Rajai Davis, Outfield

Date of Birth: 10/19/1980
Birthplace: Norwich, Connecticut
College: University of Connecticut

Rajai Davis, outfielder, was first drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001. He played in the Pirates' minor league system from 2001 through most of 2006, playing in just 20 games with the Pirates in 2006.

After 24 games with them in 2007, the Pirates traded Davis to the San Francisco Giants. He played in 51 games with the Giants in 2007. The following April, after 12 games and a dismal 0.56 batting average, he was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics. He then went on to have a decent season with the Athletics, batting .260 with 51 hits, and 25 stolen bases in 101 games.

In 2009, Davis batted a career high .305 with 119 hits, 27 doubles, and 41 stolen bases in 125 games. The next year, he batted .284 with career highs in hits (149), doubles (28), and stolen bases (50).

Although Davis had a good season in 2010, the Athletics traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays in November, 2010. He suffered from injuries in his first season with the Blue Jays, playing in just 95 games with them in 2011. He played in 142 games in 2012 but in 2013, he again suffered injuries and played in just 108 games.

In December, 2013, Davis signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Detroit Tigers. He finished the 2014 season with 130 hits, 27 doubles, 36 stolen bases, and a .282 batting average in 134 games. He had 2 hits in 6 at-bats in the postseason.

Davis played in 112 games with the Tigers in 2015. He finished the season with 88 hits, 16 doubles, 18 stolen bases, and a .258 batting average. Defensively, he played 39 games in left field, 46 games in center field, and 10 games in right field.

Davis signed with the Cleveland Indians on December 17, 2015. He finished the 2016 season with 113 hits, 23 doubles, 43 stolen bases, 48 RBIs, and a .249 batting average. Defensively, he played 66 games in left field, 80 games in center field, and 1 game in right field. In the postseason, he batted .147 with 5 hits and 4 RBIs in 34 at-bats in 15 games.

Davis became a free agent on November 3, 2016. He signed a one-year, $6 million contract that reunited him with the Athletics on January 3, 2017. He was traded to the Boston Red Sox on August 23, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 79 hits, 19 doubles, 29 stolen bases, 83 strikeouts to 27 walks, and a .235 batting average in 100 games with the Athletics and 17 games with the Red Sox. Defensively, he played 25 games in left field, 83 games in center field, and 7 games in right field.

Davis elected free agency on November 2, 2017. He signed a minor league contract with the Indians on February 17, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 44 hits and a .224 batting average in 101 games. Defensively, he played 30 games in left field, 47 games in center field, and 2 games in right field.

Davis became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on December 17, 2018. He spent most of the 2019 season in the minors, playing in just 29 games with the Mets.

Davis became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed with a Mexican League team on February 14, 2020, and he was released on September 1, 2020. He hasn't played professional baseball since 2019.

Career batting statistics for Davis through 2019 include:

• 1,448 games played
• 1,111 hits
• 226 doubles
• 415 stolen bases
• 387 RBIs
• 844 strikeouts to 267 walks
• .262 batting average

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Rajai Davis
ESPN - Rajai Davis