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Tyler Davis joins the podcast to reflect on the winding path that finally led him to the major leagues at 27 years old. Davis revisits his days as a two-way standout at Sam Houston State, where he posted a 1.112 OPS in his senior season, and shares the frustration of going undrafted despite putting up huge offensive numbers. He also looks back on life in independent baseball with the Oakland Ballers and the moment everything changed when the White Sox signed him and gave him another opportunity to keep chasing the dream.
Davis also shares stories from his rise through the White Sox system, including winning a championship in Birmingham alongside teammates like Rikuu Nishida and the emotions of learning he was heading to the big leagues. He relives striking out the first batter he faced in MLB, talks about navigating pressure situations with runners on base, and explains what he’s learned from tough outings this season. Plus, Davis weighs in on whether he misses hitting, how he thinks he’d fare against MLB pitching as a position player, the teammates who helped him settle in, and what he hopes people remember most about his career years down the road.

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"Tyler Davis: The call-up NOBODY saw coming" is an episode of The White Sox Podcast w/ Chuck Garfien. Runtime 20 min. Published May 28, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.