| Jim Davenport | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Third baseman /Manager | |
| Born:(1933-08-17)August 17, 1933 Siluria, Alabama, U.S. | |
| Died: February 18, 2016(2016-02-18) (aged 82) Redwood City, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 15, 1958, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 23, 1970, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .258 |
| Home runs | 77 |
| Runs batted in | 456 |
| Managerial record | 56–86 |
| Winning % | .388 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
James Houston Davenport (August 17, 1933 – February 18, 2016) was an American professional baseballinfielder andcoach who played his entire career with theSan Francisco Giants inMajor League Baseball (MLB). He alsomanaged the Giants for one season in 1985 and served as a coach in various capacities for nine years over three different terms, spending a total of 51 years with the organization. The right-handed batter and thrower, nicknamed "Peanut"[1] or "Peanuts"[2] as a child by his grandfather,[3] was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 170 pounds (77 kg).
Davenport was born and grew up inSiluria, Alabama, also the birthplace of future teammateWillie Kirkland,[4] and not far fromWillie Mays' hometown.[5] Growing up, Davenport had wanted to playfootball for theUniversity of Alabama.[6] However, Davenport married after high school and Alabama had a policy of not recruiting married players.
Instead, he earned a football scholarship to theUniversity of Southern Mississippi (then called Mississippi Southern College), where he played quarterback and also joined the baseball team. In 1954, Davenporthit .439 for the Southern Miss baseball team, and signed a professional contract with the Giants after the season.[7]
Davenport made his major league debut with the San Francisco Giants on April 15, 1958, taking the team's firstat bat on the West Coast, striking out againstDon Drysdale of theLos Angeles Dodgers atSeals Stadium.[8] His best season was1962, when he batted .297 with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs and made theAll-Star team for the only time in his career.[9] In thefirst of 1962's two MLB All-Star games, played July 10 atDC Stadium, Davenport took over forKen Boyer as theNational League's third baseman in the sixthinning with the Senior Circuit ahead, 2–1. In the eighth frame, hissingle offDick Donovan set upMaury Wills' insurance run, as the Nationals ultimately won 3–1. Davenport playederrorless ball in the field over the game's last four innings.
That same season, Davenport was critical to the Giants' winning their firstpennant since moving toSan Francisco five years before. After going four for nine (.444) in the first two games of the1962 National League tie-breaker series against the Dodgers, including a home run offSandy Koufax in Game 1, Davenport drew a bases-loadedwalk offStan Williams in the ninth inning of the decisive Game 3 to get credit for thegame-winning RBI in the Giants' eventual 6–4 victory, which gained them their first NL title since 1954, when they played inNew York City. In the1962 World Series that followed, he started all seven games against theNew York Yankees, but could muster only three hits in 22at bats (.136), although he drew four more bases on balls. Defensively, he made three errors in 21total chances at third base. The Giants lost the Series in seven games.
However, Davenport was known for his fielding, leading National League third basemen in fielding percentage each season from 1959 to 1961 and winning aGold Glove at third base in 1962.[10][8] Davenport played 97 consecutive errorless games at third base from July 26, 1966, to April 28, 1968, a record that stood until it was broken byJohn Wehner in the 1990s.[10]
He had a careerbatting average of .258 with 77home runs and 456RBIs, with 1,142 careerhits, also including 177doubles and 37triples, in 4,427at bats. He played in 1,501 regular-season games in 13 years, the fourth-most in San Francisco Giants history afterWillie McCovey (2,256),Willie Mays (2,095) andBarry Bonds (1,976).[8] His 1,130 games played at third base are the most in Giants' history.[10]
After retiring as a player, Davenport finished the1970 season as a coach on the staff of managerCharlie Fox. He managed theTriple-APhoenix Giants for three years (1971–1973), then came back toMLB with theSan Diego Padres for two years (1974–1975), working as third-base coach for skipperJohn McNamara.[11] He returned to the Giants as their third base coach from 1976 to 1982,[11] then as ascout.
Davenport was promoted tomanager of the Giants in 1985, but was replaced September 17 byRoger Craig after compiling a 56–88 record; the club was in last place in theNational League West Division, 29 games behind the Dodgers at the time.[9] The 1985 team went on to lose 100 games in the worst season in franchise history (to date, it is also the only time the team has ever hit the triple-digit mark in losses). He moved on to work as a coach for thePhiladelphia Phillies (1986–1987),Cleveland Indians (1989) andDetroit Tigers (1991), and was the Tigers'advance scout in 1992. He returned to the Giants for good in 1993, and served as the club's first base coach in 1996.[11][9] Overall, Davenport worked in the Giants' organization for 51 years in various roles, including player, coach, scout, manager, and a minor-league instructor.[5]
In 2001, Davenport was named manager of theItaly national baseball team; he led the team to third place finishes at theWorld Port Tournament (behind Cuba and the Netherlands) and at the2001 European Baseball Championship in Germany. It was the first time since 1957 Italy finished outside the top two. He also led Italy at the2001 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan.[12]
Davenport was inducted into the Southern Miss Athletic Hall of Fame as a quarterback in 1968.[13] He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.[14] In 2006, Davenport was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.[15]
He married his high school sweetheart, Betty, and had five children, a daughter and four sons.[10][4] His son Gary Davenport played minor league baseball in the Giants organization and has coached in the Giants' minor league system since 2004.[16] Davenport lived inSan Carlos, California and worked in the Giants' front office until his death on February 18, 2016. He is buried inSkylawn Memorial Park near San Francisco.[17] The Giants wore a patch in his memory for the 2016 season, a black circle with an orange outline and his nickname "Davvy" and his number 12, to be worn on the left sleeve, belowMonte Irvin's memorial patch.[18]
· Baseball Almanac