From home run champion to auto mechanic: The sky is the limit for former A’s slugger Khris Davis.
Davis recently told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that he has retired from baseball and will trade in his bat and glove for a wrench and some coveralls.
“There were no more opportunities for me in baseball,” Davis told Nightengale. “So it took me a long time to find who I was outside of baseball. I’m still young. I didn’t want to sit at home.”
Davis spent the first three seasons of his MLB career with the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the A’s in 2016, where, aside from a brief stint with the Texas Rangers, he spent the majority of his playing career. The powerful slugger hit 40 or more home runs with at least 100 RBIs in three consecutive seasons with Oakland, leading the major leagues in home runs with 48 in 2018.
![Khris Davis, former Athletics slugger, chasing his dream of becoming an auto mechanic – NBC Sports Bay Area & California Khris Davis, former Athletics slugger, chasing his dream of becoming an auto mechanic – NBC Sports Bay Area & California](https://i0.wp.com/keynoteusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1715650033_Khris-Davis-former-Athletics-slugger-chasing-his-dream-of-becoming.jpg?resize=1170%2C658&ssl=1)
Davis terrorized major league pitchers for years and now hopes to gain the trust of customers with car problems.
Davis told Nightengale that he attended the Arizona Automotive Institute for a year, graduated a few weeks ago, and will soon be applying to auto dealerships and mom-and-pop shops.
“It was a challenge because I didn’t even know how to change a tire before I went to school,” Davis said. “I loved cars, but I didn’t know what to expect. I knew I was going to be left behind. I just went with it.”
That dedication included going to classes from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. five days a week and learning everything it takes to be an auto mechanic.
Davis explained that the class originally had 15 students, but at the end of the course, only four students graduated.
“I was like an old guy trying to stay young and hang out,” Davis said, laughing. “The other guys were 19 and 20-year-old kids who had been working on cars since they were 5. They weren’t even old enough to drink. But it was a lot of fun. It was refreshing to learn about it. I had that nostalgic feeling because I got into the cars when I was 13 and saw Fast & Furious. That movie was epic.
“I just wanted to be a part of that scene where you have car friends and guys who hang out at shows and races. There’s something to be said about having a good car.”
Davis has come a long way since he didn’t know how to change his tire. He said that now he can change his oil and that he is “playing around” with his ’61 Chevrolet Impala as a project.
After years of spending most of his time on the diamond, he now enjoys hanging out in his garage.
![Khris Davis, former Athletics slugger, chasing his dream of becoming an auto mechanic - NBC Sports Bay Area & California Former Athletics slugger Khris Davis pursuing auto mechanic dream](https://i0.wp.com/keynoteusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1715650033_Khris-Davis-former-Athletics-slugger-chasing-his-dream-of-becoming.jpg?resize=599%2C337&ssl=1)
“I’m going to get a job after the summer and the family vacation is over. I’ll be an entry-level technician doing tires, oils and lubricants, everything,” Davis said. “I would love to one day tinker with street racing cars, customize them, restore them, just be part of a club and go to car shows and just enjoy that scene.”
Davis might be pursuing a new career to follow a long-time dream, but he doesn’t anticipate leaving his first love, baseball, forever.
The 36-year-old would love to one day be a major league manager, enroll in its pension program, and close out the remaining year and 133 days of service time to be a fully vested 10-year player.
“Ideally, that would be a good way to close the chapter,” Davis said. “It would fulfill my goal of playing in the Major Leagues for 10 years. It just feels incomplete because I didn’t reach my goal. It would be great to finish like that.”
For now, he’s excited to get a new project underway.
“I wanted to find myself outside of baseball,” Davis says, “and now I have. I wonder about the guys who have less time than me and who are going through this. I never really talked to anyone about it.
“It’s hard when you’re done playing, but I can’t wait to get started.”
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