Davis led his high school team to three straight Arizona state championships as a pitcher and first baseman.

He hit .353 with a .605 slugging percentage in college, threw a fastball that reached 94 miles per hour, and was a two-time All-American and a three-time All-Pac-10 selection.

He pitched for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants.

"[10][11] Davis' paternal grandfather was an American paratrooper in the United States Army who landed in France on D-Day in 1944.

They won the gold medal in the International Baseball Federation XI "AA" World Youth Championships in Taiwan.

[35] He pitched (as the team's Friday night starter; the role given the "ace" of a college rotation), was the designated hitter, and played first base and corner outfield.

He came to the mound with his team trailing 5–4, ended the inning by striking out a batter, and in the next half-inning stole home as the lead runner in a triple steal.

[48][49] For his sophomore season, he primarily played right field (batting .349 with 23 doubles—tied for the conference lead—and 61 RBIs, in 62 games) and pitched as a middle reliever (sporting a 1.35 ERA).

[39] He was named ASU On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player; prior winners included Dustin Pedroia, Willie Bloomquist, Paul Lo Duca, and Barry Bonds.

[72][74] Four of his Sun Devils teammates that season went on to play in the major leagues: Brett Wallace, Jake Elmore, Jason Kipnis, and Mike Leake.

[80] Baseball America ranked him the third-best college power hitter in the draft, and The New York Times indicated that he projects to hit 25–30 home runs.

[77] He was then promoted to the Double-A Binghamton Mets, where he came into his own, hitting .309 with 13 home runs, 41 RBIs, and a .565 slugging percentage in half a season.

[92] Promoted to the Buffalo Bisons, the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, to start the 2010 season, he hit .364 with a .500 on-base percentage in 10 games.

[8] In a sign of acceptance and welcome, after the victory Mets veteran Jeff Francoeur slapped a shaving-cream pie in his face.

"I Like Ike" banners began appearing at Citi Field, a phrase once used in the decades-prior presidential campaigns of Dwight D.

[17] While the Mets had appeared uncertain whether Davis could handle the pressure of the major leagues as spring training ended, by mid-May—just a month after calling him up to the majors—they moved him to the cleanup spot in the batting order.

[113] His 11 home runs prior to the All Star break tied with Benny Agbayani (1999) for the second-most by a Mets rookie, behind Ron Swoboda (15, in 1965).

[114] By September 26, as advanced defense metrics reflected a "UZR/150" (ultimate zone rating) of 12.5, putting him second in baseball behind Oakland's Daric Barton, sportswriter Mike Silva mused as to whether he could win a Gold Glove.

On May 10, he sustained a left ankle sprain and bone bruise, initially misdiagnosed by the Mets as a strained calf, in a collision with third baseman David Wright.

[130] In early March 2012, Davis was diagnosed with valley fever, a rare dust-borne fungal infection endemic in the American southwest.

Davis was ejected from a Major League game for the first time in his career on June 26,[134] when he argued with umpire Manny Gonzalez after Steve Clevenger was ruled safe at first on a pickoff attempt.

[135] He ended the 2012 season with a .227 batting average, 32 home runs (5th in the National League), and 90 RBIs, as his home-run-every-16.2-at-bats was 3rd in the NL behind Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan Braun.

He tied a team record set by John Olerud in 1998, by reaching base at least twice in 12 straight starts from July 29 – August 13.

[144] On April 18, 2014, the Mets traded Davis to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Zack Thornton and a player to be named later, Blake Taylor.

[150] On November 23, 2014, the Pirates traded Davis to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for bonus slots for use in signing international free agents.

[154] On August 21, 2015 it was announced Davis would undergo surgery to repair a torn hip labrum, ending his season.

[158] Hampered by injuries throughout spring training, Davis was assigned to the Triple-A Round Rock Express to begin the season.

[161] The Yankees' depth at first base was very thin, with four first basemen on the disabled list, and middle infielder Rob Refsnyder manning the position at the major league level at the time of his signing.

[169] Davis, although eligible to play for Israel at the 2013 World Baseball Classic was unable to participate in the qualifying round due to being an active player for the Mets.

After facing a 3-2 count, Davis fouled off three straight pitches before picking up an RBI single that drove in Zach Borenstein to give Israel a 4-2 lead.