Shortstop, New
York Giants
Age: 31 (Aug. 23)
9th season
with Giants
Bats – Both,
Throws – Right
Height: 5’9” Weight: 180
Prior to 1901:
A native of
Cohoes, New York, Davis was playing for tavern-sponsored baseball teams by age
15 in 1886. Already a switch-hitter, he was with a semipro team in Albany in
1889. With a player shortage in the NL due to competition from the Players
League in 1890, Davis joined the Cleveland Spiders and appeared primarily in
the outfield where he accounted for 35 assists while batting .264 with 22
doubles, 9 triples, 6 home runs, 73 RBIs, 22 stolen bases, a .336 on-base
percentage, and a .375 slugging percentage. In 1891 he hit .289 with 35
doubles, 12 triples, 3 home runs, 89 RBIs, 42 stolen bases, a .354 OBP, and a
.409 slugging percentage, while striking out only 29 times. A good and
versatile defensive player, he was again primarily used in the outfield as well
as at third base, and on three occasions as a pitcher (with bad results). In
1892 his batting average dropped to .241, but with 27 doubles, 12 triples, 5
home runs, 82 RBIs, 36 stolen bases, and a .312 OBP helped by drawing 58 walks.
In 1893 Davis was traded to the New York Giants for star catcher/first baseman
Buck Ewing, where he was installed at third base and batted .355 with 22
doubles, 27 triples, 11 home runs, 119 RBIs, 37 stolen bases, a .410 OBP, and a
.554 slugging percentage. Along the way he set a short-lived league record with
a 33-game hitting streak. He became a fan favorite and was mentored by manager
Monte Ward, with whom he bore a physical resemblance once he grew a handlebar
mustache. 1894 was another strong season in which Davis hit .352 with 27
doubles, 19 triples, 9 home runs, 93 RBIs, 42 stolen bases, a .434 OBP, and a
.541 slugging percentage. With the purchase of the Giants by Andrew Freedman in
1895, Ward stepped down as manager and the intelligent and articulate Davis
became his successor at age 24, making him the NL’s youngest manager at the
time. The club was off to a 16-17 start when Davis was relieved of his
managerial duties. With Freedman refusing to give him his requested release,
Davis stayed on as a player and batted .340 with 36 doubles, 9 triples, 5 home
runs, 101 RBIs, 48 stolen bases, a .417 OBP, and a .500 slugging percentage.
Moved to shortstop during the 1896 season, Davis continued to thrive while the
Giants, under the abrasive and miserly Freedman, floundered. He hit .320 with
25 doubles, 12 triples, 5 home runs, 99 RBIs, 48 stolen bases, a .387 OBP, and
a .449 slugging percentage. In 1897 Davis topped the National League with 135
RBIs while batting .353 with 31 doubles, 10 triples, 10 home runs, 65 stolen
bases, a .410 OBP, and a .509 slugging percentage. Playing at shortstop for the
full year, he excelled, leading NL shortstops in putouts (339) and double plays
(67). His excellent range and throwing ability were on full display at his new
position. In 1898 Davis hit .307 with 20 doubles, 5 triples, 2 home runs, 86
RBIs, 26 stolen bases, a .351 OBP, and a .381 slugging percentage. His fielding
remained solid at shortstop. Bothered by injuries in 1899 “Gorgeous George”
batted .337 with 28 extra-base hits (22 of them doubles), 59 RBIs, 35 stolen
bases, a .394 OBP, and a .420 slugging percentage. Named team captain in 1900,
he again became player/manager after the club got off to a dreadful start on
the way to a last-place finish. Davis was once again a productive hitter and
proficient fielder.
1901 Season Summary
Appeared in 130
games
SS – 113, 3B – 18
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate Appearances
– 538
At Bats – 491
Runs – 69
Hits – 148
Doubles – 26 [9,
tied with Kitty Bransfield]
Triples – 7
Home Runs – 7 [7,
tied with Topsy Hartsel]
RBI – 65
Bases on Balls
– 40
Int. BB – N/A
Strikeouts – 38
Stolen Bases – 27
[13, tied with Jesse Burkett, Roy Thomas & Frank Chance]
Caught Stealing
– N/A
Average - .301
OBP - .356
Slugging Pct. -
.426 [14]
Total Bases – 209
[19, tied with Joe Kelley]
GDP – N/A
Hit by Pitches
– 2
Sac Hits – 5
Sac Flies – N/A
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 14, 3B – 3, HR - 4, RBI - 37, SB – 8, AVG - .319, SLG - .469,
OBP – .372
---
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 4 AB) vs. Phila. Phillies 5/8, (in 6 AB) at Cincinnati 6/9, (in 5 AB)
at Cincinnati 7/8
Longest hitting
streak – 12 games
Most HR, game –
2 (in 5 AB) at Cincinnati 7/8
HR at home – 2
HR on road – 5
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 4 at Cincinnati 7/8, at Bos. Beaneaters 8/1
Pinch-hitting –
No appearances
Fielding (SS)
Chances – 737
Put Outs – 296
Assists – 396
Errors – 45
DP – 42
Pct. – .939
---
The Giants went 52-85 to finish seventh in the NL, 37 games behind the pennant-winning Pittsburgh Pirates while leading the league in fewest stolen bases (133) and fewest bases on balls drawn (303, tied with the Boston Beaneaters). For the Davis-managed Giants, the arrival of rookie RHP Christy Mathewson proved to be a key highlight. The club held onto first place on-and-off from May 14 until June 10, when they lost the first of three straight games to the Pirates. They suffered through a dreadful second half of the season on their way to a seventh-place finish.
Aftermath of 1901:
With his stint as a player/manager at an end, Davis jumped to the American League’s Chicago White Sox in 1902 in which he batted .299 with 27 doubles, 7 triples, 3 home runs, 93 RBIs, 31 stolen bases, a .386 OBP, and a .402 slugging percentage. In the offseason the Giants, now managed by John McGraw, got Davis’ signature on a two-year contract in a deal that threatened the nascent peace agreement between the NL and AL. In a case that ended up in federal court, White Sox owner Charles Comiskey managed to get an injunction that forced Davis to play for his team. He ended up appearing in only four games for the Giants in 1903 and didn’t play at all for the White Sox. Returning to the White Sox in 1904, his batting production declined to .252 with 27 doubles, 15 triples, one home run, 69 RBIs, 32 stolen bases, a .311 OBP, and a .359 slugging percentage. With the second-place club in 1905, Davis rebounded to .278 with 29 doubles, a home run, 55 RBIs, 31 stolen bases, and a .353 OBP. He continued to be a top defensive shortstop. The White Sox won the AL pennant in 1906 despite being the league’s lightest-hitting club. Davis contributed to “the Hitless Wonders” by batting .277 with 26 doubles, 6 triples, 80 RBIs, 27 stolen bases, a .338 OBP, and a .355 slugging percentage. On a club that prospered on pitching and defense, Davis was a key player. Illness caused him to miss the first three games of the World Series against the highly-favored cross-town Cubs, but in the three games he appeared in he hit .308 with 3 doubles, 4 runs scored, and 6 RBIs as the White Sox won in six games. Davis’ performance dropped off in 1907 and ’08 due to age and injuries, and after appearing in only 28 games in 1909 he was given his release, thus ending his playing career. For his major league career, he batted .295 with 2665 hits that included 453 doubles, 163 triples, and 73 home runs. He scored 1545 runs and compiled 1440 RBIs, 619 stolen bases, a .362 OBP, and a .405 slugging percentage. With the White Sox he batted .259 with 785 hits, 393 runs scored, 140 doubles, 32 triples, 6 home runs, 377 RBIs, 162 stolen bases, a .333 OBP, and a .332 slugging percentage. Following his playing career, Davis operated a bowling alley (he was apparently an excellent bowler), managed a minor league team, scouted for the New York Yankees and St. Louis Browns, and coached at Amherst College. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998, 58 years after his death in 1940 at age 70.
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Highlighted Years feature players who led a major league
in one of the following categories: batting average, home runs (with a minimum
of 10), runs batted in, or stolen bases (with a minimum of 20); or pitchers who
led a major league in wins, strikeouts, earned run average, or saves (with a
minimum of 10). Also included are participants in annual All-Star Games between
the National and American Leagues since 1933. This category also includes Misc.
players who received award votes, were contributors to teams that reached the
postseason, or had notable seasons in non-award years.
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