Later in his career, Davis improved on defense. During his great offensive seasons in 1983 and 1984, defense was somewhat of a challenge for him; in 1983 alone, he had 13 errors and 21 passed balls. However, by 1985, with the help of coach and former catcher, Johnny Oates, Davis had his defensive problems under control; his passed balls decreased, as did his errors. In 1986, he led National League catchers in putouts, assists and baserunners caught stealing and, finished second to Bob Brenly in fielding percentage. When Davis broke the 100 assists barrier in , he joined Johnny Bench, Jim Sundberg, Gary Carter and Tony Peña as the only catchers to have more than 100 assists in a season since the end of the Second World War. His defensive improvement resulted in Davis' first and only Gold Glove Award and, earned him his second All-Star Game appearance.