Donavan Tate is the No. 1 high school baseball player in the country and a five-tool standout, according to Nathan Rode, assistant editor of Baseball America. That means he is superb at running, throwing, catching, hitting and hitting with power. It’s the ultimate compliment.
However, University of North Carolina recruiting coordinator Scott Jackson told MaxPreps, “He probably has a sixth tool – character and the way he carries himself. He’s very mature and a fun guy to be around.”
In other words, Tate also is a tremendous role model. He calls it “a big deal to me because it’s not something you have a choice to do. You set yourself up for it. You’ve got to know that someone always is watching you. I once was a little kid (looking up to athletes) and it gives me inspiration.”
Donavan Tate, Cartersville
Photo Courtesy of Traci Sims
To picture Donavan Tate, take a good look at the Cleveland Indians’ All-Star center fielder, Grady Sizemore, who is his idol. “I like the way he carries himself and how he plays the game,” he explained. “He never takes off (a play), hustles everything out and gives 100 percent.”
Entering the final week of the regular season, Tate is batting a lofty .475 with seven doubles and seven home runs. He has scored 31 runs and driven in 25. He also has walked 26 times and struck out just 10 times in 93 at-bats from the leadoff position. He is perfect in 13 stolen-base attempts. His slugging percentage is an amazing .902 with a .648 on-base percentage. He has made just one error.
Cartersville has posted a 19-4 record as it seeks its second consecutive Class AAA state championship.
“You’re talking about the best high school athlete out there,” Jackson says. “That (signing) was huge for us. The athleticism is the first thing that comes to mind. He has great bat speed and speed on the bases. His arm strength is tremendous. The game really is easy for him. He’s going to really look good in blue.”
The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder can run 60 yards in a swift 6.4 seconds and, when used sparingly as a closer, can throw up to 95 miles per hour. His home runs and his toughness already are part of his legendary status.
Donavan inherited athletic ability because his father, Lars Tate, was a standout football player at the University of Georgia and played several years in the NFL. He married Georgia cheerleader Traci Sims, but their marriage did not last and Traci has raised Donovan as a single parent.
Traci told MaxPreps she really didn’t want her son to play football because “I knew how hard it was on Lars’ body and how he complained as he got older.”
So, she admits, she set him up to fail. When he was seven, she put him in an eight-year-old league and gave him a pre-game “pep talk.” She explained, “It’s not like (playing) in the yard. If someone hits you, it’s going to hurt. He literally was 10 feet from everybody and at the end of the game he had the fever.”
Donavan conceded, “I didn’t know if I wanted to play. She threw me out there and hoped that I’d get roughed up and not want to play. I ended up getting five touchdowns (thus the fever) and not getting touched because I was so scared. I kind of liked it. It kind of backfired on her, but she wanted me to do what I wanted to do.”
He began playing baseball about the same age and insists, “I never really liked one more than the other. Both sports always came easy. God gave me the gift to do both without any struggles at the beginning.”
Playing both running back, then quarterback, Donavan helped his middle school football team go unbeaten in seventh and eighth grade.
As a freshman, he transferred to Atlanta Marist, though still living in Cartersville. He started at safety and got in a few plays at running back. However, Traci could not sell their house, so he came back home the second semester. Cartersville sports fans couldn’t have been happier!
As a sophomore Donavan played wide receiver, running back, quarterback and safety. His best game was against Sandy Creek (two interceptions and three touchdowns). He made All-State on defense.
During his junior year, he took over the starting quarterback position. He showed great potential against Carrollton when he threw four touchdown passes and piled up over 400 offensive yards.
His final campaign was marked by a huge 34-31 upset of St. Pius during the Class AAA state playoffs – a game in which he fired four touchdown passes.
Football coach Frank Barden calls Tate “probably the most gifted natural athlete I’ve ever been around. He could play any sport. Character and competitiveness are among his biggest strengths.”
Barden won’t soon forget his star’s final playoff game. He suffered cracked ribs in 10-degree weather early against Gainesville but “absolutely wouldn’t come out,” the coach marveled. “He made a lot of good plays and kept us in the game (an eventual loss).”
Meanwhile he also had been making great strides on the diamond. After being a shortstop and third baseman in his younger years, he became an outfielder as a freshman starter on the Cartersville varsity. Was he a natural? Apparently, because he went 4-for-4 in his first game.
Baseball coach Stuart Chester wasn’t surprised. He had been watching Donavan since age 11. “It was Donavan’s league, whatever he was in,” Chester said of the young phenom’s dominance. ‘I thought he was special. Even at that age, he carried himself differently. He’s always been head and shoulders above anybody else his age.”
Some youngsters don’t continue to improve, but Chester points out, “His talent has kept up with his growth.”
Cartersville Daily Tribune sports writer Chris Stephens had watched Tate make a clutch 70-yard touchdown catch during his sophomore football campaign, but he didn’t know how good he was in baseball until he saw him drill a 410-foot home run.
“You usually don’t see high school sophomores do those things with ease,” he noted. “I (facetiously) asked his mom a few weeks later, ‘Can’t he at least show a little effort on his home runs?’ ’’
As a sophomore, Donavan is proud of his three-game playoff series against Blessed Trinity during which he went 9-for-11 with three home runs. He made such an impact that he was named to the Team Georgia junior squad.
Playing in Oklahoma, however, Donavan suffered a serious injury when he was spiked on a stolen base. The infielder leaped to bring down the catcher’s high throw and “laid his throwing hand wide open” coach Chester described.
Despite getting 15 stitches in his hand at a nearby hospital, Donavan tried to convince the doctor he could still play and when his mother got on the phone he gave her the same assurance. He lost the argument, but it shows his toughness and desire to “be out there and play.”
Donavan added greatly to his growing legend during a batting-practice challenge against catcher Taylor Hightower. He hammered one jaw-dropper which traveled so far that coach Chester was forced to pull out his range finder, revealing it soared 491 feet.
“That was the longest one I measured,” Chester acknowledged, “but he has hit some others that probably were longer.”
The talented slugger further enhanced his reputation as a junior by sparking the Hurricanes to their fourth Class AAA state baseball crown in this decade. He ranks the title as his greatest thrill thus far.
Assistant coach Kyle Tucker never will forget the deciding game in the championship series against Stephens County. He recalled, “Donavan was the leadoff batter. He hit a routine single through the left side of the infield. The left fielder very lackadaisically picked up the ball and Donavan slid into second base. That play really fired up everyone and we scored five runs. We won 13-1.”
Last summer Donavan represented the USA during a series in Canada and played in two national showcase games. He had only a few days off and was not expected to play football as a senior, but he came back more for his teammates than for himself.
This spring he is driven to repeat as state baseball champion. “We should have won my freshman and sophomore years, too,” he believes. “We have a bunch of seniors and we would be really disappointed if we come up short this year.”
Though he was born with natural gifts, Donavan is quick to point out, “It comes easy because of all the work I do off the field. I take big pride in working off the field, too.”
For example, he has a batting cage in his basement and the garage is so full of workout gear that the family car never sees the inside.
“When he comes home he’s in the basement, hitting, hitting, hitting," Traci said. "His work ethic, I can’t even explain. He’s really stayed focused and is very self disciplined. From all the accolades, he’s remained very humble and appreciative.
“We haven’t had a family vacation – not revolving around baseball – since he was age nine. This year we’re going to take a family trip.”
His tireless dedication also reaches far from any playing field. He belongs to Big Brothers, Big Sisters, helping mentor middle school students. His grandfather died three years ago of cancer and each year since then he has formed a team to help Relay For Life raise funds. At Christmas he helps needy families through the Secret Santa program.
Donavan’s fame began spreading nationwide last summer. He autographed a Team USA baseball jersey American flag PATCH which – unknown to him at the time – was going to be auctioned off on EBay. It went for a surprising $2,000.
“If someone wants to pay that, in a sense it’s flattering,” Donavan concedes. “It’s not really an achievement, but it’s cool.”
Chris Stephens adds, “He also has signed baseball cards up for sale. He knows he’s blessed with all the talent in the world, but he just stays grounded. He’s one of the most humble kids I’ve ever come across.”
Traci admits that having a son ranked No. 1 in the country gives her “a surreal feeling. I’m proud beyond any words because I know it didn’t happen overnight. A lot of hard work and sacrifice also went into it.”
Though he insists he is focused only on winning the state title this spring, then playing college football and baseball, Donavan should go very high in the Major League Baseball draft this spring. His signability could be uncertain, however, because Scott Boras is his agent.
North Carolina’s Scott Jackson concedes, “Scouts love him.”
The Georgia teenager still can’t designate which sport he likes the most. “Baseball or football – either one would be great,” he says. “One of my goals is to be a professional athlete.”
Even baseball coach Stuart Chester thinks his superstar’s future is wide open. Showing absolutely no favoritism, he predicts, “I see him being a future Major Leaguer or an NFL star.”
