The Development of Ike Davis
By Mike Silva ~ August 6th, 2009. Filed under: Mets Minors.
It’s no big secret the 2008 draft was important for the Mets. Faced with a barren farm system, the Mets needed to use their three first round picks to begin the process of replenishing it. We have talked about Brad Holt a great deal recently, mainly because of the rumors of his involvement in a deal for Victor Martinez, but Ike Davis, arguably the biggest disappointment going into this season, may turn out to be the first to don a Mets uniform. When I covered Brooklyn Cyclones games last season Davis was always a topic of conversation. Drafted out of Arizona State as a power hitter, Davis went homer-less and put a mediocre OPS of .652. To give you a comparison, this was lower than Luis Castillo’s 2008 which nearly had him run out of town. Remember, this isn’t some 18 year old kid out of high school, but a top collegian that even pitched a little at Arizona State.
There were no shortage of theories. Many felt it was a wood bat adjustment, some whispered about his makeup, and there was always speculation of pressure to live up to the fact his father, Ron Davis, is former big league pitcher. Everyone knows that Brooklyn is a tough place to hit, but even on the road Davis bat showed no signs of life. Despite the lousy start, he was promoted to the Florida State League and, after a decent performance, AA Binghamton. Since the All Star Break Davis is hitting .342 with 5 homers and an OPS of 1.016. Want to get back into comparisons again? That would put him behind only Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer.
The development of Davis is so important because of the uncertainty of first base and rumblings of the Mets financial situation. Many believe the Mets will move past Carlos Delgado regardless of how he performs upon his return. Take a look at the 09′ firstbase free agent class and you will see how difficult it will be to find an adaquate replacement. I asked both B-Mets beat writer Brian Morwitz and Toby Hyde of Mets Minor League Blog their thoughts on the possibility of Davis getting a shot with the big league club in 2010. Morwitz didn’t discount the idea and said, with continued development, it would be a real possibility. He said he was “impressed by the pop in his bat”. Music to the ears of Mets fans after a homerless 2008. Toby agreed, but thought that AAA seasoning would do Davis some good. Regardless, you have to believe the Mets firstbasemen of the future is on the right track.
