Jim Davenport

James Houston "Peanut" Davenport (born August 17, 1933 in Siluria) is a right-handed third baseman who played for the San Francisco Giants for 12 years (1958 through 1970). After finishing his playing career he became a coach and managed the Giants for the 1985 season.

Davenport grew up in Shelby County, quarterbacking the football team at Thompson High School. He married his high school sweetheart during his senior year and therefore was disqualified from getting a scholarship at the University of Alabama. Instead he went to Hattiesburg to play for Southern Miss. He got his revenge by upsetting the Bart Starr-led Crimson Tide twice at Montgomery's Cramton Bowl.

Davenport was drafted by the New York Giants out of college in 1955, but did not debut with the team until the 1958 season, their first in San Francisco. In his first year he appeared in 134 games, averaging .256 in 434 at bats with 12 home runs and 41 runs batted in. He also led the league with 17 sacrifice hits and set a records for consecutive games without an error (97) and for initiating two double plays in a single game.

He had his best season four years later, batting .297 with 14 home runs and 58 runs batted in over 144 games for the World Series-bound Giants. Davenport won a Golden Glove and was 24th in that year's National League All-Star voting and was on the roster for that years two All-Star Games, singling to left field in his sole at-bat to advance Maury Wills in the 8th inning of the first game in Washington D. C. He did not play in the second game in Chicago. In the World Series, the Giants lost to the Yankees in seven games.

1969 was his last season on the starting roster, and he was released following the 1970 season in which he only batted in 22 games. His career totals over 1,501 games included 77 home runs, 456 runs batted in, and an overall batting average of .258. He played alongside West End native Willie Mays for his entire career, often accepting gift suits that Mays, known for his sartorial splendor, had worn only once or twice. Davenport also became close friends with slugger Bobby Bonds, who joined the team in 1968.

Davenport followed his playing career by becoming a coach in the major leagues. In 1985 he was given the job of managing the Giants, but was replaced by Roger Craig after the team had a miserable 56-88 record for the season. In 1987 he took a coaching job with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Davenport still resides in San Francisco. Jim Davenport's Pizza Palace, which Rex Hollis opened in Mountain Brook Village in 1964, is named for him. In 2006 Davenport was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

References

• Segrest, Doug (May 21, 2006) "Baseball stars Veale, Davenport enter Hall." Birmingham News.

External links

• Jim Davenport at Baseball Almanac
• Jim Davenport at Baseball Reference