April 2, 2026
Right-handed pitcher Mason Davenport is one of many new faces in Low-A Dunedin’s bullpen for the 2026 season.
“That is the gameplan for this season,” said Davenport. “I’ll be working out of the bullpen.”
Davenport was both a starter and a reliever in college, so the role isn’t anything new to him.
The righty talks about his favorite aspect of the bullpen role.
“I think it’s the ability to come into a game and just take control,” stated Davenport. “As a first reliever in a game, or even a second reliever – every time you go to a different arm it sets a pace and a different tempo for the game.”
And that tempo depends on whether the team is up or down, “If you come in and you’re up two runs, you have to come in and help shut the door,” Davenport added. “I don’t think the door is ever shut when the starter comes out of the game – even if you’re up six. But it’s really the ability to take control of a game, the pace, the tempo; to however you want it. The tone varies. If you’re down a few runs when a reliever comes in, how are we going to set a tone that says we’re going to keep fighting to win this game.”
The righty uses a four-pitch mix of: a 4-seam fastball, a changeup, a cutter, and a slider.
Davenport feels his fastball and changeup play well off one another, “My fastball holds a lot of ride,” explained Davenport. “I throw it really well, the velo has been increasing as the season goes on; it’s my best pitch. I use the changeup a lot against lefties. We want to go right-on-right a little bit, just because of the tunneling.”
The righty really likes all of the facilities available to him in Dunedin.
“I think the PDC is the best facility in baseball,” said Davenport. “Everything we have there is insane from the gym, training rooms, arm care areas, hot and cold tubs, outdoor fields, etc.”
The workload in Dunedin is nothing new for Davenport, as he had a similar routine in JUCO ball.
“In Juco you train six to seven hours a day,” explained Davenport. “It’s similar here too. We arrive to the park six hours before game time to get ready.”
Be sure to follow Mason Davenport’s 2026 season, as he works hard out of Dunedin’s bullpen.