Wade Davis

Wade Allen Davis

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 220 lb.
• High School Lake Wales High School
• Debut September 6, 2009
• Final Game September 11, 2021
• Born September 7, 1985 in Lake Wales, FL, USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Wade Davis was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 3rd round of the 2004 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Kevin Elfering and made his pro debut that summer.

He pitched in the majors for 13 seasons, first as a starter for Tampa Bay from 2009 to 2012, and later as a reliever for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies, from 2013 to 2021. To be more precise, he was used as a reliever in his final season for the Rays (the team was re-named after the 2007 season) and as a starter in is first year with Kansas City. While he had a couple of seasons with wins in double figures as a starter, most of his success was in relief: he made the All-Star team three consecutive years, from 2015 to 2017, led the National League in saves in 2018 and was a key member of the Royals team that won the 2015 World Series over the New York Mets. He had 4 saves with a virgin ERA in 8 games during that postseason. During a spell of four seasons from 2014 to 2017, he was probably the most dominant relief pitcher in the game. Overall, he pitched in 557 games with a record of 63-55, 141 saves and an ERA of 3.94.

He announced his retirement following the 2021 season. His last three seasons, the first two with Colorado and the final one back with Kansas City, had all been rough, with ERAs of 8.65, 20.77 and 6.75.

Notable Achievements

• 3-time All-Star (2015-2017)
• NL Saves Leader (2018)
• 30 Saves Seasons: 2 (2017 & 2018)
• 40 Saves Seasons: 1 (2018)
• Won one World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 2015

Further Reading

• Thomas Harding: "Davis' career changed by 2014 move to 'pen: New Rockies closer has 1.45 ERA over last four seasons in relief", mlb.com, January 3, 2018. [1]
• Thomas Harding: "Raring to go, Davis brings diverse pitch mix: New Rockies closer quickly impressed with team's mentality", mlb.com, February 27, 2018. [2]
• Bob Nightengale: "Memory of late stepbrother fuels Royals' Davis", USA Today Sports, August 6, 2015. [3]
• Anne Rogers: "Wade Davis, 2015 WS champ with KC, retires", mlb.com, November 24, 2021. [4]

Related Sites

• Wade Davis on mlb.com