Spud Davis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Spud Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis on a 1933 Goudey baseball card | |
| Catcher / Manager | |
| Born: December 20, 1904 Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | |
| Died: August 14, 1984 (aged 79) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 30, 1928, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 5, 1945, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .308 |
| Home runs | 77 |
| Runs batted in | 647 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
As Player
As coach As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Virgil Lawrence "Spud" Davis (December 20, 1904 – August 14, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates.[1] Davis' .308 career batting average ranks fourth all-time among major league catchers.[2]
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Davis began his professional baseball career in 1926 at the age of 21, playing for the Gulfport Tarpons of the Cotton States League.[3] After posting a .356 batting average in 27 games for Gulfport, he was sent to play for the Reading Keystones of the International League where he hit for a .308 average in 137 games during the 1927 season.[3]
Davis made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on April 30, 1928 however, after only two games, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.[1][4] He began as a second-string catcher with the Phillies behind Walt Lerian but, by the end of the 1929 season, he had taken over as the starting catcher with a .342 batting average along with 7 home runs and 48 runs batted in.[1][5] That season would mark the first of seven consecutive seasons with batting averages above the .300 mark.[1] In 1933, he finished second to team-mate Chuck Klein in the National League Batting Championship with a .349 average. His .395 on-base percentage was also the second highest in the league.[6] Davis ended the season ranked 25th in the National League Most Valuable Player Award voting, despite the fact that the Phillies finished in seventh place.[7]
In November 1933, Davis was traded back to the St. Louis Cardinals for catcher Jimmie Wilson.[4] He platooned alongside left-handed hitting catcher Bill DeLancey, posting a .300 batting average in 107 games on a Cardinals team that became known as the Gashouse Gang for their colorful, extroverted personalities.[1][8] The Cardinals won the 1934 National League pennant and, went on to defeat the Detroit Tigers in the 1934 World Series.[9] In his only post-season appearance Davis played in two games in the seven-game series, with two hits in two at bats.[10]
Davis had another good season in 1935 with a .317 batting average, 60 runs batted in and led National League catchers in fielding percentage however, the Cardinals slipped to second place in the standings.[1] In 1936, his batting average dipped to .273 and in December of that year, he would be traded to the Cincinnati Reds.[1][4] Davis served as a reserve catcher in 1937, working behind future Hall of Fame member Ernie Lombardi. In June 1938, he was traded back to the Philadelphia Phillies.[4] Davis rebounded in 1939, posting a .307 batting average in 87 games.[1] He was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates in October 1939 and continued to hit well in 1940 with a .326 batting average in 99 games.[1][4] By 1941, Al López, another future Hall of Fame member, had taken over the Pirates starting catcher's role and, in 1942, Davis took a role as a coach for the Pirates. Due to player shortages during the Second World War, Davis returned to the playing field in 1944, appearing in 54 games for the Pirates and posting a .301 batting average at the age of 39.[1] He appeared in 23 games in 1945 before retiring as a major league player at the age of 40.[1]
He continued as a coach and a scout for the Pirates and, briefly managed the team when manager Frankie Frisch resigned in September of 1946.[11] After playing with the minor league Alexander City Millers in 1947 and 1948, he returned to work as a coach with the Chicago Cubs from 1950 to 1953 before retiring from baseball.[3][12][13]