Riding Parallel Tracks To The Majors

ST. PETERSBURG - Wade Davis and Jake McGee left major-league camp Monday afternoon knowing next time should be different.

In 2009, Davis and McGee probably won't be among the first to go when the Rays start paring down their spring training roster - young prospects sent back to the minors to get the innings they need, their big-league workshop complete. Next spring, both pitchers hope to be gunning for a spot in the Rays' rotation, their parallel tracks to the majors nearing the ultimate destination.

And, of course, they would have to be in that competition together, just as each pitched a scoreless inning Monday to bounce back from being roughed up for the same amount of runs in earlier games, just as both were reassigned to minor-league camp an hour or so later.

Through four years in the Rays' farm system, Davis and McGee have become a package deal, a joint entity. You can't mention one without invoking the other, and it has become routine for strangers to address Davis as "Jake" and McGee as "Wade."

"It's actually kind of funny, I think," McGee said of the confusion that persists despite the fact he throws with his left hand and Davis with his right.

Davis understands how those who know them only as names on a prospect list might get confused. Their numbers have been similar throughout the lower rungs of the Rays' farm system and they have moved up virtually in tandem.

Both signed with the Rays following the 2004 draft and began playing that summer. But it wasn't until last season, when Davis was promoted from Vero Beach to Montgomery in late June and McGee didn't get the call until early August, that the two spent any time in different uniforms.

Proximity has bred friendship, and the two have developed a rapport that works just as well when they're out fishing as it does in the clubhouse. Rays manager Joe Maddon observed during camp that both pitchers are "quiet" and "all business," and that pretty much sums it up.

"I think if one of us talked a lot, we'd annoy each other too much," McGee said. "Both of us are about the same personality - real laid-back, don't go out really at all, go with it, take it as it comes."

On the mound, the intensity needle flips in the other direction for both.

"We're both aggressive the same way," Davis said.

He'll throw more two-seam fastballs that tend to sink a bit while McGee leans more toward hard four-seamers. Davis is working hard to refine a change-up he thinks could be a key pitch for him as he continues to develop, while McGee would like to replicate Davis' ability to throw his curveball for a strike in any count.

After pitching in the same rotation for most of the last four seasons, the two have learned to watch closely when the other is pitching. More often than not, the other will be facing the same hitters in a day or two.

"If he sees that I'm overpowering a guy or locating a ball on a guy or going with different sequences on a guy and seeing I'm getting out good hitters with this," Davis said, "he can come out and say, 'Hey, I'm going to do the same thing' because we are a lot alike in a lot of ways on the mound."

And there's a lot to like about the pair. Entering this season, Baseball America ranked McGee the 15th-best prospect in the game and had Davis 17th. Both probably will see the Triple-A level at some point this year if all goes well, making elevation to the majors in 2009 completely realistic.

It might not happen right away for Davis and McGee, and it would take some serendipity for both to arrive at the same time, but their experience this spring has only heightened their sense of urgency.

"After being up here around this atmosphere it's kind of like - get back up here," Davis said. "I'd like to be part of what I think's going to happen here. I don't want to show up too late for it."