CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Knights staff has found his walk-up music. Eight days into the quest, the "Other Side of Fear" by Inside Our Universe was ready to go.
"Oh they finally found it?" Matt Davidson said with a laugh. "Yeah, I like finding new stuff. I guess in this sport, this lifestyle, there's a lot of music going on."
The new walk-up music is cool, but it's nothing imperative. Here's what is: Davidson, a third baseman, is turning things around after struggling in the batter's box early this season. He is the No. 4 prospect in the White Sox farm system and No. 72 overall in the majors as ranked by Baseball America. The Sox liked him enough to acquire him last winter from the Arizona Diamondbacks, who drafted 35th overall in 2009.
Davidson doesn't want any part of superstitions.
"If you don't have anything to hold you back from anything … like if I didn't have my special shirt or it wasn't washed the right way or it didn't get packed, then I don't want anything to affect me mentally that way," Davidson said after a Thursday afternoon batting practice in late April. "So, it's basic control what you can control. Don't let anything get in the way of that."
What Davidson can control right now is his work in the batter's box during games and in BP. He's in position to get a call to the majors this season, though it might be a late call-up. He didn't make an appearance in Chicago when starting third baseman Connor Gillaspie went on the 15-day DL earlier this season. Davidson still must prove his defensive ability and get his stats back on the track after a rocky start.
The crack of Davidson's bat hasn't rung through Charlotte's new uptown ballpark much this season, other than in batting practice. He was batting .195 with 60 strikeouts, five home runs and 14 RBIs entering May 25's game. In it, he delivered his sixth homer of the season and raised his average a point by going 1-for-4.
Here's why you shouldn't worry about this 23-year-old's development: It's not even June yet, folks.
"Obviously, it hasn't been going as I would write it up," Davidson said. "It's really early and, you know, a couple three, four, eight games you're right back where you want to be."
And just when Davidson seemed to be on the raise, a bruised hand kept him out of the lineup for a week. His first day back, Knights hitting coach and former big-league outfielder Andy Tomberlin didn't seem the slightest worried Davidson wouldn't find his way.
"He's smart enough to know that it's OK and he's gonna do fine and its just gonna get started here this week and I guarantee he's going to turn it around," Tomberlin said.
Just to be clear. A guarantee?
"Ooh, yeah," he said. "He's gonna figure it out no matter where he is, I'll agree with that. He's a survivor. These are guys … I just don't see him satisfied with failure. He's gonna work and find his way.
"You hit me on that guarantee, I know. But that's what I feel. When I say guarantee, ain't nothing guaranteed, but when you believe it, you got half of it done."
Tomberlin is also feeling confident the Knights will play that night, despite cracking thunder drowning out his voice near the dugout. They did, in front of yet another sellout crowd in the new uptown stadium. Even though full stands have become commonplace, the place Davidson would really like to be is back in the majors at U.S. Cellular Field.
Davidson dazzled in the 2013 All-Star Futures game, where he earned hardware for his mantle with an All-Star MVP and Home Run Derby trophy, enticing Diamondbacks fans for his debut at Chase Field. They got it in August, when he played 31 games season's end, hitting .237 with three homers and 12 RBIs after Eric Chavez was put on the DL.
It was a continuation of his showing in Triple-A Reno, where he hit .280 with an .831 OPS and 17 home runs.
But the D-Backs, who already had Chavez and Martin Prado at the position as well as minor-league depth, traded him to the White Sox for right-handed relief pitcher Addison Reed in December.
Davidson spent spring training in major league camp, but the South Siders sent him to Triple-A.
"Well, it definitely makes you want to get back to the major leagues, I will say that," Davidson said of the short stint in the majors. "There's nothing even similar about it, other than the game."
"It's kind of a weird thing where you're in the minor leagues for a couple years," he said. "When you first get drafted, you have this initial drive and excitement, you want to be in the big leagues in a couple years, real quick, because you're on the outside looking in — you don't realize how long the seasons are in the minor leagues, how bad the travel is, the food. It's not just like high school baseball, college baseball anymore. It's definitely a grind, especially at the lower levels."
The tease of big-league play gives Davidson the renewed drive to make it back. Some see the poor April showing as a downer. But laid-back Davidson is optimistic. He doesn't show any worry; instead he approaches it all with an intelligent demeanor you might not find in a young kid.
"I think it's good to struggle, because you learn the most when you're struggling. Take as much as you can from it and stay positive," Davidson said.
"Sometimes it's a struggle and you know, you work so hard and it's not showing. I know that I've done it (hit well) before and I'll do it again."
This is what the minor leagues are for. Prospects develop and work on deficiencies. For Davidson right now it's learning how to battle through a rough spot by improving his at-bats, pitch selection and timing.
He's already seeing better days upon returning to the lineup with five RBIs over a six-game stretch.
Otherwise, it's just Davidson being Davidson until his time comes again.
"I think I just need to be myself," Davidson said. "They obviously traded for me for what — I don't like using the third person, but they traded for Matt Davidson for what he plays like and what he produces and what they believe he can be in the future. So if I'm just myself, I don't need to do anything more than that."
As Tomberlin reminds, failure is 70 percent of the game anyway. Success will come, just as the walk-up music did. No superstitions necessary.