Chicago Cubs committed highway robbery in the 1980 Rule 5 Draft

When the Chicago Cubs selected catcher Jody Da vis in the 1980 Rule 5 Draft, taking him from the St. Louis Cardinals, they had no idea what they’d done.

Having been born in 1991, I never watched Jody Davis play. His place in Chicago Cubs history had, until pretty recently, gone overlooked on my part. But the lack of baseball or even any semblance of it has me digging through old baseball books, watching classic games and taking leaps off the high dive into the depths of Baseball Reference.

I’d always known Davis’ name. I knew he was a huge part of the 1984 club that won the NL East crown and that, to this day, fans loved him for what he brought to the table during his four-year tenure on the North Side.

But, if I’m being honest, that was about it. I had no idea if the Cubs drafted him, traded for him or simply picked him up as a free agent. I didn’t even know how long he played for Chicago until I looked it up and started compiling my notes for this piece. I can admit that. I specialize in basically the late-1990s through modern day and I’m taking the down time from baseball to, well, learn more about baseball – specifically the Cubs of yesteryear.

Back to Davis.

Originally drafted in the third round by the New York Mets back in 1976, the Gainesville, GA native spent nearly half a decade in the minors. In December 1979, New York shipped Davis to St. Louis for Ray Searage. Almost a year later to the day, the Cubs swooped in during the Rule 5 Draft, adding Davis to their ranks.

Chicago Cubs: Doing his part to bring a title to Wrigleyville

Chicago jumped out to an early 2-0 edge in the NLCS against San Diego – and were just one win away from the World Series. Of course, the Cubs collapsed – dropping the next three contests and breaking the hearts of fans across the country. But that was through no fault of Davis, who was an absolute monster in the series.

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The Chicago backstop batted .389/.368/.833 in 19 plate appearances, clubbing a pair of home runs and two doubles. He followed up the first All-Star season of his career with a monstrous October, cementing his place in team lore for years to come.

After struggling in 1985, he bounced back with his second and final All-Star nod the next year, winning the Gold Glove behind the dish after he threw out 48 percent of baserunners. He was the whole package – leading the National League in Defensive War (3.3), Total Zone Runs (21), games played at his respective position (150) and assists (105).

He played two more years in Chicago before the Cubs traded him to Atlanta in exchange for a pair of players. By 1990, his big league career was over – yet somehow, decades later, the Wrigley Field faithful still clamor over Davis and what he brought to the table.

While current backstop and two-time All-Star Willson Contreras is still in the early stages of his career, he could very well wind up being this generation’s Jody Davis. He’s already accomplished more, in some regards, than Davis in helping Chicago win a World Series title. Still, mentioning Contreras alongside Davis puts what we’re currently seeing on the North Side in a different, more historic lens.