Jody Davis

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1981-1990)

Jody Davis was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1990 for the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta Braves, a span of 10 seasons. In 1,082 career games, he hit .245 with 877 hits, 127 home runs, and 490 RBI. Jody Davis was a 2-time All-Star and a Gold Glove.

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

AVG .245
HR 127
RBI 490
H 877
OPS .710
PIV -172
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 192 lb
Born
11/12/1956 in Gainesville, GA, USA
MLB Debut
1981-04-21
Last Game
1990-05-13
Awards
2× All-Star · Gold Glove

Full name: Jody Richard Davis

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Career Batting Statistics

Jody Davis — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,082 3,585 364 877 164 11 127 490 7 333 712 .245 .307 .403 .710 -172

Career AVG .245 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 5.3% below league average.

Career OBP .307 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .403 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .710 vs. league average .711 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jody Davis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1981 CHN NL 56 180 14 46 5 1 4 21 0 21 28 .256 .255 (avg) .320 (+4%) .368 (-2%) .688 (+1%) 60.2
1982 CHN NL 130 418 41 109 20 2 12 52 0 36 92 .261 .261 (avg) .324 (-2%) .388 (+4%) .712 (+1%) 6.5
1983 CHN NL 151 510 56 138 31 2 24 84 0 33 93 .271 .260 (+4%) .324 (-3%) .389 (+23%) .714 (+11%) 946.5
1984 CHN NL 150 523 55 134 25 2 19 94 5 47 99 .256 .259 (-1%) .322 (-2%) .384 (+9%) .707 (+4%) 308.4
1985 CHN NL 142 482 47 112 30 0 17 58 1 48 83 .232 .257 (-10%) .323 (-7%) .390 (+2%) .714 (-2%) -215.9
1986 CHN NL 148 528 61 132 27 2 21 74 0 41 110 .250 .257 (-3%) .325 (-8%) .395 (+8%) .720 (+1%) -82.2
1987 CHN NL 125 428 57 106 12 2 19 51 1 52 91 .248 .262 (-6%) .331 (avg) .415 (+1%) .746 (avg) 82.7
1988 CHN NL 88 249 19 57 9 0 6 33 0 29 51 .229 .254 (-10%) .317 (-3%) .377 (-11%) .695 (-7%) -242.2
1988 ATL NL 2 8 2 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 .250 — — — — -242.2
1989 ATL NL 78 231 12 39 5 0 4 19 0 23 61 .169 .254 (-34%) .319 (-23%) .375 (-35%) .694 (-30%) -1036.6
1990 ATL NL 12 28 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 .071 — — — — 0.0
Career · 11 seasons 1,082 3,585 364 877 164 11 127 490 7 333 712 .245 — — — — -415

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Jody Davis — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 18 3 7 2 0 2 6 0 3 .389

Playoff Batting by Year

Jody Davis — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1984 NLCS CHN 5 18 3 7 2 0 2 6 0 3 .389

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1082 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Jody Davis — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home536176020544273271.251
Away546182515943554219.238

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jody Davis — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1990-05-13 ATLSTLW 300000110
1990-05-08 ATLCHCL 401000001
1990-05-07 ATLCHCW 100000001
1990-05-06 ATLPITL 000000010
1990-04-28 ATLPHIL 200000000
1990-04-27 ATLPHIL 300000010
1990-04-26 ATLHOUL 100000000
1990-04-22 ATLCINW 400000000
1990-04-18 ATLHOUL 100000000
1990-04-13 ATLCINL 401000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jody Davis — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 9 6 57 5 0 7
C 1039 976 5520 640 81 65

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jody Davis — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1981 CHN C 56 53 274 44 9 4
1982 CHN C 129 120 598 89 11 11
1983 CHN C 150 140 730 75 13 7
1984 CHN C 146 141 811 89 15 9
1985 CHN C 138 129 694 84 8 7
1986 CHN 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1986 CHN C 145 141 885 105 8 14
1987 CHN C 123 119 749 79 9 11
1988 CHN C 74 68 383 32 2 1
1988 ATL C 2 2 13 2 0 0
1989 ATL 1B 2 1 12 0 0 3
1989 ATL C 72 61 364 40 6 1
1990 ATL 1B 6 5 45 5 0 4
1990 ATL C 4 2 19 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jody Davis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 1039
First Base 9

Awards & Honors

Jody Davis — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1986 Gold Glove C
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-06-10

Salary History

Jody Davis — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1990 ATL NL $800,000
1989 ATL NL $886,667
1988 CHN NL $1,108,333
1987 CHN NL $1,008,333
1986 CHN NL $833,333
1985 CHN NL $550,000
Total Career Earnings $5,186,666

College History

Jody Davis — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Middle Georgia College Cochran GA 1976

Award Voting History

Jody Davis — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1984 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 49.0 336 0
1983 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 1.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Jody Davis (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Travis d'Arnaud
    .243 avg, 130 HR
  2. 92
    Matt Wieters
    .249 avg, 146 HR
  3. 90
    Joe Oliver
    .247 avg, 102 HR
  4. 89
    John Buck
    .234 avg, 134 HR
  5. 85
    Yan Gomes
    .246 avg, 137 HR
  6. 78
    Nick Hundley
    .247 avg, 93 HR

Jody Davis: the record in brief

Jody Davis played a first major league game on April 21, 1981 and a last one on May 13, 1990. Davis played for the Chicago Cubs (1981 to 1988) and the Atlanta Braves (1988 through 1990). Davis played primarily as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on November 12, 1956, in Gainesville, GA, USA, Davis was listed at 6'4" and 192 pounds. Davis's full given name, per the bio, is Jody Richard Davis.

Davis's career batting table shows 1,082 games, 3,585 at bats and 877 hits, a .245 average; the totals also include 127 homers and 490 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .307 and .403 give Davis a career OPS of .710. The league as a whole hit .258 across Davis's seasons, which puts the .245 career mark 5.3% below average. The home run peak was 24 in 1983 with the Chicago Cubs. Davis collected a career-high 138 hits in 1983. Davis drove in a season-high 94 runs in 1984. In 1983, a season of regular play, Davis hit .271 while the league hit .260.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jody Davis

What years did Jody Davis play?
Jody Davis played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1990.
Was Jody Davis a pitcher?
No. Jody Davis was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Jody Davis hit?
Jody Davis hit 127 career home runs with 877 hits.
What was Jody Davis's career batting average?
Jody Davis batted .245 over his career, with 877 hits in 3,585 at bats.
How many RBI did Jody Davis have?
Jody Davis drove in 490 runs in his career.
Is Jody Davis in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jody Davis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.