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

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

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.

Hey, everyone, please click through for my latest MLEs for Piper Davis. They are under the Lightning Round header and are only a career line.