Ike Davis continues to impress during his first month in the big leagues. The story last night was another circus catch over the railing (perhaps we should name the first base dugout after him) to complete the 8-6 comeback victory. This was a great win for the Mets, but the team still left a ton of men in scoring position. I was always ambivalent about Jose Reyes batting third. More so because of the gap it would leave in the leadoff spot, but I believe Jose has shown an inability to be a run producer. That is why I believe it may be time to return him to the leadoff spot and give Ike Davis a try in the three hole.

Having watched Reyes throughout his career he historically thrives in the table setter role. Yes, he isn’t hitting at all this year, but I believe Jose, even when he is batting leadoff, gets long in his swing in run producing spots. In fairness to Jose he is coming back from a year layoff and the thyroid condition, so he is probably anxious to get back into form. He appears to be pressing and putting him in an important run producing spot isn’t going to help the situation. More importantly, you lose the “igniter” at the top of the lineup. It’s no secret the Mets do well when Reyes leadoffs and scores some early runs.

Why Ike Davis? Simply because he may have the best approach on the team. His dad wasn’t kidding when he compared him to John Olerud. His ability to work counts and go the other way is very reminiscent of Olerud. It may be asking a lot of the kid to take on the responsibility of the three hole, but he has shown a maturity beyond his years. Listen to him talk during interviews. This is a kid with a great head on his shoulders and good big league makeup. This is one of those rare rookies that could handle being pushed early in his career.

Here is my proposed batting order:

Reyes
Pagan
Davis
Bay
Wright
Francoeur
Barajas
Castillo/Cora

Still a bat short, even if the stars are hitting at their career norms, but I believe a more effective attack than what we are seeing now. The Mets are still not hitting with runners in scoring position. They are also in the bottom half of the league in average, runs scored, and OBP. Time to shake things up and see if this could get them going.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

Mike Silva

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Tags: Ike Davis, Jose Reyes, New York Mets