Roosevelt Davis

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Roosevelt Davis was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for 14 teams, including the St. Louis Stars. Across 305 career appearances, he went 97-62 with a 4.10 ERA and 689 strikeouts. He also batted .178 with 3 home runs. Roosevelt Davis was an All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 26274.3.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 97–62
ERA 4.10
WHIP 1.35
SO 689
Pitcher PIV 26274.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 168 lb
Born
11/19/1904 in Bartlesville, OK, USA
Died
12/28/1968 in Chicago, IL, USA
Awards
All-Star
📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Roosevelt Davis — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
184.0 171.0 9.0 25.0 4.0 0 0 4.0 9.0 2.0 0 .146 .198 .170 .368

Pitching

Roosevelt Davis — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
43 41 89 65 23 2 705.0 613 345 103 29 102 217 1.31 1.01

Career Pitching Statistics

Roosevelt Davis — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
97 62 305 167 89 9 14 1545.0 1,702 704 57 391 689 4.10 26274.3

Career ERA 4.10 vs. league average 4.19 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Roosevelt Davis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1924 SLS NNL 7 4 25 12 6 0 0 120.2 142 62 31 51 4.62 4.13 (-12%) 516.5
1925 SLS NNL 16 6 35 19 9 0 0 168.0 175 83 26 48 4.45 4.55 (+2%) 4522.6
1926 SLS NNL 7 5 36 18 1 0 3 145.1 182 87 46 49 5.39 4.11 (-31%) -654.9
1927 SLS NNL 10 8 34 17 9 0 2 162.2 193 75 36 63 4.15 4.08 (-2%) 3323.6
1928 SLS NNL 8 0 24 9 5 1 1 98.0 108 40 13 36 3.67 4.13 (+11%) 2703.6
1929 SLS NNL 6 7 33 14 8 3 3 143.2 143 59 31 58 3.70 4.60 (+20%) 3414.5
1929 CAG NNL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.0 5 4 1 0 36.00 — 0.0
1930 SLS NNL 10 3 19 11 7 0 0 109.2 121 54 40 65 4.43 4.80 (+8%) 1811.9
1930 KCM NNL 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 5.2 13 6 6 3 9.53 — 0.0
1931 SLS NNL 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 6.2 11 3 1 7 4.05 — 0.0
1931 AB2 NNL 1 4 5 4 3 0 0 43.2 49 22 22 20 4.53 4.10 (-11%) -901.1
1932 CLS EWL 1 2 5 4 3 0 0 34.1 33 15 11 30 3.93 4.13 (+5%) 1468.8
1932 CUP EWL 2 1 3 3 3 0 0 24.0 27 7 2 11 2.62 4.13 (+36%) 929.6
1933 CBB NN2 2 2 8 4 2 0 0 44.0 50 13 9 16 2.66 3.86 (+31%) 620.3
1934 PC NN2 1 0 5 2 1 0 1 23.0 25 10 10 12 3.91 4.29 (+9%) -184.2
1935 PC NN2 5 1 13 8 5 1 1 86.0 87 30 24 49 3.14 4.35 (+28%) 1463.9
1936 NBY NN2 2 4 14 9 4 1 1 66.2 76 33 22 27 4.46 4.59 (+3%) 226.8
1937 NBY NN2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 6 6 1 0 27.00 — 0.0
1937 PC NN2 2 4 7 6 5 0 0 44.2 50 25 8 22 5.04 4.34 (-16%) 977.8
1938 NBY NN2 0 2 3 2 0 0 0 7.0 18 11 6 3 14.14 — 0.0
1938 NE NN2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.1 3 0 2 1 0.00 — 0.0
1938 PC NN2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2.1 11 7 1 0 27.00 — 0.0
1939 MRS NAL 2 3 5 5 4 0 0 40.0 44 13 4 20 2.92 4.28 (+32%) 1276.5
1940 MRS NAL 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 8.0 6 1 3 5 1.12 — 0.0
1940 NBY NN2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.2 1 0 0 1 0.00 — 0.0
1943 CC NAL 5 2 9 6 6 1 2 61.1 45 16 10 37 2.35 3.50 (+33%) 1956.2
1944 CIC NAL 6 2 8 8 5 1 0 60.0 59 16 16 42 2.40 3.57 (+33%) 2273.8
1945 CIC NAL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 6.1 4 3 5 1 4.26 — 0.0
1945 CBE NAL 2 0 3 2 2 1 0 26.1 15 3 4 12 1.03 3.67 (+72%) 528.2
Career · 29 seasons 97 62 305 167 89 9 14 1,545.0 1,702 704 391 689 4.10 — 26,274

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Roosevelt Davis — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
307 569 34 101 11 2 3 33 0 28 0 .178 .217 .220 .437 -1,516

Career AVG .178 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — 35.9% below league average.

Career OBP .217 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — 36.4% below league average.

Career SLG .220 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 43.8% below league average.

Career OPS .437 vs. league average .732 across their career seasons — 40.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Roosevelt 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
1924 SLS NNL 25 40 4 6 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 .150 — — — — 0.0
1925 SLS NNL 35 61 4 10 1 0 1 5 0 1 0 .164 .288 (-43%) .349 (-49%) .407 (-44%) .756 (-46%) -475.4
1926 SLS NNL 36 55 2 8 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 .145 .279 (-48%) .345 (-45%) .390 (-63%) .735 (-54%) -483.7
1927 SLS NNL 34 58 6 13 1 1 0 4 0 3 0 .224 .282 (-21%) .344 (-24%) .392 (-30%) .736 (-27%) -260.4
1928 SLS NNL 24 34 4 10 1 0 2 4 0 2 0 .294 — — — — 0.0
1929 SLS NNL 34 48 3 10 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 .208 — — — — -296.6
1929 CAG NNL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — -296.6
1930 SLS NNL 19 45 3 10 1 0 0 3 0 2 0 .222 — — — — 0.0
1930 KCM NNL 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1931 SLS NNL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1931 AB2 NNL 5 19 1 4 2 0 0 4 0 2 0 .211 — — — — 0.0
1932 CLS EWL 5 13 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .154 — — — — 0.0
1932 CUP EWL 3 9 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .111 — — — — 0.0
1933 CBB NN2 8 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1934 PC NN2 5 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .100 — — — — 0.0
1935 PC NN2 13 32 4 11 2 0 0 4 0 3 0 .344 — — — — 0.0
1936 NBY NN2 14 25 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .120 — — — — 0.0
1937 NBY NN2 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1937 PC NN2 7 15 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 .200 — — — — 0.0
1938 NBY NN2 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1938 NE NN2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1938 PC NN2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1939 MRS NAL 5 16 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .062 — — — — 0.0
1940 MRS NAL 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
1940 NBY NN2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1943 CC NAL 9 20 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .150 — — — — 0.0
1944 CIC NAL 8 26 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .077 — — — — 0.0
1945 CIC NAL 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1945 CBE NAL 3 10 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 .100 — — — — 0.0
Career · 29 seasons 307 569 34 101 11 2 3 33 0 28 0 .178 — — — — -1,813

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

Roosevelt Davis — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 18 1 5 1 0 0 3 1 0 .278

Playoff Batting by Year

Roosevelt Davis — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1935 NLC PC 3 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222
1930 NNC SLS 1 3 1 2 1 0 0 2 1 0 .667
1928 NNC SLS 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1925 NNC SLS 2 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .200

Playoff Career Pitching

Roosevelt Davis — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
4 2 7 5 0 46.1 49 25 14 18 4.86

Playoff Pitching by Year

Roosevelt Davis — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1935 NLC PC 2 1 3 2 0 23.2 24 9 4 7 3.42
1930 NNC SLS 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 11 6 4 5 6.00
1928 NNC SLS 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 3 2 0 0 18.00
1925 NNC SLS 1 1 2 2 0 12.2 11 8 6 6 5.68

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (173 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Roosevelt Davis — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home456361502.238
Away427031204.171

Pitching — Home / Away

Roosevelt Davis — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home44296.02424741931.43
Away42239.02244032601.51

Last 10 Games — Batting

Roosevelt Davis — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1945-05-27 CIABIRL 300000000
1945-05-23 CIAKCML 000000000
1945-05-20 CIACVBW 000000000
1945-05-13 CIAMEMW 001100200
1944-09-04 CIABIRL 000000000
1944-08-20 CIACVBL 301000000
1944-08-16 CIAMEMW 000000000
1944-08-11 CIAKCMW 000000000
1944-08-06 CIACVBW 000000000
1944-08-02 CIAKCMW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Roosevelt Davis — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1945-05-27 CIABIR — 6.0433300
1945-05-23 CIAKCM L 9.0720000
1945-05-20 CIACVB — 0.0000000
1945-05-13 CIAMEM W 9.0410000
1944-09-04 CIABIR L 9.0040000
1944-08-20 CIACVB L 6.01070100
1944-08-16 CIAMEM W 9.01330000
1944-08-11 CIAKCM W 6.0040000
1944-08-06 CIACVB W 7.0600000
1944-08-02 CIAKCM W 7.0400000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Roosevelt Davis — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 305 170 27 386 21 22
SS 1 1 0 3 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Roosevelt Davis — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1924 SLS P 25 12 2 37 3 1
1925 SLS P 35 19 0 0 0 0
1926 SLS P 36 18 2 42 2 2
1927 SLS P 34 17 4 64 4 8
1928 SLS P 24 9 1 20 1 1
1929 SLS P 33 16 3 43 2 3
1929 CAG P 1 1 0 0 0 0
1930 SLS P 19 11 7 27 1 2
1930 KCM P 2 0 0 3 0 0
1931 SLS P 2 0 0 1 0 0
1931 AB2 P 5 4 1 12 1 0
1932 CLS P 5 4 0 14 0 1
1932 CUP P 3 3 1 9 0 0
1933 CBB P 8 4 1 10 1 0
1934 PC P 5 2 0 6 0 1
1935 PC P 13 8 1 19 1 2
1936 NBY P 14 9 0 17 0 0
1937 NBY P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1937 NBY SS 1 1 0 3 1 0
1937 PC P 7 6 0 12 1 0
1938 NBY P 3 2 0 0 0 0
1938 NE P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1938 PC P 1 1 0 2 0 0
1939 MRS P 5 5 0 10 1 0
1940 MRS P 1 1 0 2 0 0
1940 NBY P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1943 CC P 9 7 3 13 2 0
1944 CIC P 8 8 0 13 0 0
1945 CIC P 1 1 0 3 0 1
1945 CBE P 3 2 1 5 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Roosevelt Davis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 305
Shortstop 1

Most Similar Players

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

  1. 98
    Bob Muncrief
    80-82, 3.80 ERA
  2. 96
    Bill Holland
    97-101, 4.13 ERA
  3. 93
    Al Jackson
    67-99, 3.98 ERA
  4. 92
    Paul Minner
    69-84, 3.94 ERA
  5. 90
    Vern Ruhle
    67-88, 3.73 ERA
  6. 90
    Jim Colborn
    83-88, 3.80 ERA

Roosevelt Davis: the record in brief

Roosevelt Davis's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1924 to 1945. By club, Davis's seasons break down as the St. Louis Stars (1924 to 1931), the Chicago American Giants (1929), the Kansas City Monarchs (1930), the Indianapolis ABCs (1931), the Cleveland Stars (1932), the Pollock's Cuban Stars (1932), the Columbus Blue Birds (1933), and the Pittsburgh Crawfords (1934 to 1938), with further stops in the season rows. Davis, born on November 19, 1904, in Bartlesville, OK, USA, is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 168 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. Davis's death is recorded on December 28, 1968, in Chicago, IL, USA.

The pitching table credits Davis with a 97-62 record and a 4.10 ERA in 305 games. Davis had 689 strikeouts, 89 complete games, 9 shutouts, and 14 saves. Davis's 4.10 ERA was close to the 4.19 league figure for those seasons. Davis won 16 games in 1925, the most of any season listed.

Frequently Asked Questions about Roosevelt Davis

Was Roosevelt Davis a pitcher?
Yes. Roosevelt Davis pitched in the major leagues, recording 97 wins and 689 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Roosevelt Davis hit?
Roosevelt Davis hit 3 career home runs with 101 hits.
What was Roosevelt Davis's career batting average?
Roosevelt Davis batted .178 over his career, with 101 hits in 569 at bats.
How many RBI did Roosevelt Davis have?
Roosevelt Davis drove in 33 runs in his career.
What was Roosevelt Davis's career ERA?
Roosevelt Davis finished with a 4.10 career ERA, going 97-62 with 689 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Roosevelt Davis have?
Roosevelt Davis recorded 689 career strikeouts.