Bill Davis
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1965-1969)
Bill Davis was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1969 for the Cleveland Guardians and the San Diego Padres, a span of 5 seasons. In 64 career games, he hit .181 with 19 hits, 1 home runs, and 5 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'7" / 215 lb
- Died
- 1/13/2023 in Edina, MN, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1965-09-16
- Last Game
- 1969-05-21
Full name: Arthur Willard Davis
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | 105 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 28 | .181 | .281 | .238 | .519 | -235 |
Career AVG .181 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — 26.9% below league average.
Career OBP .281 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — 10.5% below league average.
Career SLG .238 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 36.0% below league average.
Career OPS .519 vs. league average .686 across their career seasons — 24.4% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | CLE | AL | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | CLE | AL | 23 | 38 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 9 | .158 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1969 | SDN | NL | 31 | 57 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 18 | .175 | .248 (-29%) | .320 (-10%) | .369 (-48%) | .689 (-30%) | -235.3 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 64 | 105 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 28 | .181 | — | — | — | — | -235 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (64 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 34 | 52 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 4 | .231 |
| Away | 30 | 53 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | .132 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-05-21 | SDP | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-05-20 | SDP | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969-05-18 | SDP | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-05-16 | SDP | STL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969-05-14 | SDP | CHC | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1969-05-13 | SDP | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1969-05-12 | SDP | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969-05-09 | SDP | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-05-07 | SDP | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969-05-04 | SDP | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 23 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Minnesota | Minneapolis | MN | 1962, 1963, 1964 |
Bill Davis: the record in brief
According to the bio, Bill Davis debuted on September 16, 1965 and played a final game on May 21, 1969. The team column moves through the Cleveland Indians (1965 through 1966) and the San Diego Padres (1969). Davis played primarily as a first baseman and both batted and threw left-handed. Born on June 6, 1942, in Graceville, MN, USA, Davis was listed at 6 feet, 7 inches and 215 pounds. The bio records the death on January 13, 2023, in Edina, MN, USA. The given name on file is Arthur Willard Davis.
Across 64 games at the plate, Davis's career line reads 19 hits in 105 at bats for a .181 average; the totals also include 1 home run and 5 runs batted in. Davis's career OPS of .519 combines a .281 on-base mark with .238 slugging. Set against a .247 league average for the same years, Davis's .181 average sits 26.9% below it. In OPS terms, Davis's .519 stands 24.4% below the league's .686. Davis collected a career-high 10 hits in 1969.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Davis
- What years did Bill Davis play?
- Bill Davis played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1969.
- Was Bill Davis a pitcher?
- No. Bill Davis was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Bill Davis hit?
- Bill Davis hit 1 career home runs with 19 hits.
- What was Bill Davis's career batting average?
- Bill Davis batted .181 over his career, with 19 hits in 105 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Davis have?
- Bill Davis drove in 5 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Davis in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Davis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.