Article: Worst Twins of All-Time Series: Ron Davis

[Cody Christie]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1365-Worst-Twins-of-All-Time-Series-Ron-Davis

[John Bonnes]

As far as the worst Twins players of all-time, the elder Davis doesn't exactly rank at the top of the list.

 

Actually, he does. He's #1 on the list of anyone who watched this team in the 80s and it's not particularly close. If you want a statistic that begins to show his effect on the fan base, check out his win probability scores while he was here: -.5, 1.8, -3.5, .1, -2.7. Basically one passable year and two real clunkers. The fan base never trusted him after 1984 - and it wasn't like they didn't try to boost him up. Google "I believe in R.D t-shirts" sometime.

 

Word has it that when he was traded, the Twins had a party on the plane. Not because he wasn't a good guy. But he just had the smell of defeat around him. The fans, and apparently even the team, was just waiting for games to be blown for two solid years. That's no way to compete. ♠

[East Coast Twin]

Actually, he does. He's #1 on the list of anyone who watched this team in the 80s and it's not particularly close. If you want a statistic that begins to show his effect on the fan base, check out his win probability scores while he was here: -.5, 1.8, -3.5, .1, -2.7. Basically one passable year and two real clunkers. The fan base never trusted him after 1984 - and it wasn't like they didn't try to boost him up. Google "I believe in R.D t-shirts" sometime.

 

Word has it that when he was traded, the Twins had a party on the plane. Not because he wasn't a good guy. But he just had the smell of defeat around him. The fans, and apparently even the team, was just waiting for games to be blown for two solid years. That's no way to compete. ♠

 

 

Definitely #1 on the list of anybody who followed the '84 team. The most annoying part was when he would explain that he didn't pitch that poorly after blowing another save opportunity. He probably cost the team the division title that year.

 

I read somewhere that Davis would constantly sing "Jimmy Crack Corn," even on the way to pitcher's mound and in the locker room after blowing another save. When the players found out that Davis had been traded to the Cubs, Kirby Puckett led the team in a rendition of "Jimmy Crack Corn."

[Joe A. Preusser]

#1 in my book, not even close. When I discovered the Twins in 1985 as a 6 year old, I could and would speak knowledgably and glowingly about every single Twins player...except Ron Davis. His is the only Twins baseball card I ever used to turn my bike into a "motercycle."

[JeffB]

I was 10 years old in 1985 and remember calling RD "The Meatball King" for giving up so many HRs apparently. 1984 (epic collapse) was my first year following the Twins closely...so painful.

[Neil]

Definitely #1 on the list of anybody who followed the '84 team. The most annoying part was when he would explain that he didn't pitch that poorly after blowing another save opportunity. He probably cost the team the division title that year.

 

I read somewhere that Davis would constantly sing "Jimmy Crack Corn," even on the way to pitcher's mound and in the locker room after blowing another save. When the players found out that Davis had been traded to the Cubs, Kirby Puckett led the team in a rendition of "Jimmy Crack Corn."

 

I'd never heard this story. That's beyond hilarious.

[Neil]

Actually, he does. He's #1 on the list of anyone who watched this team in the 80s and it's not particularly close. If you want a statistic that begins to show his effect on the fan base, check out his win probability scores while he was here: -.5, 1.8, -3.5, .1, -2.7. Basically one passable year and two real clunkers. The fan base never trusted him after 1984 - and it wasn't like they didn't try to boost him up. Google "I believe in R.D t-shirts" sometime.

 

Word has it that when he was traded, the Twins had a party on the plane. Not because he wasn't a good guy. But he just had the smell of defeat around him. The fans, and apparently even the team, was just waiting for games to be blown for two solid years. That's no way to compete. ♠

 

I'd love to see the I Believe in R.D. shirt, but I came up empty on my Google search. Link?

[Winston Smith]

Being a "worst Twin" still means they are 100 times better baseball players than anyone commenting on these blogs!!

If there are any former major leaguers commenting I apologize.

[Longdistancetwins]

I was 10 years old in 1985 and remember calling RD "The Meatball King" for giving up so many HRs apparently. 1984 (epic collapse) was my first year following the Twins closely...so painful.

 

Your loyalty is admirable, you folks, who survived the 1984 meltdown to become and remain Twins fans.

[Guest USAFChief]

Your loyalty is admirable, you folks, who survived the 1984 meltdown to become and remain Twins fans.

September 28, 1984 Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com "It's hard to throw to first with both hands around your neck."

[ashbury]

I have no idea how to define "worst", since it's a truism that you have to be pretty good to lose 20 games in a season and blowing 14 saves has to be in about the same category. But it's hard to dispute that Ron Davis led the majors in Uffda Moments for fans and teammates alike. Some of those blown saves were really heart-wrenching, and they would happen over and over in the bad years.

 

Probably tears in the locker room are more common than is reported, but still when word got out that Davis had wept after a particularly hard loss, his reputation went even lower than before.

 

The article leaves out just how bad it got in 1986: his ERA was above 9! Nine! Not simply two runs in two innings - no, he appeared in 38 games for the Twins before the trade. In fact, I remember marveling at the time that Andy MacPhail was able to get anything at all for him in exchange - George Frazier was the only one of the three they got to be at all serviceable, and an ERA of nearly 5 in the world series year of 1987 was nothing to crow about, but Frazier contributed, and that might have been MacPhail's greatest feat as GM. The day Davis left was the classic "great trade! who'd they get?".

 

All in all, I feel sorry for the guy - he wore his heart on his sleeve a lot of the time, and I don't remember it being a case of constant excuse-making. It's hard to imagine doing your job while being booed by the home fans just for coming into the game. I don't know what else to call him except one of the worst, and yet I feel dirty in doing so. I somehow hadn't caught on about his son being Ike the ballplayer, and it makes me glad that things could have turned out well like that, even if Ike seems to share his dad's ability to get the home fans a little riled at his performance at times.

[East Coast Twin]

September 28, 1984 Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Indians Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com "It's hard to throw to first with both hands around your neck."

 

Uggh. Even after all these years. Uggh.

[greengoblinrulz]

saying RD is the worst is like saying Michael Cuddyer was the worst defensive 2B. He was put in a spot that he couldnt handle, but wasnt replaced or put in a spot that he could've handled better....shown by his success in NY due to how bad the Twins were.

Now, player who caused the most heartaches.........oh yeah!!!!

Any list without Drew Butera isnt a list....sorry!!!

[luke829]

Uggh. Even after all these years. Uggh.

 

Twins fans didn't call him "Boom Boom" for nothing (all aplogies to Boom Boom our Twins Daily poster)

[Curt]

I hope RD is happy and lives a long and prosperous life.

 

He is the only player I can say this about, "If he had never been a Twin, my life would have been better."

 

Ouch. I recognize that is harsh, but Aaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!