Spotlight On: Matt Davidson
Throughout the offseason, I’ll have a weekly blog highlighting one of Charlotte’s players from the 2015 campaign. The Knights finished at 74–70 in the International League South Division, which was tied for third with the Durham Bulls. On-the-field and at-the-gates, the 2015 season was a successful one in Uptown Charlotte.
3B Matt Davidson finished the 2015 campaign as the IL leader in home runs with 23. His league-leading shot came on Friday, September 4 at BB&T Ballpark where he hit 18 of his 23 long balls in 2015.
For his career, Davidson has recorded at least 20 home runs in each of the last five seasons.
Originally drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 1st round of the 2009 draft, Davidson has compiled 123 home runs at the minor league level over parts of seven seasons. The Yucaipa, CA native was traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for reliever Addison Reed on December 16, 2013.
While the 2015 season saw Davidson lead the IL in home runs, the talented third baseman also finished at or near the top in a number of other categories in 2015.
Davidson led the IL in games played (141) and finished second in the IL in at-bats (528), as well as second in walks (62). His 141 games played in 2015 are now the second most in a single season by a Knights player. Only Tim Hummel and Bry Nelson appeared in more games in a single season with the Knights (142). Davidson’s 528 at-bats now rank as the sixth most at-bats for a Knights player in a single-season.
In two seasons with the Knights, Davidson has compiled 43 home runs, which puts him in ninth place in franchise history. He is also now 10th in at-bats (1,006), and 10th in games played (271). His 129 RBIs in two seasons rank 11th in franchise history.
Defensively, Davidson also shined at the hot corner for the Knights in 2015. He led all IL third baseman in fielding percentage (.971), as well as all IL third baseman in assists (281). He also finished the season tied for first in double plays (24) with Syracuse third baseman Jason Martinson.
He was a 2015 International League All-Star and also represented the Knights in the Triple-A All-Star Game Home Run Derby.
For his efforts throughout the year, Davidson was named by Baseball America as the Best Defensive 3B in the International League.
