William "Rookie" Theron Davis (born April 29, 1993) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Rookie Davis
Davis with the Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher
Born: (1993-04-29) April 29, 1993 (age 31)
Sneads Ferry, North Carolina, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 6, 2017, for the Cincinnati Reds
Last appearance
June 7, 2019, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
Win–loss record1–4
Earned run average8.05
Strikeouts30
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Career

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New York Yankees

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Davis attended Dixon High School in Holly Ridge, North Carolina. As a 15-year-old in early 2009, he committed to play college baseball at East Carolina University.[1] Davis was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 14th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft.[2] He signed with the Yankees instead of attending East Carolina.[3] He made his professional debut in 2012 with the Gulf Coast Yankees. In 2013, he pitched for the Staten Island Yankees and Charleston RiverDogs and spent 2014 with Charleston.[4] He started 2015 with the Tampa Yankees[5] before reaching Double-A.[6] Baseball America and MLB Pipeline both ranked him as the organization's 10th best prospect at mid-season.[7] The Yankees added him to their 40-man roster after the season.[8]

Cincinnati Reds

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On December 28, 2015, Davis was traded to the Reds with Caleb Cotham, Tony Renda, and Eric Jagielo in exchange for Aroldis Chapman.[9] He started the 2016 season with the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos before getting a promotion to Triple-A in August.[10][11] Davis made the Reds' Opening Day roster in 2017[12] and made his major league debut on April 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing four runs in three innings.[13] Davis picked up his first major league win on May 3, pitching 5 scoreless innings over the Pirates in a 7–2 win.[14] He was sent back down to Triple-A Louisville on May 10.[15] He returned to the majors in September following the end of the minor league season.[16]

After the season, Davis underwent hip surgery.[17][18] He was outrighted to Triple–A on August 27, 2018, after completing his rehab stint.[19] Davis became a free agent at the conclusion of the season on November 2.[20]

Pittsburgh Pirates

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On February 18, 2019, Davis signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates and was invited to spring training.[21] He was reassigned to Triple-A on March 26.[22] His contract was purchased on May 25.[23] Davis appeared in five games before landing on the Injured List on June 8 with a blister.[24] He suffered a forearm injury while on rehab assignment and was later transferred to the 60-day Injured List.[25][26] On September 1, Davis was outrighted off the Pirates roster and he elected free agency following the season.[27]

Personal life

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Rookie got engaged to his fiancé Allison Fisher on September 28, 2019. Davis' father, Billy, also attended Dixon High School, and played college baseball for Louisburg College. His older sisters, Lauren and Ayrien, both played softball and basketball at Dixon.[28]

References

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  1. ^ Bradshaw, Harvey (January 7, 2009). "Dixon, sophomore Rookie Davis commits to play baseball at ECU". Carolina Coast Online. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Wagner, Lee (June 8, 2011). "Dixon's Davis drafted by New York Yankees". Carolina Coast Online. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "Dixon High School's Rookie Davis Signs With Yankees". Beach Carolina Magazine. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  4. ^ Scoppe, Rick. "Dixon's Rookie ready for third year in Yankees' organization". jdnews.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  5. ^ Scoppe, Rick (April 10, 2015). "Rookie moving up, to start home opener for Tampa Yankees". jdnews.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
  6. ^ Stellini, Nicolas (August 24, 2015). "Rookie Davis talks pitching and the minors". Pinstripe Alley. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Jennings, Chad. "Yankees' minor league surprises, standouts and disappointments". The Journal News. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  8. ^ "Yanks add Barbato, Davis, Gamel to 40-man". MLB.com. November 20, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  9. ^ "Chapman to Yanks? You better relieve it!". MLB.com. December 29, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  10. ^ Scoppe, The Daily News Rick (August 6, 2016). "Ex-Dixon star Rookie Davis promoted to AAA by Reds". The Daily News. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  11. ^ "Reds' Rookie Davis: Knocked around in Triple-A debut". CBSSports.com. August 8, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  12. ^ Buchanan, Zach; Rosecrans, C. Trent (March 28, 2017). "Young arms make Reds' rotation". The Enquirer. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  13. ^ "Reliever Lorenzen's pinch-hit homer sends Reds over Phillies". ESPN. Associated Press. April 7, 2017. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023.
  14. ^ "Josh Harrison's 3-run homer rallies Pirates past Reds 12-3". ESPN. Associated Press. May 3, 2017. Archived from the original on September 11, 2021.
  15. ^ "Cincinnati Reds send another rookie starter to Triple-A". dayton-daily-news. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  16. ^ Buchanan, Zach. "Reds to call up four pitchers Tuesday". The Enquirer. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  17. ^ "Reds RHP Davis has surgery on hip". ESPN.com. October 10, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  18. ^ Scoppe, Rick (February 9, 2018). "Rookie Davis continues rehab, return date unknown". The Daily News. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  19. ^ "Reds Outright Rookie Davis". MLB Trade Rumors. August 27, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  20. ^ Matt Eddy (November 6, 2018). "Minor League Free Agents 2018". Baseball America. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  21. ^ Clark, Dave (February 18, 2019). "Rookie Davis, former Reds pitcher, reaches minor-league deal with Pittsburgh Pirates". The Enquirer. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  22. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, Pirates News, Live Coverage | DK Pittsburgh Sports". DKPittsburghSports.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  23. ^ "Pirates Select Rookie Davis". MLB Trade Rumors. May 25, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  24. ^ Kayser, Anna (June 16, 2019). "Davis Returns to Indy for MLB Rehab Start". MiLB.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  25. ^ "Pirates' Rookie Davis: Shut down with forearm issue". CBSSports.com. June 26, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  26. ^ "Pirates' Rookie Davis: Moved to 60-day IL". CBSSports.com. July 27, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  27. ^ "Pirates' Rookie Davis: Dropped from 40-man". CBSSports.com. September 1, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  28. ^ Wagner, Lee (June 2, 2010). "Davis siblings keep tradition alive". Carolina Coast Online. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
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