He is a former center fielder for several Major League Baseball teams, most remembered for the years he spent with the Cincinnati Reds. Davis actually began his professional career as a shortstop but was converted to center fielder while in the minors.

When Eric Davis first appeared in 1984, his physical talents gave him the potential to be one of the most exciting players in the game. He was a rare five-tool player with home-run power as well as sheer speed on the basepaths. He made a habit of robbing home runs and elicited comparisons to Willie Mays.

Unfortunately, he was also highly injury-prone, never playing more than 135 games in any season.

Davis showed what he could do in 1986 hitting .277 with 27 homers and stealing 80 bases. He built on that success by hitting .293 with 37 homers and 50 steals in 1987, despite playing in only 129 games. From 1986 to 1990, he averaged 30 home runs and 40 steals. In 1990, with a solid team around him, Davis would be a key player in Cincinnati's "wire-to-wire" championship season.

One of Davis' most famous moments was "the throw" in game 5 of the National League Championship Series vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates when he threw out Bobby Bonilla at third base from centerfield. Davis homered off Oakland's Dave Stewart in his first World Series at bat in 1990. The home run triggered a World Series sweep for the Reds. In the Series, Davis also suffered a lacerated kidney while diving for a ball requiring surgery. He also underwent off-season surgery on a knee that he had injured earlier in the season.

After 1990, Davis was unable to get his career back on track. Injuries sabotaged his play in 1991 and he was traded to Los Angeles for Tim Belcher and John Wetteland. He suffered several more injuries in 1992 and was largely ineffective. By the end of 1993, the Dodgers no longer required his services and dealt him to Detroit for a minor-leaguer. After the trade, his body continued to deteriorate and he retired at the end of the 1994 season.

After recuperating for one season, he felt healthy enough to return to baseball with Cincinnati in 1996. He had a solid season with a .287 average and 26 home runs, although injuries cut into his playing time. He had played well enough, however, to convince Baltimore to sign him as a free agent.