Hot Seat Ike

[Ceetar]

I get wanting to wish him out of town. I'd still play him but I'd be willing to give those other guys (not Valdespin, Turner) chances too. I'd go with whatever the best chance to win is, as always.

But the real important question is why. Even if you don't have a fix, why clears up so much. You'd at least be able to guess if you can fix it or not, if he'll bounce back or not. It allows you to plan. But I'd be as little surprised if he goes 0 for the next 30 as if he goes 15 for the next 30 with 6HR. It's one thing to wish him away to 'work on his swing' but you actually need to know what to work on. (i.e. try to make moves that inflect positive change more than eliminating negative. Release a guy to give someone else a chance. Platoon a guy to try out his partner, not to cut AB for one guy)

Does anyone remember something specific that happened last year? Was there any real point we can say "oh, that's what worked?" report of a swing change, energy level, new girlfriend? If I recall he got very feast or famine for a while in June where he was productive but striking out a bazillion times, and then he cut down the strikeouts as well and kept getting on base and mashing.

[Vic Sage]

1bmen in system:

AAA - E.Campbell (RH/26), J.Satin (RH/28)
AA - A.Dykstra (LH/26)
A - J.Boyd (RH/22)

All of these guys are hitting well right now. Campbell has hit well 3 of the past 4 years.

[metirish]

Ceetar wrote: I get wanting to wish him out of town. I'd still play him but I'd be willing to give those other guys (not Valdespin, Turner) chances too. I'd go with whatever the best chance to win is, as always. But the real important question is why. Even if you don't have a fix, why clears up so much. You'd at least be able to guess if you can fix it or not, if he'll bounce back or not. It allows you to plan. But I'd be as little surprised if he goes 0 for the next 30 as if he goes 15 for the next 30 with 6HR. It's one thing to wish him away to 'work on his swing' but you actually need to know what to work on. (i.e. try to make moves that inflect positive change more than eliminating negative. Release a guy to give someone else a chance. Platoon a guy to try out his partner, not to cut AB for one guy) Does anyone remember something specific that happened last year? Was there any real point we can say "oh, that's what worked?" report of a swing change, energy level, new girlfriend? If I recall he got very feast or famine for a while in June where he was productive but striking out a bazillion times, and then he cut down the strikeouts as well and kept getting on base and mashing.

Keith talks about how Ike gets into a wide stance when going bad, like now.....the hitting coach agrees, if I remember correctly in one in game conversation the hitting coach said something to the effect that Ike can be stubborn(didn't use that word I think) and knows he shouldn't go wide but still does........

[G-Fafif]

Arizona-raised Ike explains why he's so durn stupid.

Ike Davis, who allowed Brandon Phillips' tiebreaking double to bounce past him at first base in the ninth inning Wednesday, calmly explained his reasoning after the 7-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds: Davis said, at least in his mind, he saw the one-out grounder with runners on the corners bounce foul the hop before it got to him. It was close, though. And he figured with the spin off a righty's bat, it would kick further into foul territory and be clearer for ump Phil Cuzzi if he let the ball go. Obviously, that turned out to be the incorrect decision, because Cuzzi ruled it fair. Davis said he subsequently watched replays multiple times and could not discern whether the ball was fair or foul. He noted Shin-Soo Choo would have scored from third base with the go-ahead run anyway had he fielded the ball because it was hit too slowly for a play at the plate. For that same reason, Davis said a 3-6-3 double play that would have negated the run was impossible as well because of how slowly the ball was hit. Davis suggested his only option would have been to get the force out at first base and then attempt to get Joey Votto headed for second. But Votto then would not have been forced. So Choo would have scored anyway, Davis noted. "I couldn't get the guy at home," Davis said. "Choo runs really fast. And it was really slow to my backhand side. I was trying to get off the bag to get in the hole because it was a right-handed hitter. They usually don't hit it down the line like that. The second bounce ... I thought it bounced foul. In my head, I can't turn two. I can't catch it, touch the bag and then throw it to second and get the guy out, because then it's a tag play and the guy [Choo] scores anyway. So, in my head, when I thought I saw it bounce foul, I pulled my glove back, because then we'd be 0-2 on Phillips [if it were foul] and the run wouldn't score. That was my thought process on that. I still can't tell if it was foul or fair on replays. But I definitely did think it bounced foul right before I got it. He made the call fair. "Everything that can go wrong for me right now is going wrong."

The dog ate his glove, in other words.

If he's still here by Friday, then the complacency is galling.

[Ceetar]

That seems an extremely well thought out response in my eyes..

[dinosaur jesus]

Ike Davis is going to kick around three or four organizations in the next three or four years, getting signed and dropped and mostly sitting on the bench. Then in 2018 he's going to land in Oakland and hit fifty home runs. And we're all going to hate him even more than we do right now.

The thing is, I really like Ike Davis. I still picture big things every time he comes up to the plate, and my first impulse is to defend him when everybody says these terrible things about him. I haven't even dropped him from my fantasy teams, though at least I have enough sense not to play him. But Jesus, he's terrible right now. He's about the terribilist hitter I've ever seen.

[Edgy MD]

It ain't personal if they play somebody else. Just weighing different concerns against different options and making the most responsible strategic deployment that they can.

[Zvon]

Arizona-raised Ike explains why he's so durn stupid. Ike Davis, who allowed Brandon Phillips' tiebreaking double to bounce past him at first base in the ninth inning Wednesday, calmly explained his reasoning after the 7-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds: Davis said, at least in his mind, he saw the one-out grounder with runners on the corners bounce foul the hop before it got to him. It was close, though. And he figured with the spin off a righty's bat, it would kick further into foul territory and be clearer for ump Phil Cuzzi if he let the ball go. Obviously, that turned out to be the incorrect decision, because Cuzzi ruled it fair. Davis said he subsequently watched replays multiple times and could not discern whether the ball was fair or foul. He noted Shin-Soo Choo would have scored from third base with the go-ahead run anyway had he fielded the ball because it was hit too slowly for a play at the plate. For that same reason, Davis said a 3-6-3 double play that would have negated the run was impossible as well because of how slowly the ball was hit. Davis suggested his only option would have been to get the force out at first base and then attempt to get Joey Votto headed for second. But Votto then would not have been forced. So Choo would have scored anyway, Davis noted. "I couldn't get the guy at home," Davis said. "Choo runs really fast. And it was really slow to my backhand side. I was trying to get off the bag to get in the hole because it was a right-handed hitter. They usually don't hit it down the line like that. The second bounce ... I thought it bounced foul. In my head, I can't turn two. I can't catch it, touch the bag and then throw it to second and get the guy out, because then it's a tag play and the guy [Choo] scores anyway. So, in my head, when I thought I saw it bounce foul, I pulled my glove back, because then we'd be 0-2 on Phillips [if it were foul] and the run wouldn't score. That was my thought process on that. I still can't tell if it was foul or fair on replays. But I definitely did think it bounced foul right before I got it. He made the call fair. "Everything that can go wrong for me right now is going wrong." The dog ate his glove, in other words. If he's still here by Friday, then the complacency is galling.

It does look like a well thought out response but unfortunately its based on the assumption that there wasn't another option. Like a recent similar play, if he aggressively charged the ball in, if he played it as Kieth would have (no one will ever be Mex but we all know Davis can be great fielder), he had a chance and that run was big. Also, getting the sure out should have been a priority as soon as he decided not to charge and waited for it. Anything more than that is over thinking.

I love Davis too, and I want so much for him to succeed. But right now his head is no longer completely into whats happening at the moment, and what has become a rally point for the media is becoming a distraction to the entire team. I strongly feel he should not be a starting player for the big club until further notice. The minors is the logical move if they want him to continue getting regular at bats as he works this out. Carrying a non hitting Ike is one thing. Carrying an Ike that isn't hitting or fielding his position,....what's the point?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Looks like he'll still be with the Mets at least through the weekend.

[Edgy MD]

The Keith standard is indeed the gold one. But his aggressive charging is mostly associated with bunt plays where he had an idea where the ball was to be hit before the pitch was released. Not a great analogy.

I'd prefer his fate be sealed not by his inability to play impeccable defense, but by his failure to provide a meaningful degree of offense to obviate the need for such.

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: I'd prefer his fate be sealed not by his inability to play impeccable defense, but by his failure to provide a meaningful degree of offense to obviate the need for such.

indeed. I'm okay with our first basemen, even in perpetuity, not being up to Keith's standards.

I'm also okay with winning not quite 1 billion dollars, in case you were curious.

[MFS62]

Through all this , has anyone mentioned giving him an eye test?
Maybe he isn't picking up the spin on the breaking ball as well as in the past.

Later

[metirish]

MFS62 wrote: Through all this , has anyone mentioned giving him an eye test? Maybe he isn't picking up the spin on the breaking ball as well as in the past. Later

I am sure it's part of routine yearly physicals?

What about an IQ test?

[Lefty Specialist]

Well, he'll have to change planes in Charlotte, but they'd better hurry- there's only 1 seat left at this price.


$424 US Airways
LGA 2:40p
LAS 7:40p
8h 00m
1 stop (CLT)
Only 1 seat left at this price

Depart
Fri, May 24 LGA to LAS � 1 stop 8h 00m

US Airways � Flight 1505 2h 02m
Take-off Fri 2:40p LGA New York, NY
Landing Fri 4:42p CLT Charlotte, NC
Coach | Fare code: VXA0NJ2P | Airbus A321-100/200 (Narrow-body Jet) | 2h 02m | 94% on time | 543 miles | WiFi Available | 1 seats remain
Change planes
CLT Charlotte, NC
1h 26m
US Airways � Flight 381 4h 32m
Take-off Fri 6:08p CLT Charlotte, NC
Landing Fri 7:40p LAS Las Vegas, NV
Coach | Fare code: VXA0NJ2P | Airbus A321-100/200 (Narrow-body Jet) | 4h 32m | 68% on time | 1910 miles | WiFi Available | 1 seats remain

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

ouch!

[seawolf17]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: It had gone away for a while, but the "he can't be any worse than what we already have" meme has been recently making a comeback.

Because everyone on this team is terrible at baseball.

[Edgy MD]

If only it were that simple.

[metirish]

seawolf17 wrote: Benjamin Grimm wrote: It had gone away for a while, but the "he can't be any worse than what we already have" meme has been recently making a comeback. Because everyone on this team is terrible at baseball.

I wonder what team hosting the All Star Game has the worst record going to the festivities?

[Edgy MD]

It's certainly happened, but I think that's a worry for another day.

[metirish]

Well, I'm not worried about it.......curious is all.

[Edgy MD]

A quick check puts Pittsburgh in dead last in MLB at the All-Star break in 2006.

[Ceetar]

Edgy MD wrote: A quick check puts Pittsburgh in dead last in MLB at the All-Star break in 2006.

and they still charged $50 to park at the close lots.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Well, the fans weren't going to the park to see the last-place Pirates.

[batmagadanleadoff]

What can the Mets do about Ike Davis?


Ike Davis watches the ball go by. MLB.com

By Howard Megdal
10:16 am May. 23, 2013

The New York Mets have plenty of self-inflicted problems. Ike Davis is not one of them. But Davis is a problem, and there aren't any easy solutions for the Mets. Davis, who has shown in the past that he possesses plenty of talent, has struggled to an absurd degree at the plate this season, with a .147 batting average and just six extra base hits all season. Now he's having problems in the field to. On Monday night, he stood in the baseline after a ball got by him down the right field line, leading to an obstruction call. Wednesday afternoon, he failed to charge a ground ball in the seventh that tied the game, then, astonishingly, let a ball he thought was foul go by him with the go-ahead runners on base in the ninth. It wasn't foul. The Reds went ahead and stayed there. As Davis put it, accurately and simply: "Everything that can go wrong for me right now is going wrong." So what are the Mets to do about it? Remember, Davis went through similar struggles in 2012, after missing most of 2011 with an injury the team repeatedly misdiagnosed and mistreated. Then Davis contracted Valley Fever, which fatigued him for much of the spring. But Davis recovered quite well last year. On this date in 2012, Davis was hitting .159 with five home runs. From that day forward, Davis put up an .872 O.P.S. and 27 home runs. There was ample reason to believe he'd moved past Valley Fever and the layoff, and brighter days were just ahead. It is much harder to buy into that idea now, with a recurrence of the kind of extended slump almost nobody has, and Davis has dealt with two years in a row. The chorus grows louder each day to send him to Triple-A, and there may be merit to that idea. There is also risk. Forget the fact that the Mets don't have anyone to replace Davis at first base; the 2013 concerns for a 17-27 team simply don't matter. The advantages for Davis to going to Las Vegas are giving him the chance to get away from daily questions about getting sent to Triple-A, while removing him from a toxic fan atmosphere and a major league club where he isn't functioning at bat or in the field. But not only would sending him down be against his wishes, denying him a chance to replicate his 2012 resurrection, but there's also no guarantee it will work. Mets fans seem to have an outsize belief in the restorative powers of a Triple-A trip, thanks, maybe, to a pair of successful ones a decade ago by Steve Trachsel and Bobby Jones. In both cases, struggling pitchers returned after a spell in the minors, and helped the Mets greatly. Davis might not figure anything out in Las Vegas, though, further destroying his confidence. Or he might succeed, but doing so against Triple-A pitchers in a great hitting environment wouldn't necessarily translate into big league success. The Mets, building on a foundation of David Wright and Matt Harvey, are finding that some of the other buildling blocks they were counting on have turned to dust. The dramatic reversal of Ike Davis' career leaves the Mets with another hole to fill, and no one in the organization to do so, other than, possibly, the adequate-hitting Lucas Duda. Davis will stay through the weekend, reportedly. What happens next is anybody's guess.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/sports/2013/05/8530304/what-can-mets-do-about-ike-davis

[batmagadanleadoff]

On Baseball
Everything Is a Struggle for No-Hit, No-Field Davis


Ike Davis watched the game-winning hit by Brandon Phillips bounce past him.


By TYLER KEPNER
Published: May 22, 2013

The man with the lowest batting average in the major leagues was not thinking of his offense in the top of the ninth inning Wednesday at Citi Field. Ike Davis, the son of a major leaguer, had enough on his mind. Davis had gone hitless again, with two walks, dropping his average to .147, last among the roughly 170 players with enough plate appearances to qualify for a batting title. None of that mattered with runners at the corners and one out in a tie game. Instincts took over for Davis, the Mets� first baseman, who processed several factors in an instant. Davis was holding a runner at first and shifting to cover the hole, believing it was unlikely that the right-hander at the plate, Brandon Phillips, would hit the ball down the line. He knew that the runner at third, Shin-Soo Choo, would be fast enough to beat his throw home on a softly hit ball. When a grounder came his way, Davis ruled out throwing home to get Choo. He also decided against an aggressive attempt at a double play. On a ball like that, Davis said, stepping on first base would remove the force at second, meaning Choo�s run would count. Davis did not want to concede the run, because he knew the overpowering Reds closer Aroldis Chapman would come in for the bottom of the ninth. As the ball skittered down the line, Davis said, it seemed to be bouncing foul. If it stayed on that course, the count would be 0-2 on Phillips. So, in far less time than it took to read about those options, Davis made the call: do nothing. Naturally, the ball stayed fair, skipping over the bag for the go-ahead hit. The Reds won, 7-4. �Everything that can go wrong for me right now is going wrong,� Davis said, but that was as close as he came to self-pity. Davis has 1 hit in his last 38 at-bats, and for the season, he has 4 homers and 9 runs batted in. The Mets are talking openly about sending him to the minors. Davis has responded with admirable professionalism, even if he cannot explain his slump. �There are certain guys you root extra hard for, and Ike�s at the top of the list,� David Wright said. �The type of teammate he�s been through this whole stretch, you might be ready to pull your hair out or mope around, and he�s done the opposite. He�s rooted on his teammates, done everything he can to help the team. It�s tough to watch, especially with how hard I know the rest of the team is rooting for him to break out of this.� It is little consolation to most Mets fans that Davis is well liked and accountable. Jason Bay was the same way. Production always matters most, but for now, character may be all that is sparing Davis from a demotion. �It�s not like my teammates are going to tell Sandy not to send me down,� Davis said, referring to General Manager Sandy Alderson. �It�s just, if I was a bad teammate, a cancer in the clubhouse, it would be a lot easier. If I was selfish, and every time I got out I brought people down with a bad attitude and stuff like that, then I�m really affecting the team. I try not to let my struggles affect anyone else and, in fact, show more support than if I was going good.� The Mets are a season-high 10 games below .500, at 17-27. Predictably, they are going nowhere, slipping into irrelevance before Memorial Day. If they had a compelling replacement for Davis, it might make sense to send him down. They do not. The Mets could move Daniel Murphy from second base or Lucas Duda from left field. But who would be worth trying in the vacated positions? The Mets are not contending this season, a path they chose with their moves last winter. To win in the future, they must determine if Davis is a viable major league first baseman. On this date last season, Davis was hitting .156 with 5 homers and 15 runs batted in. Manager Terry Collins said it was easy to dismiss that start because Davis had missed most of the previous season after Wright ran into him on a pop-up near the mound � Davis had a nearly identical collision Wednesday with shortstop Ruben Tejada � and dealt with valley fever in the spring. �But he feels absolutely great this year and had a great spring,� Collins said. �So this is baffling to everybody. We base what we�re doing on the fact that we�re looking down the road, we�re trying to look at the big picture here, and we�ve got to get this guy going, because we�ve got to figure out: where is he going to fit?� Last season, Davis recovered to hit .254 from May 23 through the end of the season, finishing with 32 homers and 90 runs batted in. Corner infielders who hit like that do not come cheaply and rarely become free agents. The Mets need Davis to be that guy. It would be rash to determine, after less than two months, that Davis has no chance to recover as he did last season. If the Mets believe Davis needs a mental break from his struggles, they should send him down. Otherwise, let him keep trying. It is not as if the team is playoff bound, either way. �I know I�m going to play better, especially hitting-wise,� Davis said. �I can�t do any worse.�

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/23/sports/baseball/ike-davis-the-mets-no-hit-no-field-first-baseman.html

[batmagadanleadoff]

Ike Davis could soon be Ike Vegas
If he doesn't turn things around quickly, says Mets insider, he'll be off to Triple-A

By Adam Rubin | ESPNNewYork.com

NEW YORK -- David Wright's intervention helped shield Ike Davis from a demotion to the minors while struggling a year ago. And teammates again are backing the New York Mets first baseman this season. This time, though, the support is unlikely to forestall relocation to Triple-A Las Vegas much longer. "I don't think there's a ton of rope, but I don't think there will be something tonight or tomorrow," a team insider told ESPNNewYork.com on Wednesday night about demoting Davis. Translation: Davis should be at Citi Field on Friday when the Mets open a series with the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves, but there is little assurance he remains with the major league club much beyond that point without a quick demonstration of improvement. Davis is 1-for-his-past-38 and hitless in his past 25 at-bats with runners in scoring position. And unlike a season ago -- when the Mets could more easily overlook Davis' batting skid because the team was eight games over .500 in early June -- this time they are not getting the production elsewhere. After getting swept by the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday afternoon despite having phenom Matt Harvey on the mound, the Mets (17-27) dropped 10 games under .500 at the earliest point in a season since May 19, 2001. How historically bad has the 26-year-old Davis' production been this season? He is hitting .147 with four homers and nine RBIs as June approaches, despite occupying the cleanup spot in more than half of his 37 starts. He has the lowest batting average through 143 at-bats for a major leaguer who hit 30 homers the previous season since Cleveland Indians first baseman Andre Thornton also was hitting .147 at this point in 1985, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Fielding has been problematic, too -- although Davis' relatively modest four errors mask the issue. At Wrigley Field last Friday, Davis failed to catch a clean hop from shortstop Ruben Tejada, allowing Anthony Rizzo to score from second base. Then, in Monday's series opener against Cincinnati, Davis incurred a costly obstruction call when he mindlessly watched a baseball scoot into right field and unintentionally interfered with Joey Votto. In the ninth inning Wednesday, he let Brandon Phillips' grounder down the first-base line go by him, incorrectly thinking it was foul. The double plated the tiebreaking run in a 7-4 loss. "I know I'm going to play better, especially hitting-wise," Davis said. "I can't do any worse." Said Harvey: "He's our teammate. We all love him. And we're behind him every step of the way. It's unfair for everybody to be bashing him. He's working his ass off. He's part of the team. And we're always going to be behind him." A scout who recently watched the Mets for several days offered a detailed explanation to ESPNNewYork.com of why pitchers are dominating Davis. Boiled down to its simplest form: Davis is susceptible to high heat as well as offspeed pitches below the strike zone. "Basically, you can beat him with velocity that's up, and you can beat him with low-zone, 'chase,' softer breaking balls and changeups," the scout said. "How I describe it is he has 'in-between' swings. And with all that excessive hand movement, once you get ahead, all you have to do is continue to pitch off the plate -- not in the strike zone -- and he's going to get himself out. There's no reason to go back and challenge him. So once you get ahead, immediately make sure that nothing is on the plate. If nothing is on the plate, the worst thing he can do is get a base hit. But he can't hit for power." How does a player who finished with 32 homers in 2012 despite a massive early rut get into this bad of a funk again? Is it possible the aberration was last season's torrid second half -- when Davis' 20 homers were second-most in the NL behind San Diego's Chase Headley -- and this is really who Davis is? "No, no, no," the scout said. "We were talking about this amongst ourselves, a group of guys. He needs to go down someplace and get it right. It's a hard place to get it right up here. All these guys are the best. Any flaws or holes are going to be exploited with the better stuff. What I don't grasp is: How does it not serve him going someplace [in the minors] without that pressure, where he's forced to make some of those adjustments, which are in his best interest? Forget about the team. "He would have been better served spending some time down there last year, just for the reality of, 'OK, whatever it is that I'm doing, I have to change it,'" the scout continued. "The reality is he didn't change last year. Until you make those changes, you're just flying by the seat of your pants. You can't do that up here. "Last year, Wright stepped up and vouched for him. That could certainly happen again. I guess my point is: A lot of times, what I hear is that he doesn't like changes. Guess what? If the carrot is the big leagues, you're more likely to get him to make some of those changes if you're not in the big leagues. You want to get back there bad enough." A demotion would not be unprecedented. While Davis avoided Triple-A last season and eventually hit .255 with 20 homers and 41 RBIs in the second half, Lucas Duda did get dispatched to the minors in 2012. Also last season, comparably established first basemen Gaby Sanchez with the Miami Marlins and Adam Lind with the Toronto Blue Jays found themselves in the minors after struggles. The prototypical Mets example: Right-hander Steve Trachsel, with his consent required because of his veteran status, went to Triple-A to reboot back in mid-May 2001 with an 8.24 ERA. He returned a better pitcher, going 10-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 20 starts that season after returning to Flushing. One problem, though: What would the Mets do to plug first base while Davis rights himself? Andrew Brown, who shifted from the outfield to first base last weekend with Triple-A Las Vegas, strained an oblique muscle Sunday, removing him from consideration. Josh Satin has since returned to manning first base over Zach Lutz with the Pacific Coast League club, and Satin is not on the 40-man roster. On the major league team, moving Duda or Daniel Murphy to first base might not make a ton of sense for a relatively short Davis absence because it might disrupt their progress at their adopted positions. Which might leave Justin Turner among the few viable options. Turner happens to be 2-for-his-past-22. "Honestly, I'm never, 'Why me?'" Davis said after Wednesday's game, as he analytically broke down his latest miscue at first base. "It is what it is. � if my teammates weren't behind me, it would be the worst thing in the world. I'd probably be at Triple-A already if my teammates didn't have confidence and want me to be here. They're a huge part of why I come in every day with a positive attitude and try to work and help them. "I'm hard on myself anyway, because I want to do well and I know I'm a good baseball player. Sometimes in this game it's not very easy. You can't get down. You've got to keep grinding it out." Said Wright: "There are certain guys, I guess, you root extra hard for. Ike's at the top of that list -- the type of teammate that he's been through this whole stretch. It's very easy to pull your hair out and mope around and hang your head. And he's been the opposite. He's rooted on his teammates. He's done everything he can to help this team. It's tough to watch, especially with how hard I know the guys are rooting for him to break out of this. It's one of those stretches that you wish on nobody."

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/9303025/new-york-mets-ike-davis-seems-destined-demotion

[Benjamin Grimm]

Almost three quarters of the season still remains, so there's still time for things to take a major turn for the better. With that caveat aside, so far this year is looking like a near total disaster.

My hope for 2013 was that the Mets would take a stride towards being the contender we've been looking forward to in 2014. Good seasons from Harvey, Niese, and Wheeler. D'Arnaud would establish himself. Ike Davis would rebound. Tejada would have a solid season. Duda would get it together. One or two of the young outfielders would show themselves to be viable starters. This would all leave the Mets a small spending spree away from being a 90+ win team. That's the everything-goes-right scenario.

Other than Matt Harvey, none of this has happened. Now it looks like the Mets may have to go into the offseason looking for perhaps as many as three outfielders, a first baseman, a shortstop, maybe a starting pitcher, as well as the perennial remake of the bullpen.

Should Ike Davis go to Las Vegas because it will be the magic potion that wakes him up again? No, that's not the reason. The reason is because he's AWFUL, and if he's no longer the first baseman of the future then the Mets should stop giving him innings and at bats and start trying alternatives.

And Lucas Duda's not the answer either.

[Ceetar]

Why is Lucas Duda no longer the answer?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Because he's not good enough.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Other than Matt Harvey, none of this has happened....

Parnell's improved, no?