Harry Davis (1930s first baseman)

Harry Albert Davis, Jr. (March 7, 1908 – March 3, 1997), nicknamed "Stinky", was an American baseball first baseman. He played 26 seasons of professional baseball from 1925 to 1950, including two seasons for the Detroit Tigers (1932–1933) and one season with the St. Louis Browns (1937). He lost his job when Hank Greenberg joined the Tigers in 1933.

For the 1895–1917 first baseman, see Harry Davis (1900s first baseman).
Harry Davis
First baseman
Born: (1908-03-07)March 7, 1908
Shreveport, Louisiana
Died: March 3, 1997(1997-03-03) (aged 88)
Shreveport, Louisiana
Batted: Left Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 13, 1932, for the Detroit Tigers
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 1937, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Batting average.264
Home runs7
Runs batted in123
Teams

Early years

Davis was born in 1908 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He played football and baseball for Byrd High School and then attended Centenary College.[1]

Professional baseball

Davis began his professional baseball career playing for the Shamokin Shammies of the New York-Pennsylvania League from 1925 to 1927. He joined the Syracuse Stars of the same league in 1928. He next played for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League from 1929 to 1931.[2]

Davis was the Tigers' starting first baseman in 1932. That year, he hit .269 with a .339 on-base percentage, 92 runs scored, 159 hits, and 74 RBIs.[3] Despite decent numbers, Davis lost his starting job to Hank Greenberg in 1933. He played 66 games at first base in 1933 before Greenberg took over.

After leaving the Tigers, Davis returned to the minor leagues, playing for Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association (1934, 1936) and the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League (1935).[2]

Davis was given a second chance by the St. Louis Browns in 1937. He played in 120 games for the Browns and hit .276 with a .374 on-base percentage.[3]

Davis continued playing in the minor leagues for another 13 years, including stints with the Kansas City Blues (1938), Rochester Red Wings (1939-1942), Columbus Red Birds (1942), Toronto Maple Leafs (1943-1946), Williamsport Grays (1946), Greenville Majors (1947), Marshall Tigers (1948), Gadsden Pilots (1948-1949), and Amarillo Gold Sox (1950).[2]

Later years

Davis was married to Katherine Ogden Davis. They had a son, Harry Davis III.

After his playing career ended, Davis worked for the Kansas City Southern Railway and the Williams P&S.

He died in 1997 in Bossier City, Louisiana.[1]

References
  1. "Harry "Stinky" A. Davis, Jr". The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana). March 5, 1997. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Harry Davis Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  3. "Harry Davis". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
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