 In 1954, Davenport hit .439 for the Southern Miss baseball team, and signed a professional contract with the Giants after the season.Davenport made his major league debut with the San Francisco Giants on April 15, 1958, taking the team's first at bat on the West Coast, striking out against Don Drysdale of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Seals Stadium.His best season was , when he batted .297 with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs and made the All-Star team for the only time in his career.