Blue Jays prospect Mason Davenport discusses signing his first professional contract and preparing for 2026

Still just 21 years old, he stands out for his undeniable height, as he is just an inch shorter than the tallest player in MLB history, former Jay Jon Rauch, who reached a towering height of 6 feet 10 inches.

It wasn’t always an easy road for the right-hander. Sourced from Tonganoxie, Kansashe faced uphill battles, wrestling in his early years at Tonganoxie High School, crunching 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 once,” Davenport told Blue Jays Nation.

Davenport was given about 15 minutes after that first phone call to decide whether or not to accept the Blue Jays’ offer, and in that short time frame received another call from the San Diego Padres, who now had to decide between the two organizations.

“It went from zero to 100 very quickly, but it was a very surreal experience,” Davenport said.

Just eight minutes after that first 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 set him on his path to pro ball, although his future on the mound was tested early after he struggled his freshman season and lost his sophomore season due to the pandemic. Over the last two years of his high school career, things would go Davenport’s way as he would go All-State and lead his team to the 4A State Championship in 2022.

“I remember my freshman year realizing, ‘Hey, I’m actually good at this.’”

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

Fighting the mental game

“I started putting too much pressure mentally and asking myself, am I good enough? In general, I was trying to be too perfect,” Davenport said. “The most important thing is to have 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 having success is one of the biggest tools pitchers can use to gain confidence on the mound.”

This mentality translated into his second year at It was cooked during the summer of 2025, when he recorded a 2.25 ERA and was eventually signed by the Blue Jays. Aside from the mental game, his strength and conditioning were refined by Connor Kehl, the strength and conditioning coach at Stetson. He noted significant improvements in facilities at Stetson compared to KCKCC, although he attributes much of the “grit” to his time at Kansas.

First pro offseason

Davenport trained with the Blue Jays in his first professional season last winter and noted that his new training ground is “crazier than anything I’ve ever seen before.”

“The number of tools and machines we have at our fingertips to be successful is mind-boggling,” Davenport explains.

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 the workload. It’s important to have a solid routine and make sure you prioritize recovery, while still getting after it when you need to.”

Davenport uses his size to his advantage

Davenport’s most notable attribute is undoubtedly his 6’10, 255 lb frame, which he utilizes by maximizing his length along the mound.

“The biggest thing for me is trying to get as much extension down the hill as possible,” Davenport explains. “The further down the mound I can get, the lower the release height will be, allowing my fastball to drive through the zone.”

This expansion, combined with an emphasis on working his upper and lower body in sync this season, plays into his dominant presence when he hits the rubber.

Davenport also models his game after some of the “giants” who have taken the mound before him.

“I watched a lot of highlights of Randy Johnson growing up, trying to learn how he moves,” Davenport explains. “He didn’t have the most overpowering qualities, but he did have wild pitching ability to match his enormous height.”

Talking store

Davenport has an arsenal that includes a fastball with great ride that sits in the low 90s and reaches the mid 90s, to pair with a sweeper in the low to mid 80s, along with some new pitches he has been working on over the past year.

“The cutter is a field that I am very happy with for a whole season,” Davenport said. He developed a cutter that worked during his time at 1990s It was cooked last summer and noticed immediate results, especially against left-handed hitters.

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

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

Over the past few weeks, Davenport has been executing the release of his new changeup grip in bullpen sessions, finding the form and speed he’s been looking for for years. It’s currently in the mid-80s, and should it grow into a permanent part of his arsenal, it would complete an inventory of weapons he can use for both right and left-handers.

Preparations for 2026

The biggest focus for Davenport heading into 2026 will be making sure he commits to filling the zone with strikes and not being afraid to attack hitters with his stellar arsenal. By securing strikes on the first pitch, the tall right-hander can control the pace of a given at-bat, setting his secondary weapons with a counting lever, rather than having to work from behind and force batters to chase from the start.

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

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