Beaning in rear view for Futures Game MVP

DENVER -- Cubs prospect Brennen Davis remained confident 2021 would be special, even if it did start in a most painful way.

In a late-April Minor League Spring Training game, Davis was struck in the face by a pitch and saw his season delayed a month. But Davis showed Sunday afternoon that he has more than made up for the lost time.

Davis earned Most Valuable Player honors in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Coors Field by smashing two home runs during the National League’s 8-3 victory over the American League. Davis, 21, joins Alfonso Soriano (1999) and Yusniel Diaz (2018) as the only players to homer twice in one Futures Game.

“I can't put it into words because I feel like it's still happening,” Davis said. “And I haven't been able to come down from what just happened, and rounding the bases.

“I don’t know. You should ask me tomorrow.”

Davis responded to a second-inning strikeout against Rays righty Shane Baz in his first at-bat with a couple of no-doubters -- to center in the fourth against Twins righty Josh Winder, and to left-center in the sixth off Orioles righty Marcos Diplán. After the game, Davis' bat was sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

To say he got a positive impression of hitting in Denver’s altitude is an understatement.

“I’m currently playing in Knoxville, Tenn., so it travels a lot more [in Denver] -- it’s definitely noticeable,” he said.

The Cubs' second-round pick in 2018 and their No. 2 prospect overall (and top hitter) according to MLB Pipeline, Davis has been doing fine since his recovery from the broken nose and concussion syndrome he sustained when hit by the pitch. In 39 games with Class A South Bend and Double-A Tennessee, he has batted .287 with a .386 on-base percentage and six home runs.

“It feels good to be back on the field, being able to do what I love,” Davis said. “Being hit was a road bump, but being able to come back and find my swing was a huge step forward.”