Eric Davis
A remarkably gifted player, Eric Davis combined speed and power to steal 349 bases and slug 282 homers in a 17-year career that was riddled with injuries. he was the first player to steal 80 bases in one season and also hit as many as 30 homers in another. In the 1990 World Series, he launched a homer in the first inning of Game One to set the stage for the Reds unlikely sweep of the heavily-favored A's. After missing an entire season due to injury, Davis returned, was diagnosed with cancer, battled back to return again, and won the Roberto Clemente Award for his work off the field educating the public about the disease. A three-time Gold Glove winner, Davis was usually the best player on every team for which he played, but injuries robbed him of a Hall of Fame career. Regardless, his impact on the game was indelible, and his monstrous homers, torrid hot streaks, and countless clutch hits endeared him to his fans.
Quotes About Davis
"If you can't get inspired by Eric Davis and what he's been through, something's wrong." — teammate Shawon Dunston
Quotes From Davis
"I lost a lot of numbers. But that was just the luck of the draw. I feel very fortunate to have ever had the chance to play Major League Baseball. Everything else was icing on the cake."
Played For
Cincinnati Reds (1984-1991)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1992-1993)
Detroit Tigers (1993-1994)
Cincinnati Reds (1996)
Baltimore Orioles (1997-1998)
St. Louis Cardinals (1999-2000)
San Francisco Giants (2001)
All-Time Rankings
Eric Davis ranks #32 among the Top 50 all-time at CF. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1987
Limited to 129 games due to injury, 25-year old Davis still scored 120 runs, slugged 37 homers, and swiped 50 bases (he was caught just six times). He hit .293 with a .593 SLG mark, and an OBP just below .400. He finished ninth in NL Most Valuable Player voting, which was a joke. He was the best player in the league, but Andre Dawson, who played for a last-place team, won the honor... Davis hit .364 with seven homers and 16 RBI in 20 games in April, and got even hotter in May, slugging .841 with 12 homers and an incredible 36 RBI in 22 games in May. He also swiped 20 bases in 22 attempts over the first two months.
Factoids
Slugger Eric davis was 1-for-21 against flamethrower Nolan Ryan. Ryan fanned Davis 15 times! The one hit for Davis was a home run.
In May of 1987, Eric Davis set a National League record when he slugged three grand slams in one month.
Where He Played
Center field
Born
Eric Keith Davis was born on May 29, 1962, in Los Angeles, CA.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: CIN
Major League Debut
May 19, 1984 ... Davis pinch-hit for the pitcher in the 5th inning, and facing Joaquin Andujar, he grounded to short. The next day, Davis collected his first ML hit, a triple off Dave LaPoint.
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1984
Terry Pendleton
Kirby Puckett
Stan Javier
Eric Davis
Roger Clemens
John Franco
Dwight Gooden
Mark Langston
Bret Saberhagen
Nicknames
Eric the Red
Uniform Numbers
#44 (1984-1991, 1996), #33 (1992-1994), #24 (1997-2000), #22 (2001)
Similar Players
Kirk Gibson shared someof the same raw skills, but Davis was much better.
Related Players
His best friend was Darryl Strawberry, whome he grew up with in Los Angeles. The two were teammates on the Dodgers in 1992-1993.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 2007 |
BBWAA |
3 |
.6% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1990 National League Championship Series
1990 World Series
1997 American League Championship Series
1997 American League Divisional Series
2000 National League Championship Series
2000 National League Divisional Series
Post-Season Notes
Davis homered off Dave Stewart in his first World Series at-bat, in Game One of the 1990 Fall Classic. His other post-season homer was a pinch-hit blast to lead of the Orioles' ninth inning in Game Five of the 1997 ALCS. The O's won the game, 4-2, but lost the Series in six.
Awards and Honors
1987 NL Gold Glove
1988 NL Gold Glove
1989 NL Gold Glove
Feats
Davis was a fantastic basestealer. Twice, he strung together long streaks of success on the basepaths. From April 12 to September 5, 1988, he swiped 33 bases without being caught. Starting on May 8, 1992, running through May 31, 1993, he stoled 34 consecutive bases without being caught... Davis hit for the cycle on June 2, 1989, driving in six runs against the Padres at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.
Batting Feats
Notes
Over a five-game stretch from May 4-8, in 1996, Davis drove in 16 runs and hit four homers... Davis punished RHP and LHP fairly equally. He had a career .505 SLG percentage off southpaws, and .476 against RHP. His home and road splits are almost identical: .269/.482 in his home parks, and .268/.483 on the road... A notoriously streaky hitter, Davis hit .370 with eight homers and 25 RBI in 17 games for the Reds in May of 1996.
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
In 1984, he underwent surgery to remove bone chips from his right knee; in 1988, suffered two separate leg injuries; in 1990, he suffered a severely sprained left knee during the season and was placedon the disabled list, in Game Four of the 1990 World Series, Davis dove for a ball in center field and lacerated his kidney. He was unable to join his team to celebrate their championship after the game, and he was hospitalized for 11 days. In November of 1990, he had surgery on his left knee. His aching knees held him to just 89 games in 1991. In 1992, with the Dodgers, Davis suffered a fractured left wrist, a sprained left shoulder, and a herniated disc in his neck. In 1994, a herniated disc in his neck kept him out for all but 37 games. He retired following the season, citing injuries and his aching body. But after a year off, he came back and signed with the Reds in 1996. He played well, but was on the DL in May and June with a bruised rib. In May, 1998, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. In June, he had surgery to remove a malignancy. Despite several months of chemotherapy which left him weakened, Davis returned to the Orioles in September of '98. In 1999, Davis tore the rotator cuff in his left shoulder while diving for a ball. His season was over on June 25.
Hitting Streaks
30 games (1998)
Transactions
June 3, 1980: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 8th round of the 1980 amateur draft.
November 27, 1991: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds with Kip Gross to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tim Belcher and John Wetteland.
November 3, 1992: Granted Free Agency.
December 1, 1992: Signed as a Free Agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
August 31, 1993: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Detroit Tigers for a player to be named later. The Detroit Tigers sent John DeSilva (September 7, 1993) to the Los Angeles Dodgers to complete the trade.
October 28, 1993: Granted Free Agency.
November 1, 1993: Signed as a Free Agent with the Detroit Tigers.
October 20, 1994: Granted Free Agency.
January 2, 1996: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cincinnati Reds.
October 28, 1996: Granted Free Agency.
December 19, 1996: Signed as a Free Agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
October 27, 1998: Granted Free Agency.
November 19, 1998: Signed as a Free Agent with the St. Louis Cardinals.
November 2, 2000: Granted Free Agency.
January 11, 2001: Signed as a Free Agent with the San Francisco Giants.
November 6, 2001: Granted Free Agency.
Home Run Facts
In 133 at-bats with the bases loaded, Davis clubbed 11 grand slams. He hit .360 with a .647 slugging percentage in those situations... He hit more homers against the Giants (29) than any other opponent.
Matchup Data
Greg Maddux had Davis's number. Eric hit .196 (10-for-51) with just one extra-base hit (and no homers) off the crafty right-hander. Maddux fanned Davis 16 times... Davis hit just .188 (9-for-48) against Zane Smith... Was 1-for-21 with one homer off Nolan Ryan.
All-Star Selections
1987 NL
1989 NL
Replaced
Eddie Milner
Replaced By
Davis wasn't so much replaced, as he was forced from the lineup due to injury.
Best Strength as a Player
Quick bat.
Largest Weakness as a Player
No glaring weaknesses.
Learn More about Eric Davis
Search Amazon.com for Books about Eric Davis ⇒
Search for Eric Davis at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
