A MODERN-DAY CRASH DAVIS

Cody Decker mashed his way into the hearts of minor league fans

- KYLE BANDUJO

Cody Decker wasn’t the first minor leaguer to garner the “real-life Crash Davis” moniker, and he won’t be the last, but he might just be the best modern-day example of a minor leaguer who lived up to that billing.

Davis, the fictional minor league journeyman catcher depicted in Ron Shelton’s 1988 film “Bull Durham,” has become the go-to comparison for any long-toiling minor leaguer still holding on for a taste of the show. In the film, Davis, much like Decker, traveled from one minor league club to another each year, hitting homers and watching other players get the call to the big leagues.