Jay Davis (born October 3, 1970, in Chicago, Illinois) is a former professional baseball player. He played seven seasons as an outfielder with the

Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles ( ko, 한화 이글스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon. They are a member of the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. The Eagles have won the Korean Series on ...

of the

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ko, 한국야구위원회) is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League ( ko, KBO 리그) and KBO ...

. Davis had the longest career of a foreign player in the KBO League, achieving the highest batting average (minimum 2,000 at-bats) in that category, as well as the most runs scored, the most hits, the most runs batted in, and the most

stolen bases In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

of any foreign-born player.

Career

Davis was the 318th pick overall of the 1989 June Amateur Draft, chosen out of

Rezin Orr High School Rezin Orr Academy High School is a public four-year high school bordered between the neighborhoods of West Garfield and Humboldt Park located on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is a part of the Chicago Public Schools district and is manag ...

by the New York Mets. He spent ten years in the minor leagues, never making it to the Majors. In 1999, Davis left for Korea and the

. He and fellow American import

Dan Rohrmeier Daniel Rohrmeier (born September 27, 1965) is a former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners in , and in the Korea Baseball Organization from to for the Hanwha Eagles and LG Twins. Roh ...

, as well as Koreans

Song Ji-man Song Ji-man (Hangul: 송지만, Hanja: 宋志晩) (born March 2, 1973 in Incheon, South Korea) is a South Korean former outfielder in the Korea Baseball Organization professional baseball league. He bats and throws right-handed. Profession ...

and

Chang Jong-hoon Chang Jong-hoon (born April 10, 1968) is a retired former infielder in the KBO League. He spent his entire 20-year career with Binggrae/Hanwha Eagles. He is currently a coach with the team. Chang was a two-time KBO MVP, and led the league in h ...

, led the Eagles to the 1999

Korean Series The Korean Series is the final championship series of the KBO League. It has been held since the KBO League's first season in and is the final series of the post-season play-offs. From to 2013, the winner of the Korean Series went on to play in ...

championship; the team had a slugging percentage of .487, the highest team total in KBO League history. Davis contributed with a slash line of .328/.376/.570 with 30 homers, 35 stolen bases, 93 runs, and 106 RBI. His was the seventh-best batting average in the KBO League that year, and tops for all foreign-born players. In 2000, Davis' .334 batting average was fifth-best in the league; he added 22 home runs and 21 stolen bases. Davis' 2001 season continued the trend, with a slash line of 335/.406/.558 to accompany 30 home runs, 95 runs, and 96 RBI. Davis finished fifth in the KBO League in batting average, and his 166 hits were one behind league leader

Lee Byung-kyu Lee Byung-kyu (born October 25, 1974) is a South Korean retired baseball player who played 17 seasons for the LG Twins of the KBO League, as well as three seasons with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball. He also competed in th ...

. In 2002 Davis hit only .287 with 21 home runs; he still led all American-born players in the KBO in batting average. After four successful seasons with the Eagles, Davis played the 2003 season in the Mexican League. He returned to Korea and the Eagles for the 2004–2006 seasons. His 2004 season featured a .323 batting average, 24 homers, and a league-leading 90 runs scored (tying

Park Yong-taik Park Yong-taik (Hangul: 박용택, Hanja: 朴龍澤) (born April 21, 1979) is a South Korean outfielder who has played his entire career for the LG Twins in the KBO League. With 2,504 career hits, he is the all-time career hit leader in the KBO. ...

). With a .323 batting average, 24 home runs, and 86 RBI, Davis earned a 2005

KBO League Golden Glove Award The KBO League Golden Glove Award is an award given out annually by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to the best overall player at each position in the KBO League. It is also commonly known as the KBO Golden Gloves. The award was established i ...

. That year he passed

Tyrone Woods Walter Tyrone Woods (born August 16, 1969 in Brooksville, Florida) is a former professional baseball player. He played five seasons with the Korea Baseball Organization then six further seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, primarily as a ...

for the longest KBO career by a foreigner, and he also broke Woods' record for career RBI by a foreigner. In 2006, Davis hit .284 with 21 home runs. In Davis' seven seasons with the Eagles, he compiled a .313 batting average, 167 home runs, and 591 runs batted in.Kwon Sang-Soo
"Foreign hitters full of surprises,"
''Korea JoongAng Daily'' (March 24, 2014).

References

External links

*
"Slugging It Out in South Korea: The Best Foreign Hitters in KBO History — 2016 Update,"
''Burly's Baseball Musings'' (Oct. 9, 2016).
"Foreign Players Struggling in Korean Baseball League,"
''The Dong-a Ilbo'' (May. 16, 2009). {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Jay 1970 births Living people Baseball players from Chicago American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Hanwha Eagles players Kingsport Mets players Columbia Mets players St. Lucie Mets players Binghamton Mets players Norfolk Tides players Tucson Toros players Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings players Cafeteros de Córdoba players Sultanes de Monterrey players Rojos del Águila de Veracruz players St. Paul Saints players