Steel Arm Davis

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Steel Arm Davis was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for 5 teams, including the Dayton Marcos. In 445 career games, he hit .321 with 502 hits, 27 home runs, and 293 RBI. He also pitched in 21 games, going 5-4 with a 5.57 ERA. Steel Arm Davis was an All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,990.

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 .321
HR 27
RBI 293
H 502
OPS .854
PIV 3,990
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'1" / 175 lb
Born
6/22/1896 in Wortham, TX, USA
Died
11/30/1941 in Chicago, IL, USA
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Walter Davis

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Steel Arm Davis — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
157.0 147.0 29.0 53.0 10.0 6.0 6.0 30.0 9.0 8.0 7.0 .361 .397 .633 1.030

Career Batting Statistics

Steel Arm Davis — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
445 1,564 255 502 87 38 27 293 43 119 6 .321 .377 .477 .854 3,990

Career AVG .321 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — +14.3% above league average.

Career OBP .377 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — +10.1% above league average.

Career SLG .477 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — +20.7% above league average.

Career OPS .854 vs. league average .738 across their career seasons — +15.7% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Steel Arm 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
1920 DM NNL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1920 COG NNL 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1923 DS NNL 34 80 16 27 4 3 1 12 0 7 0 .338 .282 (+19%) .344 (+13%) .390 (+28%) .734 (+21%) 274.9
1927 CAG NNL 83 323 59 127 21 9 3 63 15 23 0 .393 .282 (+39%) .344 (+29%) .392 (+38%) .736 (+34%) 2068.9
1928 CAG NNL 59 226 38 72 12 5 2 31 7 13 4 .319 .280 (+13%) .342 (+6%) .395 (+12%) .737 (+9%) 347.2
1929 CAG NNL 73 257 41 72 14 6 5 47 10 18 1 .280 .289 (-3%) .353 (-7%) .415 (+6%) .769 (avg) -84.0
1930 CAG NNL 76 245 39 81 14 5 7 59 8 26 1 .331 .293 (+12%) .354 (+14%) .429 (+20%) .784 (+17%) 858.4
1932 CAG NSL 43 163 21 48 6 4 4 29 1 12 0 .294 .275 (+7%) .335 (+4%) .391 (+16%) .726 (+11%) 281.6
1933 CAG NN2 40 162 29 45 11 5 2 28 2 11 0 .278 .270 (+3%) .329 (avg) .377 (+18%) .707 (+10%) 211.7
1934 NEG NN2 3 11 1 4 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 .364 — — — — 0.0
1935 CAG NN2 30 96 11 26 5 1 2 22 0 8 0 .271 .279 (-3%) .342 (+1%) .399 (+2%) .742 (+1%) 31.1
Career · 11 seasons 445 1,564 255 502 87 38 27 293 43 119 6 .321 — — — — 3,990

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 Pitching Statistics

Steel Arm Davis — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
5 4 21 12 4 0 1 82.1 90 51 7 48 37 5.57 -2043.5

Career ERA 5.57 vs. league average 4.04 across their career seasons — 37.9% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Steel Arm Davis — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1920 DM NNL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2.0 6 5 1 1 22.50 — 0.0
1920 COG NNL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1.1 4 3 2 2 20.25 — 0.0
1923 DS NNL 5 4 12 10 4 0 1 66.1 64 35 37 27 4.75 4.03 (-18%) -2043.5
1930 CAG NNL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 8.2 7 5 8 6 5.19 — 0.0
1933 CAG NN2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 4.0 9 3 0 1 6.75 — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 5 4 21 12 4 0 1 82.1 90 51 48 37 5.57 — -2,044

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

Steel Arm Davis — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
23 96 22 36 5 7 6 27 4 0 .375

Playoff Batting by Year

Steel Arm Davis — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1932 NSC CAG 2 10 2 4 0 1 2 5 0 0 .400
1928 NNC CAG 7 30 5 11 3 3 1 8 2 0 .367
1927 NNC CAG 5 20 6 8 1 1 2 7 1 0 .400
1927 NWS CAG 9 36 9 13 1 2 1 7 1 0 .361

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (40 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Steel Arm Davis — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home144141219.293
Away2697112629.268

Last 10 Games — Batting

Steel Arm Davis — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1935-08-04 CAGNY6L 200000000
1935-07-21 CAGPTCL 413000000
1935-07-21 CAGPTCL 411000000
1935-07-20 CAGPTCL 201000000
1935-07-14 CAGNY6L 401000000
1935-07-13 CAGNY6L 500000000
1935-06-30 CAGBRNW 300000110
1935-06-30 CAGBRNL 400000000
1935-06-29 CAGBRNL 403200200
1935-06-24 CAGPH5L 401000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Steel Arm Davis — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 185 170 1624 90 37 59
OF 264 234 349 25 21 2
P 21 12 4 27 2 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Steel Arm Davis — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1920 DM P 1 1 0 1 0 0
1920 COG P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1923 DS OF 19 14 19 0 2 0
1923 DS P 12 10 4 19 0 1
1927 CAG OF 86 83 136 9 6 0
1928 CAG 1B 26 21 234 10 5 7
1928 CAG OF 37 37 47 4 3 1
1929 CAG 1B 47 46 453 32 11 9
1929 CAG OF 30 26 46 5 2 0
1930 CAG 1B 38 36 309 15 9 7
1930 CAG OF 43 32 52 2 3 0
1930 CAG P 5 0 0 6 1 0
1932 CAG 1B 43 43 424 21 4 18
1933 CAG 1B 8 5 42 2 2 4
1933 CAG OF 34 33 31 4 4 1
1933 CAG P 1 1 0 1 1 0
1934 NEG OF 4 3 5 1 0 0
1935 CAG 1B 23 19 162 10 6 14
1935 CAG OF 11 6 13 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Steel Arm Davis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 21
First Base 185
Left Field 133
Center Field 7
Right Field 124

Most Similar Players

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

  1. 98
    Jules Thomas
    .323 avg, 26 HR
  2. 86
    Charlie Mason
    .311 avg, 39 HR
  3. 81
    Ed Stone
    .312 avg, 28 HR
  4. 74
    Bill Hoskins
    .322 avg, 37 HR
  5. 69
    Hack Miller
    .322 avg, 38 HR
  6. 68
    Ike Boone
    .321 avg, 26 HR

Steel Arm Davis: the record in brief

The season rows for Steel Arm Davis begin in 1920. Davis played for the Dayton Marcos (1920), the Chicago Giants (1920), the Detroit Stars (1923), the Chicago American Giants (1927 through 1935), and the Nashville Elite Giants (1934). Davis played primarily as a first baseman and batted and threw left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on June 22, 1896, in Wortham, TX, USA and a listed size of 6 feet, 1 inch and 175 pounds. Davis died on November 30, 1941, in Chicago, IL, USA. The given name on file is Walter Davis.

The batting record for Davis: 445 games, 502 hits in 1,564 at bats, and a .321 average; the totals also include 27 home runs, 293 runs batted in, and 43 stolen bases. Davis got on base at a .377 rate and slugged .477 (.854 OPS). Set against a .281 league average for the same years, Davis's .321 average sits 14.3% above it. No season topped the 127 hits of 1927.

Frequently Asked Questions about Steel Arm Davis

Was Steel Arm Davis a pitcher?
Both. Steel Arm Davis pitched in 21 games, going 5-4 with a 5.57 ERA, but spent most of his career as a First Baseman.
How many home runs did Steel Arm Davis hit?
Steel Arm Davis hit 27 career home runs with 502 hits.
What teams did Steel Arm Davis play for?
Steel Arm Davis played for 5 teams: the Dayton Marcos (1920), the Chicago Giants (1920), the Detroit Stars (1923), the Chicago American Giants (1927–1930, 1932–1933, 1935), and the Nashville Elite Giants (1934).
Did Steel Arm Davis win an MVP award?
No. Steel Arm Davis did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Steel Arm Davis win?
Steel Arm Davis was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Steel Arm Davis's career stats?
In 445 games, Steel Arm Davis had 502 hits, 27 home runs, 293 RBI, 255 runs, and 43 stolen bases, with a .321 batting average. As a pitcher, in 21 games, he went 5-4 with a 5.57 ERA, 37 strikeouts, 82.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
What position did Steel Arm Davis play?
Steel Arm Davis played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Steel Arm Davis and how much did he weigh?
Steel Arm Davis was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Steel Arm Davis hit each season?
Steel Arm Davis's home runs by season: 0 in 1920, 1 in 1923, 3 in 1927, 2 in 1928, 5 in 1929, 7 in 1930, 4 in 1932, 2 in 1933, 1 in 1934, and 2 in 1935. His most in one season was 7, in 1930.
What was Steel Arm Davis's career batting average?
Steel Arm Davis batted .321 over his career, with 502 hits in 1,564 at bats.
How many RBI did Steel Arm Davis have?
Steel Arm Davis drove in 293 runs in his career.
What was Steel Arm Davis's career ERA?
Steel Arm Davis finished with a 5.57 career ERA, going 5-4 with 37 strikeouts.
Is Steel Arm Davis in the Hall of Fame?
No. Steel Arm Davis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Steel Arm Davis make?
Steel Arm Davis was selected to 1 All-Star Game.