Glenn Earl Davis (born March 28, 1961) is a former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB)

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

who played for the Houston Astros and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

from 1984 to 1993 and finished in the top ten in

National League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

balloting three times (, and ).

Early life

Davis' parents divorced when he was six years old. While attending

University Christian School University Christian School is a private Christian school in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. It is part of the ministry of the University Church, a local Baptist congregation. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through graduation. The school ha ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, the school's athletic director, George Davis, took an interest in Glenn. While they are not related to Glenn, he and his wife, Norma, practically adopted him, and they are the biological parents of former major league

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

Storm Davis. Though they are not related, Glenn and Storm have long considered themselves brothers. At University Christian, Glenn and Storm led the Christians to back-to-back state titles (1978–79). Both were drafted in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft by the

upon graduation from University Christian High School (Storm seventh round, Glenn 31st). While Storm chose to sign with the Orioles, Glenn accepted a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

scholarship and played one season at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

and then transferred to Manatee Junior College to make himself eligible sooner for the MLB draft. In 1980, Davis played collegiate summer baseball with the

Chatham A's The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in t ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star. The Houston Astros selected Davis in the first round of the draft's secondary phase in 1981 and signed him for $50,000.

Houston Astros

Davis soon developed into one of the top power-hitting prospects in the Astros' farm system, hitting 71 home runs before receiving his first call up to the majors in September . In his first full season, , Davis batted .271 with twenty home runs and 64

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

to finish fifth in

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

rookie of the year balloting. In Houston, he earned his nickname, “The Big Bopper.” Davis had a break-out season in 1986. He had sixty RBIs and twenty home runs at the All-Star break to make his first All-Star team. For the season, he clubbed 31 home runs, and had 101 RBIs with a .265

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

to win the

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...

at first base, and finish second to the Philadelphia Phillies'

Mike Schmidt Michael Jack Schmidt (born September 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who played his entire 18-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies. Schmidt was a 12-time All-Star and a ...

in NL MVP voting. The Astros handily won the

National League West The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed for the 1969 season when the National League expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos. For purpose of keeping a re ...

by ten games over the Cincinnati Reds to face the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

in the

1986 National League Championship Series The 1986 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven Major League Baseball postseason series between the NL East champion New York Mets and NL West champion Houston Astros. It was the 18th NLCS and the first MLB playoff series in wh ...

. The only scoring in the game one pitchers' duel between Mike Scott and

Dwight Gooden Dwight Eugene Gooden (born November 16, 1964), nicknamed "Dr. K" and "Doc", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Gooden pitched from 1984 to 1994 and from 1996 to 2000 for the N ...

was a solo home run by Davis in the second inning, which he hit in his first ever postseason at-bat. From there, Mets pitching would contain Davis until the classic game six extra-innings marathon. Davis went three-for-seven with a run scored and two RBIs, including the final run of the game as the Astros attempted to come back from a 7–4 deficit in the 16th inning, although they would wind up losing the game and series. It would be his only postseason experience, and he had seven total hits in the series. Davis remained one of the top sluggers in the NL through 1989, earning a second All-Star selection in 1989, and finishing in the top ten in MVP voting in 1988 and 1989. In the 1990 season opener, Cincinnati Reds pitchers hit Davis with pitches in three of his six

plate appearances In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...

. He hit three home runs in a loss to the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

on June 1, however, a rib injury caused Davis to miss the entire month of July, and limited him to just 93 games all season. Despite his limited time on the field, Davis still managed to put up respectable numbers, hitting 22 home runs and driving in 64, In '89, becoming the first Astro to hit at least 20 home runs in five consecutive seasons. Davis still ranks fifth all-time in Astros career home run leaders. In the offseason, he was part of what many consider to be the worst trade in

history when he was traded to the Orioles for three future All-Stars,

Steve Finley Steven Allen Finley (born March 12, 1965) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams between 1989 and 2007, most notably the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks; he is one of only two play ...

, Pete Harnisch and

Curt Schilling Curtis Montague Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who is a commentator for conservative media outlet BlazeTV. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series appearance ...

. After the trade Davis signed a then club record $3.275 million, one-year contract with the Orioles.

Baltimore Orioles

Davis suffered a nerve injury in his neck during his first spring training with the Orioles. He was batting .244 with four home runs and eight RBIs through April 24, 1991 when this injury landed him on the disabled list, and kept him from the Orioles' line-up through the middle of August. Upon his return, he never regained his power hitting form, and ended the season with ten home runs, 28 RBIs and a .227 average in 49 games. In 1992, Davis had a decent but unspectacular season for the Orioles, with a .276 batting average, thirteen home runs, and 48 RBIs in 106 games. The 1993 season was a disaster for Davis. Splitting time fairly evenly between first base and designated hitter, Davis was batting just .177 with one home run and nine RBIs through May when his jaw was broken in a bar fight. After a brief stint with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, Davis's return to action was delayed when, while he was sitting in the dugout during an Orioles game on August 1, he was hit in the head by a line drive foul ball of the bat of teammate

Jeffrey Hammonds Jeffrey Bryan Hammonds (born March 5, 1971) is an American former professional baseball player. Hammonds was an outfielder and played for the Baltimore Orioles (1993–1998), Cincinnati Reds (1998–1999), Colorado Rockies (2000), Milwaukee ...

. He was finally reactivated on September 6, but, following an argument with Orioles manager

Johnny Oates Johnny Lane Oates (January 21, 1946 – December 24, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, ...

about being left out of the starting line-up against left-handed pitcher Dave Fleming, was released by the club without playing another game.

Later career

Davis joined the New York Mets for spring training 1994, but did not make the club. He later joined the

Omaha Royals Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

and, despite a very solid season in which he produced a batting average of .282 with 27 home runs and 97 RBI, he was not given another opportunity to play in the Majors. From 1995 to 1996 Davis played for the

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railwa ...

in Japan. He came back to the US and spent the end of the 1996 season playing for St. Paul Saints in the Northern League before retiring from baseball.

Personal life

Davis is married to Teresa Beesley Davis from

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

. The couple has three daughters: Sharayah, Tiffany, and Gabrielle. Davis is the CEO of the Cascade Group, which develops hotels in the southeast region of the country. In 1992, Davis founded The Carpenter's Way home for disadvantaged children in Columbus, Georgia, and in 2008 he and his wife helped start the Arebella Home for girls. He currently serves as an elected city councilman for the city of Columbus and owns the Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites hotels located in Columbus, Georgia.

References

External links

*
Glenn Davis
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) :
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Glenn 1961 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Jacksonville, Florida Bowie Baysox players Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Chatham Anglers players Columbus Astros players Columbus Mudcats players Daytona Beach Astros players Frederick Keys players Georgia Bulldogs baseball players Gulf Coast Astros players Hagerstown Suns players Hanshin Tigers players Houston Astros players Major League Baseball first basemen Middle Georgia Warriors baseball players National League All-Stars Omaha Royals players Rochester Red Wings players SCF Manatees baseball players Silver Slugger Award winners Baseball players from Columbus, Georgia St. Paul Saints players Tucson Toros players State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota alumni University Christian School alumni 21st-century American politicians Georgia (U.S. state) city council members