Matthew Glen Davidson (born March 26, 1991) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

for the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB). He made his MLB debut with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

in 2013 and has also played in MLB for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

and

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

Career

Davidson attended

Yucaipa High School Yucaipa High School is a public high school in Yucaipa, California, United States that serves the cities of Yucaipa and Calimesa and the community of Oak Glen, 65 miles east of Los Angeles. History The original Yucaipa High School campus is no ...

Yucaipa, California Yucaipa ( Serrano: ''Yukaipa't'') is a city located east of San Bernardino, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 51,367 at the 2010 census, up from 41,207 at the 2000 census. According to San Bernardino County ...

. He committed to attend the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(USC) on a scholarship to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

USC Trojans baseball The USC Trojans baseball program represents the University of Southern California in college baseball. Established in 1888 in baseball, 1888, the team is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Pac-12 Conference. USC’s ...

team. After graduating from high school, the

selected Davidson in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. Davidson signed with the Diamondbacks, forgoing his college commitment.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Davidson appeared in 72 games in 2009 for the

Yakima Bears The Yakima Bears were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. The Bears competed at the Class A Short Season level as members of the Northwest League from 1990 to 2012. Following the 2012 season, ...

. In 2010, Davidson played for the

South Bend Silver Hawks South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

, and hit 16

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. He was promoted to the

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since their ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

later that season. Prior to the 2011 season, Davidson was ranked as the 99th best prospect by

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

. He played for Visalia in 2011. Prior to 2012, he was ranked 97th. That year, he played for the

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Southern League. Matt Davidson, 2015 Triple-A All-Star Game

Davidson began the 2013 season with the

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. He appeared in the

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

in 2013, and was named the game's

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

after he hit a go-ahead two-run

. A day later, he won the 2013

Triple-A Home Run Derby The Triple-A All-Star Game was an annual baseball game held from 1988 to 2019 between professional players from the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball. These leagues were the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League ( ...

, hitting 11 home runs across the three rounds, including seven in the first round, to surpass Brock Peterson's 10. The Diamondbacks promoted Davidson to the major leagues on August 11, 2013. He debuted that night with a 1-for-3 performance as an injury substitute for

Cody Ross Cody Joseph Ross (born December 23, 1980), nicknamed "Toy Cannon" and "Ross the Boss," is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons with the Detroit Tigers (2003), Los Angeles Do ...

Chicago White Sox

On December 16, 2013, the Diamondbacks traded Davidson to the

for pitcher

Addison Reed Addison Devon Reed (born December 27, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. Amate ...

. He played for the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

in 2014 and 2015. He began the 2016 season with Charlotte and was promoted to the major leagues on June 30, 2016. In his first game with the White Sox, he fractured his foot. Matt Davidson 2015 AAA Home Run Derby

On April 6, 2017, Davidson hit his first career-triple at his first at-bat since breaking his foot in 2016 against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He hit his first home-run for the White Sox, a three-run blast in the fourth inning. He finished the game logging two hits, two runs, and three RBIs. On June 13, 2017, Davidson hit his first-career

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

against the

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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

with the

. For the season, he had the highest strikeout percentage among major leaguers against right-handed pitchers (39.9%). On 2018 Opening Day against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

on March 29, 2018, Davidson hit three home runs. Davidson became just the fourth player in Major League Baseball History to hit three home runs in a single game on opening day. The White Sox won 14-7.

Texas Rangers

On February 7, 2019, Davidson signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

for the 2019 season, hitting .264/.325/.527/.852 with 33 home runs and 101 RBI. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 2, 2020, Davidson signed a minor league deal with the

. On July 24, 2020, Davidson had his contract selected to the 40-man roster, and same day, he was the starting designated hitter, making his Reds debut on Opening Day against the

. But on July 25, 2020, he placed the 10-day injured list for his testing positive for COVID-19. The test ended up being a false positive. On September 30, 2020, Davidson was selected back to the 40-man roster. On October 14, 2020, Davidson was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. Davidson elected free agency two days later on October 16.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On February 16, 2021, Davidson signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

organization that included an invitation to Spring Training. He spent the entire season with the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Bal ...

, where he hit .294 in 84 games with 28 home runs and 81 RBI.

Arizona Diamondbacks (second stint)

On November 22, 2021, Davidson signed a minor league deal with the

, and on April 21, 2022 his contract was purchased from the minor leagues by the Diamondbacks. Davidson appeared in 5 games for Arizona, going 1-for-10 with 3 walks. He was designated for assignment on May 2, when active rosters shrunk from 28 to 26.

Oakland Athletics

On May 9, 2022, Davidson signed a minor league deal with the

and was assigned to the Triple-A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevad ...

. On June 7, Davidson was selected to the active roster. He was designated for assignment on June 21. He elected free agency on October 6, 2022.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

On November 17, 2022, Davidson signed with the

Personal

Davidson and his wife, Julianne, have two children: a daughter who was born November 2014, and a son born July 2016. It was announced on July 25, 2020, that Davidson had tested (false) positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

one day after starting in the season opener.

References

External links

*
Perfect Game bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Matt 1991 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from California Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds players Major League Baseball third basemen Mobile BayBears players Nashville Sounds players Oakland Athletics players People from Yucaipa, California Reno Aces players Salt River Rafters players South Bend Silver Hawks players Sportspeople from San Bernardino County, California Visalia Rawhide players Yakima Bears players Oklahoma City Dodgers players