Robert Brandon Davis (September 10, 1927 – June 12, 2005) was an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player,

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and longtime

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who spent 52 years in the game. In his playing days, the

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

appeared in 67

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for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

during the and seasons. He threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed , and was a native and lifelong resident of

Newark, Delaware Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 31,454. The University of Delaware is ...

Playing career

Prior to his professional career, Davis played baseball at Newark High School and

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and served in the

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. His pro career began in the Pittsburgh organization in 1951, when he batted a composite .313 across three lower levels of

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. He then spent 55 games in the majors for the 1952 Pirates, a team that would lose 112 games. He drew a

base on balls A base on balls (BB), better known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches during a plate appearance that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The bas ...

in his initial big-league appearance as a

pinch hitter In baseball, a pinch hitter (PH) is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, A ...

on April 15; then, the following day, he started in

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In t ...

and collected two

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in four

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against left-hander Cliff Chambers of the

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br>box score: 1952-04-16
/ref> But Davis struggled at the plate thereafter; overall he hit only .179 and spent part of the year with Class B

Waco Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 population of 146,608, making i ...

. In , he spent much of the year in the minor leagues before his recall in September for his final trial with the Pirates. But that resulted in only a .205 average in 39 at bats. Davis' 25 career MLB hits included three doubles and one

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. He batted .187 lifetime with three runs batted in. But he showed speed on the base paths,

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nine bases during his 55-game 1952 stint with the Pirates. His obituary, noting his offensive struggles, observed: "He was forced from the league after it was discovered he could not successfully steal first base."

Longtime scout

His playing career continued through 1957, then Davis became a

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in the

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' organization from 1958 to 1960. After that season, he sporadically served as a manager in the minor leagues, but concentrated primarily on scouting. He worked for multiple organizations, including his hometown MLB team, the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. In , he served on the

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of the Phils' interim manager, Paul Owens. Davis was inducted in 1989 to the

Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame The Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame was founded in 1976. Al Cartwright, who helped found it, was its first president and was inducted to its hall of fame in 1980. The current museum building was constructed in 1993. The Delaware Sports ...

. For some time he served on its board of governors. He died at age 77 at his Newark residence.

References

External links

1927 births 2005 deaths Augusta Tigers players 20th-century American sportsmen Bartlesville Pirates players Burlington-Graham Pirates players Charleston Senators players Chicago Cubs scouts Columbus Foxes players Duke Blue Devils baseball players Great Falls Electrics players Houston Astros scouts Hutchinson Elks players Longview Pirates players Major League Baseball outfielders Minor league baseball managers New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players New York Yankees scouts Oakland Athletics scouts Orlando Dodgers players Sportspeople from Newark, Delaware Baseball players from New Castle County, Delaware Philadelphia Phillies coaches Philadelphia Phillies scouts Pittsburgh Pirates players San Diego Padres scouts Waco Pirates players Williamsport Grays players United States Marines Newark High School (Delaware) alumni {{US-baseball-outfielder-1920s-stub