Bud Davis

Who was Bud Davis?

John Wilbur Davis was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1919. He would later re-establish himself as a hitter in the minor leaguers, becoming a star player at that level. He was nicknamed Bud and Country.

Davis began his big league career at the age of 19, making his debut on April 19, 1919. He spent 18 games with the Athletics that year, going 0–2 with a 4.05 ERA. In 66 2/3 innings, he allowed 59 walks and had only 18 strikeouts.

As a batter, he appeared in 21 games, being used as a pinch hitter a few times. In 26 major league at-bats, he hit .308 with three RBI. He appeared in his final major league game on September 23, 1915 – however, that was not the end of his professional career.

From 1916 to 1922, Davis was used as a batter and a pitcher, posting a record of 20–13 with a 1.93 ERA in 37 games with the Augusta Georgians in 1921. As well, at the plate that year, he hit .340 in 98 games.

Following the 1922 season, Davis switched to playing first base full-time. He would go on to hit 253 home runs in his minor league career, blasting as many as 51 in a season. In various years he hit as high as .391, .376, .354, .352 and .351.