Ben Davis (baseball)

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**Ben Davis[1]**
Major League Baseball debut
New York Yankees — No. 17
Catcher
Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
September 25, 1998 for the San Diego Padres
Selected MLB statistics (through 2006 season)
Batting average	.237
Home runs	38
Runs batted in	204
Former teams
San Diego Padres (1998-2001) Seattle Mariners (2002-2004) Chicago White Sox (2004)

Mark Christopher "Ben" Davis is a catcher in professional baseball for the New York Yankees. Davis was born in Chester, Pennsylvania on March 10, 1977.

He was a first-round pick (2nd overall) in 1995 by the San Diego Padres.

Davis played parts of four seasons with the Padres before being traded with Wascar Serrano and Alex Arias to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Brett Tomko, Tom Lampkin, and Ramon Vazquez in 2002. This trade, in large, disappointed the Padres organization because of their continuing failures to produce "home-grown" talent. Davis was a highly regarded top prospect[2].

On June 27, 2004, Davis was, once again traded. This time from the Mariners to the Chicago White Sox. Davis injured his elbow the following Spring Training, had surgery in June 2005 and was released after the season.

For the 2006 season, after signing with the New York Yankees, Davis played for the minor league team the Columbus Clippers the Triple A affiliate of the Yankees. On January 12, 2007 he resigned and was invited to spring training by the Yankees. Ben was released by the Yankees April 1, 2007.

[edit] Controversy: Baseball's "Unwritten Rules"

Was the subject of controversy in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 26, 2001, as a member of the San Diego Padres. Starting Pitcher Curt Schilling took a perfect game into the 8th inning with one out when Davis reached base safely on a drag bunt to second baseman Jay Bell. Bell was playing deep for his position so he could help preserve Schilling's perfect game when the Davis bunt rolled slowly toward him. After Davis reached base, many of the Diamondback's players shouted obscenities at him for supposedly breaking baseball's "unwritten rules". After the game, Diamondback's manager Bob Brenly called Davis' play, "chicken shit"[3]. Many analysts continually debate Davis' decision to bunt for a base hit being that the Diamondbacks were only up 2-0, which brought the tying run to the plate. In addition, in this game, one of baseball's most elite hitters, Tony Gwynn, was on the bench available to pinch hit. San Diego's Alex Arias led off the ninth with a clean double. Schilling completed the three-hitter for the Diamondbacks' 3-1 win.

[edit] Trivia

Attended Malvern Preparatory School in Pennsylvania
During the 1995 Amateur Baseball Draft, USATODAY.com called him the best high school catcher since Dale Murphy in 1974 [4].