Hot Seat Ike

[batmagadanleadoff]

How much longer can the Mets afford to play Ike Davis?

By Rob Castellano on May 1 2013, 9:21p


The struggling first baseman has been an albatross around the neck of an already struggling lineup.

Remember those salad days of two weeks ago? Back when the Mets were riding high a couple games over .500, leading the major leagues in runs per game, John Buck was hitting about a homer a day, and the only issue with the lineup was that it was actually scoring too many runs to give Bobby Parnell a chance to do his thing. It truly was a golden age. In fact, it was so good that it allowed us to overlook the play of one Ike Davis. Once again, Ike is off to a woefully poor start in 2013 (.165/.265/.318), contributing very little positive value to the Mets lineup. But that didn't matter; the Mets were scoring -- despite Davis -- so all was forgiven. Commentators preached patience with regard to the lumbering lefty -- he did hit 20 home runs in the second half of 2012, after all. It's fair to say that this has been the general sentiment around Davis thus far in 2013; that he's provided decent cause for us to believe that he'll put up the power numbers we expect from him -- even if the shape of the campaign is a little more one-sided than we would like. As Ike himself stated, "I�m on pace to do in home runs what I did last year, and eventually I�ll be a better actual hitter instead of just hitting the occasional home run." But there's a problem with that logic: Carrying Davis until the bat became effective in 2012 was far easier than it will conceivably be this season. Why? No, don't look at the lineup around him; while some of the names and faces have changed, it's still too early to confidently state that either version was or is superior. The answer lies with Davis himself. While we all remember that Ike was awful until around the All Star Break in 2012, what many forget is that while he was being awful he was also getting extraordinarily lucky. What am I referring to? For perhaps the first time in AA history, it's all about the RBIs. Starting to remember? Remember how odd it was that despite the fact that Davis seemingly went a week between hits throughout the first half of 2012, each one seemed to plate a runner or two? Remember how weird it was when the first half gave way to the All Star Break and he actually ranked among the league leaders in RBIs, yet had fewer hits than any qualified batter? So weird was it that at the time I actually put together an infographic emphasizing that fact (click image to embiggen): One half of that diagram remains true this season: Ike currently ranks 216th in the majors in hits. Except this time around, instead of a .907 RBI per hit rate, he's currently driving in .571 runs per hit. (For those who prefer the glass half full, Ike had the same amount of RBIs through 24 games last season as he does now; but I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for lightning to strike twice.) Now I am not advocating for any drastic decisions to be made about Davis in the immediate future. In fact, just over a week ago I professed that we shouldn't lose faith in Ike over his propensity for slow starts. I will, however, point out that even with the RBI Fairy on his side, Davis narrowly escaped a trip to Buffalo in 2012. By early June the grape vine was abuzz with a potential demotion, even as his RBI count soared. So the question is, what happens if -- in addition to not hitting -- Davis is also not driving in runs?

http://www.amazinavenue.com/2013/5/1/4290684/how-much-longer-can-the-mets-afford-to-play-ike-davis

[metirish]

In fact, it was so good that it allowed us to overlook the play of one Ike Davis.

I think the forum here didn't overlook how awful a start he has had.....the booth had a n interesting in game chat with the hitting coach I think last week.....Keith was asking great questions and making great observations , the coach was too....my take away was that Ike is not that good at taking instructions...

[seawolf17]

You have to let him work it out. He has no trade value right now, and he's not going to get any better in Las Vegas or Binghamton. You need him to get through it.

[Ceetar]

Discussed this some on this week's Amazin' Avenue Audio Podcast

i.e. it's infuriating, but I'm not sure Josh Satin is the answer and I wouldn't put anyone else there at this point. I believe he WILL figure it out. We also mentioned how he's about to get pretty expensive after this season, and if he's going to slump like this it might not be worth paying him.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Ike's got plenty of flaws, but he's still one of our better flawed guys. The Nats are still running out Adam LaRoche. The Braves, BJ Upton. Guys get off to extended, shitty starts sometimes. What are the Mets gonna turn it over to Josh Satin?

Ike'll turn it around at some point, and when he does, the Team will have to figure out whether they can, or are willing to risk dealing with this crap again next year.

[Zvon]

I'm not against him being sent down to the minors like I was last season. Maybe he needs that type of a wake up call.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

When Davis came up for his last AB last night he was blinking his eyes to the point where it was making me nervous. Blinking and opening them up wide in that 'who, me, I'm not tired' move. Makes me wonder if there's not something there that's bothering him.

[Edgy MD]

The distressing thing to me is that he publicly denied to the moon and back that he was feeling any effects of his condition last year.

Then he arrives at Spring Training this year announcing that he feels like a million bucks, which is great, because he could really feel the effects of Valley Fever last year, particularly in the beginning of the year in the colder weather.

That's, um, great. I get that you wanted to man up last year and grind through shit and not make excuses. But what do we do with that now? On one hand, you want us to know you feel better, and on the other, you want us to know that we can't believe what you're saying with regard to the issue.

Ike would make a lousy boyfriend. He just would.

[Ceetar]

Swan Swan H wrote: When Davis came up for his last AB last night he was blinking his eyes to the point where it was making me nervous. Blinking and opening them up wide in that 'who, me, I'm not tired' move. Makes me wonder if there's not something there that's bothering him.

too late for excuses. He floated the "ankle weakness and valley fever tiredness" in Spring Training as an excuse for last year, but it doesn't matter. He's gotta fight through that stuff.

I wonder how players treat and respect rest. They have such wild schedules, and I always marvel at the affect being fully rested, or at least 'not tired' has on my mental capabilities so I can't imagine it'd be different for baseball players. Their brains do crazy things like recognize pitch break and trajectory subconsciously and I can't imagine that wouldn't be sharper with a fresh mind.

In any case, no excuse Ike. Figure out how to be consistent.

[Edgy MD]

Us analyzing what's wrong with him, and him making excuses is not the same thing.

The "no excuses" cliche is tired, macho, and counter-productive. Firstly, he didn't make one. Secondly if he's got a health issue that he doesn't report to the team, he's hurting the team.

It's such a Catch-22.

1. We expect players to play through all ailments or else we will see them as soft and womenly. Girlish, even.

2. We expect them not to even mention if they have ailments or else we will see them as soft and womenly. Girlish, even.

3. If they do this, and a coach expereses that, while he appreciates his player being tough, but it would be more helpful to the team if he had been truthful, that coach should be shamed.

We demand the truth, and hate them for telling it.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Ceetar wrote: Swan Swan H wrote: When Davis came up for his last AB last night he was blinking his eyes to the point where it was making me nervous. Blinking and opening them up wide in that 'who, me, I'm not tired' move. Makes me wonder if there's not something there that's bothering him. too late for excuses. He floated the "ankle weakness and valley fever tiredness" in Spring Training as an excuse for last year, but it doesn't matter. He's gotta fight through that stuff. I wonder how players treat and respect rest. They have such wild schedules, and I always marvel at the affect being fully rested, or at least 'not tired' has on my mental capabilities so I can't imagine it'd be different for baseball players. Their brains do crazy things like recognize pitch break and trajectory subconsciously and I can't imagine that wouldn't be sharper with a fresh mind. In any case, no excuse Ike. Figure out how to be consistent.

Maybe it's allergies. Maybe it's a mild eye infection or conjunctivitis or restasis (thank you, Janine Turner). All I know is that to my untrained eye he looked like a guy who would have trouble following a major league pitcher.

[G-Fafif]

I thought this was a thread about Ike's sweet, sweet ass.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

G-Fafif wrote: I thought this was a thread about Ike's sweet, sweet ass.

Maybe it's hemorrhoids. Maybe it's dingleberry buildup.....

[G-Fafif]

Swan Swan H wrote: G-Fafif wrote: I thought this was a thread about Ike's sweet, sweet ass. Maybe it's hemorrhoids.

When Ike asked Mr. Roarke to make him the kind of player George Brett was, he had no idea how it would backfire. (And the backfire is the worst part.)

[Benjamin Grimm]

NPR had a report on Valley Fever this morning on Morning Edition.

I don't know how much relevance it has to Ike Davis (was he ever even officially diagnosed), but it was potentially very discouraging.

The anti-fungal medication can keep the growth of the fungus in check, but it never eliminates it.

[Ceetar]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: NPR had a report on Valley Fever this morning on Morning Edition. I don't know how much relevance it has to Ike Davis (was he ever even officially diagnosed), but it was potentially very discouraging. The anti-fungal medication can keep the growth of the fungus in check, but it never eliminates it.

I keep pondering the 'ever officially diagnosed' thing, and I can't find any indication of it. It surprises me what things the media chooses to dig up, and what they don't follow up on. Davis himself seemed to confirm it this Spring when he mentioned how he felt last year, but I sorta assumed that was a "best shape of his life" quote.

I'm pretty sure he was never on medication though, I thought the initial report that he may have had it indicated he wouldn't need medication and had no symptoms.

Either way, I really have no idea what to say about Davis. Valley Fever recurrence? Bad mechanics? Bad attitude? Drinks too much? Burr in his saddle? Possessed by Aliens? I'm as convinced he'll start a tear tomorrow as that he needs to go down to Vegas to 'work on some things'. (And clearly, if anyone else KNEW The answer, they'd have done it already)

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Valley Fever is real and not something the beat writers made up.

Conor Jackson was never the same. He officially retired this spring at age 30 after a few games with Tidewater.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Valley Fever is real and not something the beat writers made up. Conor Jackson was never the same. He officially retired this spring at age 30 after a few games with Tidewater.

Yes, but his ACTUAL diagnosis was never confirmed at the time, and the beat writers never bothered to follow up on it. They were waiting another test or the doctors to look at the MRI or somesuch, or maybe the Mets/Davis never followed up. The initial report was that he had symptoms that indicated he might have Valley Fever.

Jackson also isn't Davis, and had developed symptoms that Davis reportedly never had.

[Guest vtmet]

I wonder if Ike's just too much of a warm weather dude...He's from Arizona, so most of his pre-Mets playing was done in a hot climate (little league, high school, college)...

Last Spring Training, he had 4 HRs and 13 RBI (led/tied the team lead);
This Spring Training, he batted .327 and had as many walks as strikeouts;

Last April/May were horrible, and then the HRs started to fly in June;

His BABip is always going to be bad because he's a slow, lefty severe pull hitter so he's always got that severe shift against him and he's never going to beat out many infield hits (although, I was at a Tampa Bay Rays game last season that Ike bunted the ball down the 3B line because of the shift and he got an infield hit on that, and then later had a 3 Run HR against a LHP in the same game)...

[metirish]

Regarding the diagnosis or not, from 2012

Doctors decided to send Davis to New York for additional tests after reviewing an X-ray of his lungs during a routine camp physical. However, Davis says that subsequent blood work didn't positively identify the disease. Doctors told Davis his blood tests did not positively identify valley fever because he has either unknowingly had the disease for a while and it mostly has worked itself out of his system, or because the disease has yet to fully manifest itself.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7644357/2012-spring-training-ike-davis-new-york-mets-says-valley-fever-symptoms


Whatever he had or has one thing that has not changed is how horribly fooled he looks at times waving at pitches.

[MFS62]

Wilmer Flores started at first base last night for Las Vegas.

Later

[Edgy MD]

As noted above, he's already admitted that he was symtomatic through a large chunk of last year, putting whatever he says this year about he issue in doubt.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

MFS62 wrote: Wilmer Flores started at first base last night for Las Vegas. Later

Interesting, maybe? I thought LV already had 2 RHH first basemen in Campbell and Satin.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Ike's tailspin could force Mets to drop him to Triple-A
By KEVIN KERNAN
Last Updated: 10:28 AM, May 13, 2013
Posted: 12:57 AM, May 13, 2013



Y-IKE-S! First baseman Ike Davis, hitless in four
at-bats yesterday, flips his bat after striking out
in the third inning.

The Mets cannot afford to waste Matt Harvey�s starts. They cannot afford to have Davis continue to strike out in crucial situations. Manager Terry Collins is counting on Davis to drive in runs, and he put the first baseman back into the fourth spot yesterday. The clock is ticking. If the lefty doesn�t hit, he could be sent down to the minors. Such a move might be just what Davis needs to get his swing together. Davis hit rock bottom yesterday when he struck out with runners on first and third with one out in the eighth inning of the Mets� 3-2 loss to the Pirates at Citi Field. He was fooled badly on a curveball in the dirt by ex-Yankee Mark Melancon. As Davis tossed his pink Mother�s Day bat aside, boos from the crowd of 28,404 cascaded onto the field. �I definitely let the team down,�� said a somber Davis, whose mind is spinning as much as his wild swing. �I have to produce more or I won�t play on this level.�� If Davis had come through with a hit in that situation or even a sacrifice fly, the Mets could have made the most of Harvey�s solid start. �I need to stop pressing with two strikes,�� Davis admitted. �I�m telling myself to be shorter and quicker to the ball and see it, but then I�m just not focusing on the ball and I�m swinging at pitches in the dirt that normally I don�t do. Hopefully I can make that adjustment next game and start the rest of the season not doing that.�� The Mets know they can�t wait too much longer on Davis. They could move Lucas Duda to first base. Yesterday they had Wilmer Flores playing first in Las Vegas. Davis does not see a minor league demotion just yet. �I wouldn�t think they would, just because last year when I started playing well I actually contributed and became a big factor in the games,� he said. �I still got time.�� Davis hit 32 home runs last year. If he continues to struggle on a trip that takes the Mets to St. Louis and Chicago, management might not be so patient. Davis is hitting .129 with runners in scoring position. The Mets have lost 11 of 15. Davis is hitting .180 with just nine RBIs. He was 0-for-4 yesterday with two strikeouts. He has 39 strikeouts on the year and only 20 hits. Yikes, Ike. Here is the worst of it for the Mets. Harvey received his fourth straight no-decision, despite a 1.98 ERA over that span. �This is way worse, personally,�� Davis said of this year�s slump. �When I wasn�t doing well and we were winning last year, they were picking me up and that kind of made it a little easier.�� No one is picking anyone up as the Mets continue to strike out in ridiculous numbers. They suffered 16 strikeouts in Saturday�s loss and another 12 yesterday. �Ike is going to have to reach down inside and grind out at-bats,�� Collins said. �I asked if he was up to it, and he said, �Absolutely, sign me up.� It was tough for him today. I know that was a disappointing at-bat for him.�� One major league executive said he believes if Davis can get his act together, he will be similar to Baltimore�s Chris Davis, who is having a terrific season. �That�s who Ike reminds me of,�� the executive told The Post. To hit like Chris Davis, though, Ike Davis must shorten his swing and focus on hitting the ball up the middle and the other way. �That is the adjustment he has to make,�� the executive said. �I don�t like doing horrible at my job,�� Davis said. All bets are off and Las Vegas is in Ike�s future if he doesn�t start hitting.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/ike_might_tailspin_all_the_way_to_BCqWdX8e406PNuUDdo27FM

[Edgy MD]

Interesting, maybe? I thought LV already had 2 RHH first basemen in Campbell and Satin.

Well, Campbell and Satin, like Flores as well, aren't so much firstbasemen as guys from elsewhere around the diamond who can hit pretty good compared to those guys at other positions, but aren't very good at playing them defensively. So getting Flores time at first and moving Satin to second is probably a pretty lateral move overall.

[Ceetar]

I know people have floated the Duda to first idea, but I like the Satin/Campbell/Flores solution better than that at least. With first at least you can theoretically find someone to hit a little, if you move Duda you're in essence replacing Ike with the..7th?..outfielder on the depth chart.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Ceetar wrote: I know people have floated the Duda to first idea, but I like the Satin/Campbell/Flores solution better than that at least. With first at least you can theoretically find someone to hit a little, if you move Duda you're in essence replacing Ike with the..7th?..outfielder on the depth chart.

But you're also gaining the defense that you get in replacing Lurch out in left. Duda's stats at first, admittedly in a small sample size, are about average. I also think Duda might be more comfortable at first and maybe he'd relax a bit not worrying about playing out of position.

[Edgy MD]

There's that.

In the short term, it's hard to project Satin or Flores (or Campbell) being more productive than Turner has been. They might provide more power and less OBP, and possibly have better long-range prospects, but in general, if they called up one of those guys today and sent down one of their outfielders (or jettisoned Byrd) they probably would be in the same situation tomorrow.

[Frayed Knot]

The other problem with Duda to 1B is that he's the only regular in the OF right now so pulling him out would create even more of a Chinese Fire Drill out there. And then of course he'd theoretically be moved back when/if Ike straightened himself out and be a month or two rustier at playing a position he's already not good at.

I was all for demoting Davis last year but find myself less for it now I think because of all the OF/1B uncertainty.
A few more days of this though will start me trending in that direction.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm just afraid this stuff with Davis is here to stay. These terrible starts 2 years straight, following that frustrating ankle year, he's just not reliable enough to hit 4th everyday. The Mets need to start planning a way to not have to rely on this guy, then maybe he'll surprise.