As part of a tandem with Artie Wilson, he formed one of the great double play combinations in NeL history.

REAL-LIFE INFO ON PIPER DAVIS

PIPER DAVIS
BORN 1918

NEGRO LEAGUES
TM
YEAR LG TM AGE PO G G AB H TB 2B 3B HR SB BB K AVG SLG
-------------------------------------------------------------------
1942 NAL BIR 24 IF 24 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000
1943 NAL BIR 25 SS 34 57 22 36 9 1 1 1 .386 .632
1944 NAL BIR 26 2B 70 64 253 38 53 3 3 2 7 .150 .209
1945 NAL BIR 27 1B 69 58 211 66 99 10 7 3 7 .313 .469
1946 NAL BIR 28 2B 37 4 11 3 5 0 1 0 0 .273 .455
1947 NAL BIR 29 1B 56 228 82 89 1 2 .360 .390
1948 NAL BIR 30 2B 76 76 295 104 160 19 8 7 6 .353 .542
1949 NAL BIR 31 2B 82 299 113 113 .378 .378
1B/
1950 NAL BIR 32 2B 78 42 149 57 80 10 2 3 4 .383 .537

EASTERN LEAGUE
2B/
1950 EL SCR 32 SS 15 63 21 34 4 0 3 0 .333 .540

MEXICO
1950 MXL JAL 32 1B 84 30 116 33 61 4 3 6 6 15 3 .284 .526

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
2B/
1951 PCL OAK 33 2B 168 79 289 77 107 16 1 4 5 16 24 .266 .370
2B/3B/
1952 PCL OAK 34 OF 180 122 399 122 182 24 6 8 1 14 28 .306 .456
2B/1B/
1953 PCL OAK 35 OF 180 174 670 193 287 39 8 13 1 22 34 .288 .428
2B/
1954 PCL OAK 36 OF 167 120 365 105 155 19 2 9 3 24 26 .288 .425
OAK/ 2B/
1955 PCL SF 37 OF 172 126 369 90 129 19 1 6 1 20 36 .244 .350
3B/
1956 PCL LA 38 OF 168 64 152 48 77 9 1 6 1 5 17 .316 .507
1957 PCL LA 39 PH 168 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE
2B
1951 IL OTT 33 1B 150 78 278 73 98 10 3 3 7 13 20 .249 .363

TEXAS LEAGUE
1B/3B/
1957 TXL FTW 39 OF 87 219 47 67 10 2 2 .215 .306
1B/3B/
1958 TXL FTW 40 OF 82 220 62 79 9 1 2 3 .282 .359

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE
1947 PRWL CAG 29 IF 188 57 100 5 4 10 4 .303 .532
1948 PRWL CAG 30 IF 8
1949 PRWL PON 31 IF 80 304 89 128 14 8 3 .293 .421
1950 PRWL CAG 32 IF
</PRE>

Here's my initial stab at MLEs for Davis. This is using 93% as the blanket PCL, A.A., IL conversion rate. Additionally, I've made Davis an average 2B for each season. Given his offensive profile, I think it's the only way he could have been in the big leagues. He just didn't hit enough to play 3B, OF, or 1B.


YEAR LG AGE PO AVG OBP SLG G PA AB H TB BB ops+ sfws
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1942 NL 24 2B .000 .000 .000 2 4 4 0 0 0 -100 0.0
1943 NL 25 2B .361 .399 .558 68 257 242 87 135 15 175 16.1
1944 NL 26 2B .142 .162 .196 141 512 500 71 98 12 1 -1.6
1945 NL 27 2B .298 .332 .427 129 483 460 137 196 23 110 17.3
1946 NL 28 2B .263 .299 .373 17 62 59 16 22 3 90 1.6
1947 NL 29 2B .295 .332 .405 141 527 499 147 202 28 95 17.7
1948 NL 30 2B .320 .358 .459 138 520 491 157 225 29 120 22.6
1949 NL 31 2B .293 .329 .380 147 551 523 153 199 28 89 16.8
1950 NL 32 2B .303 .351 .441 153 583 543 165 239 40 107 23.0
1951 NL 33 2B .242 .293 .332 152 581 541 131 180 39 68 11.6
1952 NL 34 2B .286 .309 .387 104 383 371 106 143 12 92 11.1
1953 NL 35 2B .271 .293 .406 149 545 528 143 214 17 80 15.6
1954 NL 36 2B .273 .315 .410 111 417 393 107 161 24 91 12.9
1955 NL 37 2B .223 .264 .331 113 423 400 89 133 22 58 7.1
1956 NL 38 2B .277 .298 .446 59 214 208 58 93 6 97 7.1
1957 NL 39 2B .201 .225 .262 89 325 315 64 83 10 31 2.4
1958 NL 40 2B .250 .280 .287 82 303 291 73 84 12 51 4.7
=====================================================================
TOTAL .267 .303 .378 1795 6690 6369 1704 2407 321 83 185.8
</PRE>

Are the totals being cutoff, Eric?

I don't think so. I'm seeing them on my screen.

This was already posted in the Artie Wilson thread, but it's relevant here too, and illustrative of Davis' struggles in breaking into white baseball:

The Yankees’ original scouting report on [Artie] Wilson and Birmingham teammate Piper Davis, sent to team President Lee MacPhail in 1948, reveals the reasons the franchise didn’t want them on its major league club. “They are both good ball players,” the report reads. “[But] there isn’t an outstanding Negro player that anybody could recommend to step into the big league and hold down a regular job. ... These committees apply the pressure to hire one or perhaps two [black] players. If you hire one or two, they will want you to hire another one.”

I don't think so. I'm seeing them on my screen.

Must be an IE and/or AOL problem. The totals are showing up on Firefox.

The Yankees were foolish to listen a scouting report such as this one, but they were not foolish to pass on Davis, IF he would have cost more than a typical replacement. Going through his career, I don't think he's all that great, just a journeyman type whose lack of plate discipline eroded from his OPS any of the value that his power could ever have given it. Plus he didn't have the speed or glove to generate any other kind of value.

As Bob Dylan put it on Blonde on Blonde: "I'm gonna let ya pass this time."

Actually it was "This time, I'm gonna let you pass." Subtle difference unless you're trying to get it to rhyme.

Who Was Piper Davis?, David Nevard with David Marasco (2001)

Howdy fellers! You old timers may remember me. I participated in the HOM for many "years." I stopped -- not because I didn't love it -- but because it was sapping too much of my time. I still lurk and must say that it brought a smile to my face when you elected my one of my old time favorites, Hughie Jennings.

I was compelled to write when Piper Davis came up. In college, I did some oral history work on the Birmingham Black Barons. Piper Davis was abolutely central to the history of the Black Barons. He was the player-manager and heart and soul of the Barons during the 40s. Every player I interviewed talked about him with the utmost reverence. He was one of the most respected figures in the later days of the Negro Leagues. He was like Buck O'Neil without the PR. I had the chance to talk with him for a day, and it was a wonderful experience. Do yourself a favor and read the link that Paul Wendt posted. (Bill Greason, who pitched for the Cardinals and is quoted in the article, also was a prince of a guy.)

All that being said, Piper Davis's stats don't merit enshrinement.

Thanks for letting me pop back in. Carry on.