Alvin Davis, known as “Mr. Mariner,” played nine Major League seasons, including his first eight with Seattle. Davis ended his career with a .280 lifetime batting average and 160 home runs. Here’s his story, as told to me in 1987.
When I was named the American League’s 1984 Rookie of the Year, it was a dream come true. At the beginning of the year, I had just hoped to be a starting player with the Seattle Mariners’ minor league team in Salt Lake City. So, to become the Mariners’ starting first baseman, to be named to the All-Star team, and to be selected as the Rookie of the Year all in one season was a tremendous experience.
Looking back, however, I realize that my baseball dream could have become a nightmare.
My sophomore season at Arizona State, I batted .370 and hit ten home runs. That summer, I played ball in Fairbanks, Alaska, and hit about .400 with eight home runs. This early success motivated me to work especially hard during the fall and winter to prepare for the 1981 season. But when the season began, I didn’t hit for any power. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. I ended up batting .395, but I hit only four home runs and didn’t drive in many runs.
After that season, the pro scouts didn’t have many good things to say about me. I might have started believing those reports were it not for a physical exam that revealed I had been suffering from a couple of viruses that had sapped my strength. But now it was time for the baseball draft.
And when the money’s on the line, the scouts are looking for players who are going to produce. I was supposed to have been a first-round draft pick. But after my below-par season, I wasn’t drafted until the sixth round.
The club that drafted me offered me a contract for about $40,000, and I wanted to sign so badly. But I didn’t like the things that the man I was dealing with was saying about my ability. He told me there was no way I’d have a better season in my senior year. He probably did what he does with all ballplayers to get them to sign, but it turned me off. Yet it was a tough decision. And I knew this: Whatever decision I made, it would affect me for the rest of my life.
That’s when a verse from the Bible came to mind that my mother had quoted as I was growing up: ”Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths ” (Proverbs 3:5-6). I had to ask myself at that point, “Am I trusting God to guide me? Am I even acknowledging him in my life?”
My father died when I was nine years old, so my mother raised my two brothers and me by herself to have faith in God. I knew that Jesus had died for my sins. When I was ten years old, I asked him into my heart. But when I went off to college, I wasn’t spending time reading the Bible. I wasn’t depending on God to help me and direct me. Now I was about to make a critical decision. And I took that verse to heart. As I thought things over, I felt that the spirit of the negotiations just wasn’t right. I took it as a challenge. I turned down their offer and decided to come back for my senior year at Arizona State.
Photo courtesy Sodo Mojo
Many people thought I was crazy not to sign. I can’t say there were no doubts — even as to whether or not I was supposed to play professional baseball. For one thing, I wasn’t sure if my body could handle it. I was sick. However, I committed myself to studying the Bible and to relying totally on Jesus to guide my life. And it was miraculous all the things that I accomplished in my senior year. I was one year and six units short of graduating, but I attended summer school, worked hard on my studies during the regular year, and completed my degree in finance by the spring. My health returned to normal, and my bat came to life again. I hit 13 home runs and drove in 91 runs.
The scouts showed interest, and I signed a contract with the Seattle Mariners. In my first year, I batted .284 and drove in 56 runs in 74 games for the Mariners’ Double-A team in Lynn, Massachusetts. The following year I played for their farm team in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I hit 18 home runs with 83 RBI’s.
I played winter baseball in Venezuela following that season. There, I met two strong Christians, Jesse Barfield of the Toronto Blue Jays and Kevin Bass of the Houston Astros. We had Bible studies together and grew in our faith. I think the results were evident on the field. I became a more consistent player, had a great mental attitude, and it carried over into the I984 season.
When the year began, I was assigned to the Mariners’ Triple-A team in Salt Lake City.
But three games into Seattle’s season, the starting first baseman broke his hand, and the Mariners called me up. I hit eight home runs in my first 15 games, and they made me the regular first baseman. I was selected for the American League All-Star team. I finished the season with 27 home runs and 116 runs batted in. I also drew 97 walks.
But baseball is too inconsistent to tie your life to. There are weeks in between those home runs sometimes, and there are strikeouts in between those RBIs and base hits. Your faith must be in God. That’s where my faith must remain to be successful and have joy in this life.
________________
This article first appeared in the May/June 1987 edition of Venture magazine.
