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Herman Thomas Davis
Seattle Pilots
Outfield
Born: March 21, 1939, Brooklyn, NY
Signed: Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Dodgers 1959-1966; New York Mets 1967; Chicago White Sox 1968; Seattle Pilots 1969; Houston Astros 1969-1970; Oakland Athletics 1970; Chicago Cubs 1970; Oakland Athletics 1971; Chicago Cubs 1972; Baltimore Orioles 1973-1975; California Angels 1976; Kansas City Royals 1976
World Series Appearances: Los Angeles Dodgers 1963, 1966
Died: April 3, 2022, Phoenix, AZ (age 83)
He'd ultimately spend time playing for ten different franchises, but Tommy Davis is best remembered as a two-time batting champion with the Dodgers and a catalyst for the team's 1963 World Series victory. Davis spent eight seasons with the Dodgers - the most productive of his career. He was a three-time All-Star in 1962 and 1963, and won the league's batting title in both those seasons with .346 and .326 marks respectively. Davis also led the league in hits (230) and RBIs (153) in 1962, finishing in third place for league MVP honors behind Willie Mays (#190) and teammate Maury Wills (#45). In November 1966 he was dealt to the Mets, beginning an odyssey that would take him to nine different teams over the next decade. He was the opening day left fielder for the 1969 expansion Pilots in their one and only year playing in Seattle.
Davis would find success late in his career as a designated hitter for the Orioles. He drove in 89 and 84 runs respectively in 1973 and 1974, earning MVP votes at the end of each season. Davis would retire as a player following the 1976 season and he'd return briefly to baseball in 1981 as the hitting coach for the Mariners. He'd frequent Dodgers alumni events and work as a minor league instructor for the team over the next few decades.
Died: April 3, 2022, Phoenix, AZ (age 83)
He'd ultimately spend time playing for ten different franchises, but Tommy Davis is best remembered as a two-time batting champion with the Dodgers and a catalyst for the team's 1963 World Series victory. Davis spent eight seasons with the Dodgers - the most productive of his career. He was a three-time All-Star in 1962 and 1963, and won the league's batting title in both those seasons with .346 and .326 marks respectively. Davis also led the league in hits (230) and RBIs (153) in 1962, finishing in third place for league MVP honors behind Willie Mays (#190) and teammate Maury Wills (#45). In November 1966 he was dealt to the Mets, beginning an odyssey that would take him to nine different teams over the next decade. He was the opening day left fielder for the 1969 expansion Pilots in their one and only year playing in Seattle.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #169
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
The Card / Pilots Team Set / Accuracy Index -12
Building the Set / Card #169
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set. That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon. I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.
This is the 92nd of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York. My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside. After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far. With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298. The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me $1.25.
The Card / Pilots Team Set / Accuracy Index -12
The photo for the card likely dates back to 1964 when Davis was still with the Dodgers. Photos from this session were used for Davis' Topps cards between 1965 and 1969, with this exact same photo used by Topps for Davis' 1967 Topps card. The back of the card highlights his batting crowns from 1962 and 1963, and his selection by the Pilots in the expansion draft.
Accuracy Index: Davis' card drops to -12 since the photo had been used before (-4), he's wearing a Dodgers' uniform (-5) and he's hatless (-3).
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Inserts: Davis is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set. He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.
1969 Season
Davis was left unprotected by the White Sox and was taken by the Pilots as the 16th pick in the 1968 expansion draft. He was the club's regular left fielder throughout the first five months of the season, batting .271 with a team-leading 29 doubles and 80 RBIs for the new American League team. On August 30th, with the Astros attempting a run at the National League West pennant, Davis was dealt to Houston for Sandy Valdespino and Danny Walton. He'd appear in 24 games for the Astros, batting .241, with his new club quickly fell in the standings throughout September.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1960 Topps #509
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17): 1960-1972, 1974-1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2013 Panini Golden Age #95
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 153 in the Beckett online database as of 11/11/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
1969 Season
Davis was left unprotected by the White Sox and was taken by the Pilots as the 16th pick in the 1968 expansion draft. He was the club's regular left fielder throughout the first five months of the season, batting .271 with a team-leading 29 doubles and 80 RBIs for the new American League team. On August 30th, with the Astros attempting a run at the National League West pennant, Davis was dealt to Houston for Sandy Valdespino and Danny Walton. He'd appear in 24 games for the Astros, batting .241, with his new club quickly fell in the standings throughout September.
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First Mainstream Card: 1960 Topps #509
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17): 1960-1972, 1974-1977
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2013 Panini Golden Age #95
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 153 in the Beckett online database as of 11/11/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
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