Rajai Davis

Rajai Davis is something of an MLB journeyman, having played for many of American baseball’s top teams during his 15-year career. Currently a free agent, he has starred for the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers, among many others. Whilst playing for the Cleveland Indians in 2016, he achieved the Hit for the Cycle (an accomplishment that involves hitting a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game) and was the American League Stolen Base Leader.

Davis was born in 1980 in the New England city of Norwich, Connecticut. His began his sporting career young, playing Little League Baseball for the Willimantic Fire Fighters and helping the All-Star league team to a district championship. He spent his college career playing for the University of Connecticut’s Middletown Giants side. After graduation, determined to make it as a pro, he borrowed petrol money and drove the 450 miles from Connecticut to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for an open pre-draft tryout. This led to him being picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2001 MLB draft. He continued developing his game in the minor league (becoming a three-time All-Star in the process) and eventually made his major league debut for the Pirates in 2006.

The following year, Davis was transferred to the San Francisco Giants where he earned his first regular MLB spot. He was then claimed by Oakland Athletics before settling down for a successful three-year spell with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was then signed by the Detroit Tigers for $10 million. With them, he scored a grand slam walk-off home run, only the 28th in MLB history.