Virgil Davis, baseball player, 1928-1945

Virgil Davis

Born: 12/20/1904 in Birmingham, AL, USA

Died: 8/14/1984 in Birmingham, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1928-04-30 | Final Game: 1945-09-05

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 197 lbs

Full name: Virgil Lawrence Davis

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Biography

Virgil Davis was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1928 to 1945. Born in 1904, Davis showcased his talents in a total of 1,458 games, establishing himself as a reliable hitter with a career batting average of .308. Over his career, he recorded 1,312 hits, which included 77 home runs and 647 runs batted in (RBIs). Known for his consistent offensive production, Davis played a significant role during a transformative period in baseball, navigating through the Great Depression and World War II, which impacted the sport and its players. Davis's playing style was characterized by his ability to make contact and get on base, making him a valuable asset to his teams. Although he was not known for his speed, as evidenced by his total of 6 stolen bases, his offensive contributions and clutch performances solidified his reputation in the league. His career, marked by impressive statistics, placed him among the notable players of his era, allowing him to leave a lasting impact on the game long after his retirement on September 5, 1945.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1458 4255 388 1312 244 22 77 647 6 386 326 0.308 0.369 0.430 0.799 8139.8

Career AVG .308 vs. league average .275 across their career seasons — +11.9% above league average.

Career OBP .369 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — +8.5% above league average.

Career SLG .430 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.799 vs. league average 0.731 across their career seasons — +9.3% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1928 STL NL 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1928 PHI NL 67 163 16 46 2 0 3 18 0 15 11 0.282 .280 (avg) .342 (avg) .395 (-12%) .737 (-6%) 0.0
1929 PHI NL 98 263 31 90 18 0 7 48 1 19 17 0.342 .289 (+18%) .353 (+11%) .415 (+18%) .769 (+15%) 775.3
1930 PHI NL 106 329 41 103 16 1 14 65 1 17 20 0.313 .293 (+7%) .354 (-2%) .429 (+15%) .784 (+8%) 466.7
1931 PHI NL 120 393 30 128 32 1 4 51 0 36 28 0.326 .276 (+18%) .338 (+13%) .388 (+14%) .726 (+14%) 1080.9
1932 PHI NL 125 402 44 135 23 5 14 70 1 40 39 0.336 .275 (+22%) .335 (+19%) .391 (+33%) .726 (+27%) 2159.5
1933 PHI NL 141 495 51 173 28 3 9 65 2 32 24 0.349 .270 (+29%) .329 (+20%) .377 (+25%) .707 (+23%) 2248.0
1934 STL NL 107 347 45 104 22 4 9 65 0 34 27 0.300 .278 (+8%) .340 (+7%) .392 (+18%) .733 (+13%) 872.2
1935 STL NL 102 315 28 100 24 2 1 60 0 33 30 0.317 .279 (+13%) .342 (+13%) .399 (+4%) .742 (+8%) 563.6
1936 STL NL 112 363 24 99 26 2 4 59 0 35 34 0.273 .283 (-4%) .349 (-2%) .404 (-4%) .753 (-3%) -230.5
1937 CIN NL 76 209 19 56 10 1 3 33 0 23 15 0.268 .276 (-3%) .342 (-1%) .398 (-7%) .740 (-4%) -139.6
1938 CIN NL 12 36 3 6 1 0 0 1 0 5 6 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1938 PHI NL 70 215 11 53 7 0 2 23 1 14 14 0.247 .272 (-10%) .341 (-14%) .392 (-22%) .734 (-18%) 0.0
1939 PHI NL 87 202 10 62 8 1 0 23 0 24 20 0.307 .274 (+12%) .342 (+12%) .393 (-9%) .735 (+1%) 114.6
1940 PIT NL 99 285 23 93 14 1 5 39 0 35 20 0.326 .267 (+22%) .335 (+20%) .387 (+12%) .722 (+16%) 992.6
1941 PIT NL 57 107 3 27 4 1 0 6 0 11 11 0.252 .262 (-4%) .332 (-3%) .373 (-17%) .705 (-11%) -185.8
1944 PIT NL 54 93 6 28 7 0 2 14 0 10 8 0.301 .261 (+15%) .325 (+13%) .357 (+23%) .683 (+18%) 291.4
1945 PIT NL 23 33 2 8 2 0 0 6 0 2 2 0.242 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1934 WS SLN 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 5 0 48 0 0 4
3B 2 0 1 4 0 0
C 1282 0 4374 684 84 97

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1928 SLN C 2 0 6 0 2 0
1928 PHI C 49 0 149 46 4 7
1929 PHI C 89 0 198 47 10 7
1930 PHI C 96 0 307 50 5 6
1931 PHI C 114 0 420 78 3 10
1932 PHI C 120 0 408 54 6 15
1933 PHI C 132 0 395 69 8 9
1934 SLN C 94 0 459 42 6 7
1935 SLN 1B 5 0 48 0 0 4
1935 SLN C 81 0 335 34 3 2
1936 SLN 3B 2 0 1 4 0 0
1936 SLN C 103 0 390 59 7 7
1937 CIN C 59 0 300 40 7 3
1938 CIN C 11 0 43 7 2 1
1938 PHI C 63 0 217 27 5 5
1939 PHI C 85 0 260 40 0 1
1940 PIT C 87 0 288 61 12 11
1941 PIT C 49 0 97 16 0 3
1944 PIT C 35 0 76 10 3 3
1945 PIT C 13 0 26 4 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1284
First Base 5
Third Base 2

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1933 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 1.0 80 0