George Davis
In 1897, George Davis became the first shortstop to lead his league in runs batted in. He played twenty seasons, mostly with the Giants and White Sox, and was an important part of the "Hitless Wonder" champs of 1906. He retired as the all-time leader in games played, assists and total chances by a shortstop. He was elected to the Hall of Fame 89 years after he retired and 58 years after he died.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 2368 |
9031 |
2660 |
1539 |
73 |
1437 |
616 |
.295 |
.405 |
.361 |
.766 |
111.7 |
|
Teams George Davis Managed
New York Giants (1895-1901)
Where does George Davis rank among baseball greats?
George Davis ranks #14 among the Top 50 all-time at SS. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1893
He hit .355 with 22 doubles, 27 triples and 11 homers, 119 RBI, 37 steals, 112 runs scored, 195 hits, .410 OBP and .554 SLG. He was 22-years old.
Factoids
On April 26, 1900, George Davis and Kid Gleason of the Giants were walking to the Polo Grounds when they noticed a house fire. Davis leaped into action, scaled a ladder, and rescued a woman from the blaze. Later in the game, Davis belted an RBI-triple to lead the Giants to a 10-5 extra-inning victory over Boston.
The Hitless Wonders
The White Sox of 1906 are famous for what they couldn't so - hit the baseball. That year they posted a dismal .230 batting average, which was seven points lower than any other team in the AL, and 19 points below the league norm. But their pitching made them a dominant team. In fact, they are often overlooked as one of the great teams of all-time, relegated as a one-year wonder by some historians. They were at or near the top of the AL in the standings from 1905-1908, winning 59% of their games over that stretch. But they won just the one pennant, so they are somewhat forgotten. Davis led the '06 Sox with 80 RBI, batting .277 with 27 steals.
As a Manager
On July 17, 1900, player/manager Davis waved in a tall relief pitcher named Christy Mathewson. It was the future Hall of Famer's first appearance in the big leagues.
Born
George Stacey Davis was born on August 23, 1870, in Cohoes, NY.
Died
October 17, 1940, Philadelphia, PA
Batted: Both
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
4 19,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1890
Coming soon...
Related Players
John Montgomery Ward represented Davis in court during the 1903 "disagreement" between the American and National League. Davis had refused to report to the White Sox, hoping to rejoin the NL with the Giants. After the dust settled, Davis was forced to play for Chicago.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1998 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1906 World Series
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Davis played just four games in 1903, refusing to report to the White Sox after he was awarded to them by league officials. This was one of many disputed between the rival leagues in their early co-existence. Ed Delahanty, partly spurred on by Davis' defiance of the league edict, also jumped his team in 1903 and boarded a train in Detroit headed east. In Niagara he was asked to leave the train due to rowdy behavior and was swept over the falls to his death.
Hitting Streaks
33 games (1893)
Transactions
In the first trade that involved future Hall of Fame members, Davis was dealt from Cleveland to the Giants in 1893 for Buck Ewing. Ewing was 33, rather old for a ballplayer at that time. He hit .316 in parts of two seasons with Cleveland before moving on to Cincinnati as player/manager. Davis never hit below .300 for the Giants from 1893-1901, topping .340 four times. He was 22 years old when he was dealt for Ewing. Later, Ewing returned to the Giants as a manager and was replaced in 1900 by Davis.
Best Strength as a Player
Davis was a very good hitter, even beyond his solid .295 average. His career slugging percentage of .405 was more than 14% better than the league he played in, which is a better mark than two better-known Davis's - Chili and Alvin.
Learn More about George Davis
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