J.D. Davis Bio
Jonathan Gregory “J.D.” Davis (born April 27, 1993) is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Angels, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Saitama Seibu Lions. Davis played college baseball at California State University, Fullerton, and was drafted by the Astros in the third round of the 2014 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Astros.
Early Life and Background
Davis attended Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, California, where he was a multi-sport standout. He played first base, third base, and pitched, posting batting averages of .444, .337, .486, and .505 from 2008 to 2011. As a pitcher across 165 career innings, he struck out 219 batters and never posted an earned run average above 2.60. He earned four All-Delta Valley Conference selections, three All-Metro honors, and was twice named a high school All-American and Northern California Player of the Year.
Davis also played football as a quarterback and placekicker during his sophomore year in 2008 and was named all-league. The following preseason he broke his leg in a scrimmage, ending that football chapter. The Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB draft, but Davis did not sign, choosing instead to attend California State University, Fullerton.
Path to Baseball
At Cal State Fullerton, Davis played for the Cal State Fullerton Titans from 2012 to 2014, lining up at right field, first base, and serving as a relief pitcher and closer. In 2012, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Northwest League, batting .344 with a 4-0 record and a 2.10 ERA before his summer ended early due to a broken clavicle in an auto accident on July 19. He was named a Perfect Game summer All-American as a utility player.
In 2013, Davis played for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League, batting .311/.402/.447 and earning East Division MVP honors at the league all-star game, plus a spot on the 2013 Cape Cod All-League Team. As a sophomore that year, he ranked third in the Big West Conference with 50 runs batted in and fourth with 41 walks, earning All-Regional and Big West First Team honors. As a junior in 2014, he ranked second in the conference with a .523 slugging percentage and finished his three-year Titans career hitting .307/.394/.461 with 14 home runs and 113 RBIs across 156 games.
J.D. Davis Career
Early Career (2014-2016)
After his junior season, the Houston Astros selected Davis in the third round of the 2014 MLB draft, and he signed for a bonus of $748,600. He debuted with the Tri-City ValleyCats, hitting .293/.371/.508 in 30 games before a promotion to the Quad Cities River Bandits of the Single-A Midwest League, where he batted .303/.363/.516 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs and was named an MiLB Organization All Star.
In 2015, Davis moved up to the Lancaster JetHawks of the High-A California League, slashing .289/.370/.520 with 26 home runs and 101 RBIs, then played for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League, batting .279/.329/.456 and earning Rising Star honors. In 2016, with the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, he led the Texas League with 34 doubles and added 23 home runs and 81 RBIs, earning mid-season All Star and MiLB Organization All Star recognition.
Houston Astros Breakthrough (2017-2018)
Davis began 2017 back at Corpus Christi, batting .279/.340/.510 with 21 home runs and 60 RBIs, and was promoted in July to the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, where he slashed .295/.370/.623 across 16 games. The Astros promoted him to the majors on August 5, 2017, and he appeared in 25 games, batting .226/.279/.484 with four home runs and seven RBIs. He was on the 40-man roster when Houston won the 2017 World Series, earning his first championship ring.
Davis made the Astros’ Opening Day roster in 2018 but struggled to a .175/.248/.223 line with one home run in 103 at bats. He was optioned to Fresno, where he won the Pacific Coast League batting title at .342 and added 17 home runs and 81 RBIs, earning mid-season PCL All Star and a fourth MiLB Organization All Star selection.
New York Mets Era (2019-2022)
On January 6, 2019, the Astros traded Davis to the New York Mets. In his first Mets season he batted .307/.369/.527 with career highs of 22 home runs and 57 RBIs in 140 games, split between left field and third base, and on August 26 he won the MLB.com Play of the Week with an over-the-shoulder basket catch. In 2020 he played 56 games and slashed .247/.371/.389 with six home runs and 19 RBIs.
Davis battled a left hand sprain in 2021 that led to a 60-day injured list stint and eventual ligament surgery, and he batted .285/.384/.436 in his major league time that year while hitting .429 as a pinch hitter, the second-best mark in MLB among players with 20 or more pinch plate appearances. He signed a $2.76 million contract in March 2022 to avoid arbitration and batted .238/.324/.359 with four home runs and 21 RBIs before being traded.
San Francisco Giants Era (2022-2024)
On August 2, 2022, the Mets dealt Davis to the San Francisco Giants in a package for Darin Ruf, and he batted .263/.361/.496 with eight home runs and 14 RBIs the rest of the way. Davis agreed to a one-year, $4.21 million deal in January 2023 and played 144 games for the Giants, batting .248/.325/.413 with 18 home runs and a career-high 69 RBIs. He won his arbitration hearing in February 2024, raising his salary to $6.9 million, but was released on March 11, with the Giants owing him only $1.1 million.
Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees (2024)
Davis signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Oakland Athletics on March 16, 2024, and batted .236/.304/.366 with four home runs and five RBIs in 39 games before being designated for assignment on June 18. On June 23 the Athletics traded him and cash to the New York Yankees for Jordan Groshans. In seven games with the Yankees he went 2-for-19 with one RBI and three walks before being designated for assignment on July 28 and released on August 2.
Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles (2024-2025)
On August 7, 2024, Davis signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles and played 31 games for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, batting .147/.219/.248 with three home runs and nine RBI before electing free agency on November 4. He signed another minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels on January 24, 2025, and had his contract selected on April 10, going 1-for-9 in five games before being designated for assignment on April 29. He cleared waivers, elected free agency, re-signed on a minor league deal, and was released on June 30.
Saitama Seibu Lions (2025)
On July 10, 2025, Davis signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball. He made 36 appearances for the Lions, slashing .204/.313/.310 with three home runs and nine RBI, and became a free agent after the season. Through 2025 his MLB career line sat at .257 with 72 home runs and 221 RBI, while his NPB line showed .204 with three home runs and nine RBI.
Driving Style and Strengths
Davis has been praised for his hard contact at the plate, ranking among MLB’s elite in average and maximum exit velocity, including a 92.4 mph average exit velocity in 2022 that placed him in the league’s top five percent, and a hard-hit rate that season that ranked third in the majors. Defensively, he has logged meaningful innings at third base, first base, left field, and designated hitter, giving managers lineup flexibility.
Notable Events and Milestones
Highlights of Davis’s career include his 2017 World Series championship as a member of the Astros’ 40-man roster, his 2019 MLB.com Play of the Week basket catch while with the Mets, his 2022 Pacific Coast League batting title at Fresno, and his career-high 69 RBI season with the Giants in 2023. He has also reached free agency multiple times and ventured overseas to play in Japan.
J.D. Davis Career Wins
Davis has built a journeyman resume across multiple organizations, with his most prominent run coming as a run-producing corner bat in the National League. While he has not won a major individual batting title in MLB, he claimed the Pacific Coast League batting title in 2018 and earned multiple All Star nods in the minors, including Texas League mid-season and post-season honors in 2017 and a mid-season Pacific Coast League selection the same year.
Major League Highlights
His signature MLB moment came in 2019, when he set career highs with 22 home runs and 57 RBI for the Mets, and in 2023, when he set a new career high with 69 RBI for the Giants while starting 144 games. He also contributed to the Astros’ 2017 World Series title as a late-season call-up.
J.D. Davis Family
Personal Life
Publicly available information about Davis’s immediate family, marital status, parents, and children is limited. He is known to be American and grew up in Elk Grove, California, where his high school success in baseball and football set the stage for his professional career. He maintains a public Instagram presence under the handle jddavis26.
2025 Season Performance
Davis’s 2025 campaign began in the Angels organization, where a brief major league stint with Los Angeles in April produced a 1-for-9 line in five games before he was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers, elected free agency, and quickly re-signed with the Angels on a minor league deal, continuing to play in the system before being released in late June.
On July 10, 2025, he signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball, marking his first move to Japan’s top flight. In 36 appearances for the Lions he slashed .204/.313/.310 with three home runs and nine RBI, providing steady right-handed pop and veteran presence in the middle of the order. He became a free agent after the season.
