1. Overview
Hiram Kyle Davies (born September 9, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals, and also for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Davies was drafted by the Braves in the fourth round of the 2001 Major League Baseball draft directly out of high school. He made his MLB debut in 2005 with the Braves as part of the "Baby Braves" group. After a trade to the Royals in 2007, he achieved a career-best season in 2008. His career was frequently impacted by injuries, including a torn groin muscle in 2006 and shoulder impingement in 2011, which limited his MLB appearances. Following his time in MLB, he pitched in Japan in 2016 and concluded his career in independent leagues in 2019.
2. Early Life and Amateur Career
Hiram Kyle Davies was born on September 9, 1983, in Decatur, Georgia. He grew up and resided in Stockbridge, Georgia. He attended Stockbridge High School, where he played baseball. Davies was highly recruited by many major college baseball programs, most notably Georgia Tech, which is known for producing Major League Baseball players. Despite strong collegiate interest, he opted to sign a professional contract with the Atlanta Braves directly after graduating from high school in 2001.
3. Professional Career
Kyle Davies' professional baseball career spanned from 2001 to 2019, covering various levels of minor league play, Major League Baseball, Nippon Professional Baseball, and independent leagues.
3.1. Early Minor League Career (Atlanta Braves Organization)
The Atlanta Braves selected Davies in the fourth round, 135th overall, of the 2001 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Braves, choosing professional baseball over attending college. He made his professional debut that same season with the Gulf Coast League Braves, where he posted a record of 4-2 with a 2.25 earned run average (ERA) in 12 games, including nine starts. He also made an additional start with the Single-A Macon Braves, earning a win.
In 2002, Davies split his time between Macon and the Rookie-level Danville Braves, finishing with a combined record of 5-4 and a 3.72 ERA in 16 games (15 starts). He was a key member of the Single-A Rome Braves during their inaugural season in 2003, contributing to their South Atlantic League championship. That year, he recorded an 8-8 record with a 2.89 ERA and led the team in strikeouts with 148 over 27 starts. Davies continued his ascent through the Braves' minor league system, reaching Triple-A in 2004. Across three Braves affiliates, he compiled an impressive 13-3 record with a 2.72 ERA in 26 games (25 starts), striking out 173 batters in 142 and 1/3 innings.
3.2. Atlanta Braves
In 2005, Davies was called up by the Atlanta Braves as part of a group of promising rookie players nicknamed the "Baby Braves," which also included future stars like Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur. His call-up on May 21, 2005, came as a response to injuries sidelining Braves pitchers John Thomson and Mike Hampton. Davies made his Major League Baseball debut that night in a rainy game at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. He delivered an impressive performance, throwing five shutout innings and striking out six batters in a win against the Boston Red Sox. He made an immediate impact, not allowing a run in three of his first four Major League starts, including two subsequent scoreless appearances.
When Thomson and Hampton returned to the pitching rotation in August, Davies was optioned back to the minor leagues. He returned to the Braves in September and primarily pitched out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season. In 2005, Davies appeared in 21 games (14 starts), finishing with a 7-6 record and a 4.93 ERA.
Davies began the 2006 season as a starter for Atlanta, a surprising development given he was projected as a Triple-A starter during spring training. On May 15, 2006, while pitching against the Florida Marlins, he sustained an injury to his right groin. He was later diagnosed with a torn groin muscle and underwent surgery, which placed him on the disabled list for 10 weeks, causing him to miss a significant portion of the season. As a result, he made only 14 starts in 2006, concluding the season with a 3-7 record and a disappointing 8.38 ERA.
Entering the 2007 season, Davies was initially assigned to the Triple-A Richmond Braves of the International League. However, due to an injury to Lance Cormier at the end of spring training, Davies was promoted to the Braves' roster on April 5 to fill the vacant spot. Cormier's prolonged rehabilitation and Mike Hampton's season-ending surgery solidified Davies' position in the rotation beyond a temporary fill-in role. Despite this opportunity, Davies struggled with reliability and consistency in his 17 starts, posting a 4-8 record with a 5.76 ERA. A particularly difficult outing occurred on July 16 against the Cincinnati Reds, where he threw just 22 pitches and failed to record a single out before being removed from the game. Consequently, Davies was optioned back to Richmond on July 19, and rookie Jo-Jo Reyes took his spot in the rotation.
3.3. Kansas City Royals
On July 31, 2007, Kyle Davies was traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for pitcher Octavio Dotel. He made his Royals debut on August 4, pitching three innings and allowing five earned runs. In that game, he notably gave up Alex Rodriguez's 500th career home run in the first inning. However, Davies bounced back on August 9 with a strong performance against the Minnesota Twins, throwing 6 and 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing only three hits, and striking out five, contributing to a 1-0 Royals victory. He made 11 starts with the Royals after the trade, recording a 3-7 record with a 6.66 ERA.
In 2008, after competing for a starting rotation spot during spring training, Davies was optioned to the Triple-A Omaha Royals on March 26. He was recalled to the Major Leagues on May 29, taking the rotation spot of Brett Tomko. In his season debut on May 31, Davies pitched five innings, allowing only one run in a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Indians, which notably snapped the Royals' 12-game losing streak. For the 2008 season, Davies made 21 starts with the Royals, achieving his career-best MLB record of 9-7 with a 4.06 ERA.
On January 9, 2009, Davies signed a one-year contract with the Royals to avoid salary arbitration. The 2009 season saw him struggle with inconsistency, finishing with an 8-9 record and a 5.27 ERA in 22 starts. The Royals re-signed Davies to another one-year contract on December 13, 2009, again avoiding arbitration. In 2010, he made 32 starts, posting an 8-12 record and a 5.34 ERA.
On August 1, 2011, Davies was placed on the 15-day disabled list due to right shoulder impingement. He was subsequently released by the Royals on August 10, 2011, and cleared release waivers on August 12. At the time of his release, Davies held a 1-9 record with a 6.75 ERA in 13 starts for the season.
3.4. Minor League Stints in MLB Organizations
After his release from the Royals, Kyle Davies continued his efforts to return to the Major Leagues through various minor league contracts.
On August 20, 2011, Davies signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He became a free agent following the season on November 2.
On February 19, 2013, Davies signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. He missed the entire month of April and half of May due to ongoing shoulder problems. He was then assigned to the High-A Fort Myers Miracle, where he made his first start on May 15. After an additional start, he was sidelined again for another month due to injury, requiring a rehabilitation start with the Gulf Coast League Twins before returning to Fort Myers for three more starts. On July 23, Davies was promoted to the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats, where he made seven starts to conclude the season. In 12 starts in 2013, Davies posted a 4-3 record with a 3.41 ERA, including four quality starts, and struck out 47 batters in 58 innings. He elected free agency following the season on November 4.
On February 12, 2014, Davies signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians. He spent the entire 2014 season in the minor leagues, finishing with an 11-9 record and a 3.91 ERA in 26 starts for the Double-A Akron RubberDucks and Triple-A Columbus Clippers. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.
3.5. New York Yankees
On February 9, 2015, Davies signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. He was called up to the Major Leagues on April 12, 2015, and made an appearance as a relief pitcher that same night, marking his brief return to MLB after a significant absence due to injuries. The very next day, he was designated for assignment by the Yankees. He subsequently cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on April 15. During his time in Triple-A that year, he recorded 11 wins. He elected free agency following the season on October 7.
3.6. Nippon Professional Baseball
On December 19, 2015, Kyle Davies signed a contract with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), with the official announcement made on December 25. He was acquired with the expectation of being a key starting pitcher, leveraging his experience of 43 career MLB wins. He was assigned jersey number 34, a number he had also worn previously with the Kansas City Royals. Upon arriving in Japan, Davies reportedly received advice from his fellow Georgian, Matt Murton, who had spent six years playing for the Hanshin Tigers, on how to adapt to Japanese baseball.
Davies made his NPB debut as a starting pitcher on March 31, 2016, against the Hanshin Tigers at Meiji Jingu Stadium. In a notable incident, he gave up a first-pitch home run to rookie leadoff hitter Shun Takayama in the first inning. This marked the sixth time in NPB history and only the second time in Central League history that a pitcher gave up a first-pitch home run to the opposing team's first batter in their debut. After this start, he complained of back stiffness during his adjustment period for his second scheduled start and was removed from the active roster on April 5. Davies earned his first NPB win, and first start win, on May 30, 2016, against the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters at Sapporo Dome. He was declared a free agent on December 2, 2016, concluding his one season in Japan.
3.7. Independent Leagues
After sitting out the 2017 season, Kyle Davies signed with the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent league, on May 7, 2018. During the 2018 season with the Patriots, he compiled a 6-8 record with a 4.50 ERA in 21 starts, while also recording 90 strikeouts and one complete game over 104 innings pitched. He became a free agent following the 2018 season.
On March 15, 2019, Davies signed with another Atlantic League team, the Lancaster Barnstormers. In 15 starts with the Barnstormers, he posted a 4-9 record with a 4.44 ERA and recorded 68 strikeouts. He became a free agent at the end of the season.
4. Player Profile
As a pitcher, Kyle Davies was primarily utilized as a starting pitcher throughout his career in both Major League and minor league baseball. His pitch repertoire included a four-seam fastball, which typically ranged around 90 mph (145 km/h). He also featured a cutter at around 87 mph (140 km/h), a changeup at approximately 82 mph (132 km/h), and a knuckle curve that typically registered around 77 mph (124 km/h).
His fastball velocity saw some variation throughout his career. In 2007, his four-seam fastball reached a maximum velocity of 97.7 mph, which is approximately 98 mph (157 km/h). By 2015, however, his fastball velocity had decreased, registering around 91.1 mph, or about 91 mph (147 km/h).
5. Career Statistics and Records
Kyle Davies' professional baseball career spanned multiple leagues, with official statistics recorded in Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
5.1. Pitching Statistics
| Year | Team | Games Pitched | Starts | Complete Games | Shutouts | Walkless Games | Wins | Losses | Saves | Holds | Win-Loss Pct. | Batters Faced | Innings Pitched | Hits Allowed | Home Runs Allowed | Walks | Intentional Walks | Hit Batters | Strikeouts | Wild Pitches | Balks | Runs Allowed | Earned Runs | ERA | WHIP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | ATL | 21 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 2 | .538 | 403 | 87.2 | 98 | 8 | 49 | 5 | 1 | 62 | 4 | 0 | 51 | 48 | 4.93 | 1.68 | |
| 2006 | ATL | 14 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .300 | 312 | 63.1 | 90 | 14 | 33 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 3 | 0 | 60 | 59 | 8.38 | 1.94 | |
| 2007 | ATL | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | .333 | 389 | 86.0 | 92 | 12 | 44 | 3 | 2 | 59 | 1 | 1 | 61 | 55 | 5.76 | 1.58 | |
| 2007 | KC | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .300 | 239 | 50.0 | 63 | 10 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 40 | 7 | 0 | 41 | 37 | 6.66 | 1.78 | |
| 2007 Total | Combined | 28 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0 | .318 | 628 | 136.0 | 155 | 22 | 70 | 4 | 5 | 99 | 8 | 1 | 102 | 92 | 6.09 | 1.65 | |
| 2008 | KC | 21 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .563 | 487 | 113.0 | 121 | 10 | 43 | 0 | 2 | 71 | 8 | 1 | 57 | 51 | 4.06 | 1.45 | |
| 2009 | KC | 22 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | .471 | 538 | 123.0 | 122 | 18 | 66 | 1 | 4 | 86 | 10 | 0 | 76 | 72 | 5.27 | 1.53 | |
| 2010 | KC | 32 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 0 | .400 | 817 | 183.2 | 206 | 20 | 80 | 1 | 2 | 126 | 5 | 1 | 114 | 109 | 5.34 | 1.56 | |
| 2011 | KC | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | .100 | 293 | 61.1 | 84 | 7 | 26 | 2 | 5 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 46 | 6.75 | 1.79 | |
| 2015 | NYY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 10 | 2.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.29 | |
| 2016 | Yakult | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .444 | 361 | 82.0 | 84 | 14 | 31 | 1 | 4 | 64 | 4 | 0 | 44 | 40 | 4.39 | 1.39 | |
| MLB Totals (8 years) | 152 | 144 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 65 | 0 | 2 | .398 | 3488 | 770.1 | 879 | 99 | 367 | 13 | 22 | 547 | 42 | 3 | 512 | 477 | 5.57 | 1.62 | ||
| NPB Totals (1 year) | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .444 | 361 | 82.0 | 84 | 14 | 31 | 1 | 4 | 64 | 4 | 0 | 44 | 40 | 4.39 | 1.39 | ||
- Statistics as of the end of the 2020 season.
5.2. Fielding Statistics
| Year | Team | Pitcher (P) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Putouts | Assists | Errors | Double Plays | Fielding Percentage | |||
| 2005 | ATL | 21 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 2 | .941 | |
| 2006 | ATL | 14 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| 2007 | ATL | 17 | 7 | 14 | 2 | 1 | .913 | |
| 2007 | KC | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| 2007 Total | Combined | 28 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 1 | .923 | |
| 2008 | KC | 21 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 | .933 | |
| 2009 | KC | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | .909 | |
| 2010 | KC | 32 | 13 | 23 | 2 | 2 | .947 | |
| 2011 | KC | 13 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | .909 | |
| 2015 | NYY | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| 2016 | Yakult | 15 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .875 | |
| MLB Totals | 152 | 46 | 83 | 9 | 6 | .935 | ||
| NPB Totals | 15 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | .875 | ||
- Statistics as of the end of the 2020 season.
5.3. Notable Records
Kyle Davies achieved several notable milestones and records, particularly during his time in Nippon Professional Baseball.
- Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB)**
6. Personal Life
During the baseball offseason, Kyle Davies worked for his father's construction company. He currently resides in McDonough, Georgia.
Kyle has a younger brother named Jake Davies, who also played baseball. Jake played college baseball at Georgia Tech from 2009 to 2012. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 21st round (661st overall) of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. Jake reached the Single-A New York-Penn League later that year but was released from his contract in 2013.
On August 8, 2011, Kyle Davies was arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida, after a baseball game on charges of disorderly intoxication.
7. Jersey Numbers
Kyle Davies wore several jersey numbers throughout his professional playing career:
- 26 (2005-2007)
- 28 (2007-2009)
- 34 (2010-2011, 2016)
- 40 (2015)