-best prospect in the New York-Penn League by Baseball America.

His hitting, however, has tailed off since his high school

days when he set three Southern Section records. Davison had a .215 batting average with 48 runs batted in, one home run (a grand slam) and 22 stolen bases.

“Defensively, I’ve learned a lot about getting jumps on balls and reducing my number of errors,” Davison said. “Offensively, I started off really well, hitting around .280, but I got into a rut trying to pull the ball.”

Davison’s biggest problem is hitting balls pitched on the outside corner, the same type of pitch that made him a South Bay legend in high school. The Expos sent a hitting instructor to help Davison with his fundamentals.

“He needs to make more consistent contact with the ball at his plate,” Duquette said. “That (his hitting) will determine what kind of career. If he continues to have trouble, at that point we may ask him to try his skill as a pitcher. (But) right now, we consider him a shortstop.”

But Davison’s real problem might be mental. He would rather throw a slider than try to hit one.

“There are some nights I wonder why I’m playing this game,” Davison said. “Some pitcher will be walking every player in the ballpark. I want to yell out ‘Give me the ball, I can pitch. I can do better than this guy.’ ”

Back when he was pitching in high school, Davison pitched on a mound that appeared higher than regulation because its slope dropped sharply to the playing field. For four years, Davison appeared like a colossus on that mound, throwing a slider that dipped faster than a roller coster.

“I’ve never seen such a dominating pitcher in the 19 years I coached baseball,” former Redondo Coach Harry Jenkins said. “(El Segundo’s) Scott McGregor pitched against me and he couldn’t do what Scott did in high school.

“He wasn’t an overpowering pitcher. His strikeouts and wins came from his breaking pitches, especially that slider. Scouts rated his slider to be among the tops in the major leagues. I would see batters falling on their face trying to hit it.”

Davison, who was selected one of the top high school pitchers in the nation by Baseball America, ended his four-year career with a 48-6 pitching record. He had 551 strikeouts, a state record 149 hits and Southern Section records for RBIs in a career (142) and single season (58 in 1987).

Until the loss to Covina, Davison would have set the Southern Section record for perfect season (18-0). One more win and he would have tied the record for most wins in a season. He needed 15 strikeouts to set the seasonal strikeouts mark.

Perhaps his most impressive achievement was his strikeouts-to-walks ratio during his senior season. Davison struck out 150 batters while walking only 16 in 79 innings.

“You have to be really special to have control like that,” Jenkins said. “He would throw a curve with the bases loaded and a 3-2 count to the batter and I would cringe.”

Jenkins, who negotiated Davison’s professional contract, believes his protege would be a better prospect as a pitcher.

“He’s a multitalented player,” Jenkins said. “He’s got great speed a foot. He’s got a super powerful arm. He can make great assists for a middle infielder. But there are nine or 10 spots on a major league roster and only one for a shortstop. Ideally, he would be better suited as short reliever or closer.”

Despite being relegated to playing shortstop, Davison kept his arm in shape by practicing with his catcher and roommate Tim Laker in the bullpen before Rockford games. Davison even made a pitch to start.

“I’d say to the manager, ‘Hey I can pitch’ ” Davison said. “I asked him for a chance, but he said if he gave me a chance he might lose his job.”

Davison has returned to the South Bay and plans to room with University of Illinois and former El Segundo High standout Wil Parsons and former teammate Mike Stone, who plays at San Francisco State. He plans to pitch every day with the hope of getting his arm in shape for next season.

Davison hopes the Expos will change their minds about letting him pitch after acquiring three new prospects at shortstop this season. The Expos drafted two shortstops with their top two picks in the June Amateur draft and received minor league shortstop Willie Greene as part of the deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates for Zane Smith. Greene was the Pirates’ first-round pick in 1989.

“I’m going to see what the situation is like in spring training,” Davison said. “It might be time for me to start pitching then.”