Jerry DaVanon
Encyclopedia
Frank Gerald DaVanon is a former professional baseball
player. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball
, primarily as an infielder
.
in the 1st round of the secondary phase of the 1966 MLB amateur draft
. He was then selected with the 24th pick in the 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft
by the San Diego Padres
, and was a member of their first Opening Day
roster in 1969.
. Then, just six games into the season, the Padres sent their starting shortstop, Rafael Robles
, to the minor leagues
, and tabbed DaVanon as his replacement. His tenure as Robles' replacement didn't last much longer, as he was benched in mid-May after hitting just .145 in 23 games. After playing just one more game, he was traded back to the Cardinals for Sonny Ruberto
and John Sipin
.
, playing in 27 major league games during that time. After the 1970 season, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles
for veteran pitcher
Moe Drabowsky
.
Davey Johnson
and shortstop Mark Belanger
. In his first full season in the majors, he batted .235 in 38 games. However, he was sent back to the minor leagues to start the 1972 season, and in midseason he was traded to the California Angels
for Roger Repoz
, a veteran outfielder who was also in the minors at the time.
.
, but he was released just 20 days later. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians
on February 19, and then just before Opening Day his contract was sold again, this time to the Houston Astros
.
was injured. Larry Milbourne
filled in briefly, but DaVanon was called up on August 1. In his first shot at a starting job in over six years, DaVanon responded with his best hitting as a major leaguer to date, as he batted .274 in 25 games in August, mostly at shortstop but also at second base. He also hit his first major league home run since 1969 on August 11 off Harry Parker of the Cardinals. He finished the season batting .278.
1976 found DaVanon in the majors for the entire season for the first time since 1971. Although he was still relegated to a reserve role behind Metzger and Rob Andrews
, he set career highs in almost every category, batting .290 with 20 RBI
, which doubled his previous career high of 10, in 61 games. After the season, however, he was headed back to the Cardinals once again, this time being traded with pitcher Larry Dierker
for outfielder Bob Detherage
and catcher
Joe Ferguson
.
, Mike Tyson
, Don Kessinger
and Mike Phillips
. In the first month of the season, he was only able to get into nine games, in which he failed to get a hit in eight at bat
s. He was released on May 11, at which point he retired to return to his home in Houston.
Jeff DaVanon
. He currently lives in Houston, Texas
and officiates high school basketball.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
player. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, primarily as an infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
.
First Cardinals stint
DaVanon was drafted by the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the 1st round of the secondary phase of the 1966 MLB amateur draft
1966 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1966 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign- Background :A January free agent amateur draft was added for the first time in 1966. Ninety-five prospects were selected in the regular phase and 102 in the secondary phase of the...
. He was then selected with the 24th pick in the 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft
1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft
The 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft was conducted to stock up the rosters of four expansion teams in Major League Baseball which would begin play in the 1969 season....
by the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
, and was a member of their first Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
roster in 1969.
Padres
DaVanon made his major league debut for the Padres on April 11 as a pinch hitterPinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
. Then, just six games into the season, the Padres sent their starting shortstop, Rafael Robles
Rafael Robles
Rafael Orlando Robles Natera was a shortstop in Major League Baseball. He was born in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic...
, to the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
, and tabbed DaVanon as his replacement. His tenure as Robles' replacement didn't last much longer, as he was benched in mid-May after hitting just .145 in 23 games. After playing just one more game, he was traded back to the Cardinals for Sonny Ruberto
Sonny Ruberto
John Edward "Sonny" Ruberto is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He played parts of two seasons in the majors, for the San Diego Padres and for the Cincinnati Reds. After his playing career, he worked as a minor league manager and coach in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.-Sources:...
and John Sipin
John Sipin
John White Sipin is a former major league baseball player from Watsonville, California. He was a second baseman for the San Diego Padres. He also played nine seasons in Japan with the Taiyo Whales and Yomiuri Giants. He is of Filipino and Caucasian ancestry.-With the Cardinals:Sipin was selected...
.
Second Cardinals stint
Back with the team that drafted him, DaVanon returned to the minor leagues. He spent most of the rest of 1969 as well as most of 1970 with the Tulsa OilersTulsa Oilers (baseball)
The Tulsa Oilers, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, were a minor league baseball team that existed on-and-off in multiple leagues from 1905 to 1976. For most of their history, they played at Oiler Park, which opened on July 11, 1934, and was located on the Tulsa County Fairgrounds at 15th Street and...
, playing in 27 major league games during that time. After the 1970 season, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
for veteran pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Moe Drabowsky
Moe Drabowsky
Myron Walter Drabowsky was a Polish-American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs , Milwaukee Braves , Cincinnati Reds , Kansas City Athletics , Baltimore Orioles , Kansas City Royals , St...
.
Orioles
DaVanon spent the entire 1971 season with the major league Orioles, serving as a reserve infielder, mainly backing up second basemanSecond baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Davey Johnson
Davey Johnson
David Allen "Davey" Johnson is an American Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Washington Nationals. He was the starting second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles when they won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1965 and 1972...
and shortstop Mark Belanger
Mark Belanger
Mark Henry Belanger was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played almost his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles...
. In his first full season in the majors, he batted .235 in 38 games. However, he was sent back to the minor leagues to start the 1972 season, and in midseason he was traded to the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
for Roger Repoz
Roger Repoz
Roger Allen Repoz is a former professional baseball player who played nine seasons for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, and California Angels of Major League Baseball. He also played five seasons in Japan for the Taiheiyo Club Lions and Yakult Swallows.-External links:...
, a veteran outfielder who was also in the minors at the time.
Angels
The Angels kept DaVanon in the minors for the rest of the season, and he wound up batting a combined .240 in Triple-A. He returned to the majors the following spring, spending most of 1973 at the end of the Angels' bench. Although he played in 41 games, he came to the plate just 52 times, batting .245. He was sent back to the minors at the end of July, then at the tail end of the season he was traded back to the Cardinals once more, this time for fellow infielder Bill SteinBill Stein
William Allen "Bill" Stein is a retired professional baseball player and manager. His playing career spanned 17 seasons, 14 of which were spent in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals , the Chicago White Sox , the Seattle Mariners , and the Texas Rangers...
.
Third Cardinals stint
1974 found DaVanon in a familiar pattern, splitting the year between the Cardinals and the minor leagues. He started the year with Triple-A Tulsa, and was called up in July. He played in 30 games with the Cardinals, batting just .150. On January 3, 1975, his contract was sold to the Detroit TigersDetroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, but he was released just 20 days later. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
on February 19, and then just before Opening Day his contract was sold again, this time to the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
.
Astros
DaVanon began the 1975 season in the minor leagues once more. However, in late July, Astros starting shortstop Roger MetzgerRoger Metzger
Roger Henry Metzger was a Shortstop for the Chicago Cubs , Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants . A light-hitting shortstop, he was known for his strong defense and good running speed.- Career :Metzger won the 1973 Gold Glove Award at Shortstop...
was injured. Larry Milbourne
Larry Milbourne
Lawrence William "Larry" Milbourne is a retired professional baseball player whose career spanned 15 seasons, 11 of which were spent in Major League Baseball with the Houston Astros , the Seattle Mariners , the New York Yankees , the Minnesota Twins , the Cleveland Indians , and...
filled in briefly, but DaVanon was called up on August 1. In his first shot at a starting job in over six years, DaVanon responded with his best hitting as a major leaguer to date, as he batted .274 in 25 games in August, mostly at shortstop but also at second base. He also hit his first major league home run since 1969 on August 11 off Harry Parker of the Cardinals. He finished the season batting .278.
1976 found DaVanon in the majors for the entire season for the first time since 1971. Although he was still relegated to a reserve role behind Metzger and Rob Andrews
Rob Andrews (baseball)
Robert Patrick Andrews is a former professional baseball player. He played five seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1975 until 1979, for the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants, primarily as a second baseman.-Sources:...
, he set career highs in almost every category, batting .290 with 20 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, which doubled his previous career high of 10, in 61 games. After the season, however, he was headed back to the Cardinals once again, this time being traded with pitcher Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker
Lawrence Edward Dierker is a former Major League Baseball pitcher and manager. During a 14-year baseball career as a pitcher, he pitched from 1964–1977 for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals...
for outfielder Bob Detherage
Bob Detherage
Robert Wayne Detherage is a former Major League Baseball player. Detherage played for Kansas City Royals in the 1980 season. In twenty career games, he had eight hits in 26 at-bats with seven RBIs. He played the Outfield in all of his games.Detherage was drafted originally by the Los Angeles...
and catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Joe Ferguson
Joe Ferguson (baseball)
Joseph Vance Ferguson is a former catcher/right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for four different teams from 1970 through 1983...
.
Fourth Cardinals stint
Despite his 1976 season, DaVanon once again found himself buried at the end of the Cardinals bench behind Garry TempletonGarry Templeton
Garry Lewis Templeton, nicknamed "Jumpsteady", is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and New York Mets from 1976 to 1991...
, Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson (baseball)
Michael Ray Tyson , is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and shortstop. He played in the majors from to for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs....
, Don Kessinger
Don Kessinger
Donald Eulon Kessinger is a former American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from to for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox...
and Mike Phillips
Mike Phillips (baseball)
Michael Dwaine Phillips , is a veteran of professional baseball who played shortstop, second base, and third base in the majors from 1973-1983. The first-round draft choice of the San Francisco Giants in 1969, he saw action for the Giants, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and...
. In the first month of the season, he was only able to get into nine games, in which he failed to get a hit in eight at bat
At bat
In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance...
s. He was released on May 11, at which point he retired to return to his home in Houston.
Personal life
DaVanon is the father of former Major League Baseball outfielderOutfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Jeff DaVanon
Jeff DaVanon
Jeffrey Graham DaVanon is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder.DaVanon came up through the Oakland Athletics system before being traded to the Anaheim Angels as a minor-leaguer in ....
. He currently lives in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and officiates high school basketball.