Ike Davis Of The Future

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

There's been a lot wrong with the 2013 Mets but I blame most of it on Ike Davis, not just because he's been awful, but because we all went in with the expectation that he wasn't going to be awful, and he was. That sort of compounded everything. The team took one big step back when the first had to adjust the lineup to acknowledge his struggles, then another when they realized they'd have to hit him 8th, and then, final humiliation when they're pinch hitting for him in critical spots. He ruined everything.

I'm sure the Mets will give him another shot if and when he he hits in Vegas but if he never draws out of this mess I wouldn't be in the least surprised.

With those thoughts in mind, predict how many more Major-League home runs Ike Davis will hit from today till the end of his career. He has 63 so far. Go for an extra bonus by predicting exactly in the comments section.

[seawolf17]

He's only 26. I doubt that he's "done." But if the over-under was, say, fifty... I'd take the under.

[Edgy MD]

The Mike Jacobses of the world go on to hit 250 homers at AAA waiting for a 20-day callup every two years where they add three more homers to their totals. Even if this professional morass is where Davis is heading --- and there's a good chance it could be --- I think he'll get more callups and longer spells when he is called up, due to his defense and broader skill set. I wouldn't be surprised to see him return to being an effective starter, but I'll guess 87 more homers by the end, getting 10 here and ten there as a borderliner for a few teams.

But Mike Jacobs, lest I sully him, was never as bad as Ike when he's been bad. And, if I may kick Ike a little --- it seems worse this year than last. Last year, it just wasn't working for him. This year, to see him is to see a player for whom it couldn't possibly work. Everything about his approach seems bolluxed.

Or maybe it's the fever, and maybe he's done. Done-done.

[metirish]

I voted 31-40. I believe he will ride that Jacobs bus as Edgy noted but I also think he is pretty much done. Ike could very easily get buried in the minors.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Edgy MD wrote: Or maybe it's the fever, and maybe he's done. Done-done.

I don't know what's wrong with Ike, but if I was guessing, I'd guess the fever. It comes. It goes. It's supposed to remain with a person for life, and at the level that Ike competes at, having just 5% of his energy sapped by the fever might mean the difference between starring in the major leagues and struggling for a spot on the bench.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I voted 21-30, but it might very well be zero. And whatever homers he does get may very well not come with the Mets. I think he's about to make the transition to a journeyman who's desperately hanging on, and whatever chances he gets will be because of the promise of his past and the hope that he'll get it together again.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I think he's Johnny Fever, and that's about it.

I got 9 for three teams.

[Vic Sage]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Or maybe it's the fever, and maybe he's done. Done-done. I don't know what's wrong with Ike, but if I was guessing, I'd guess the fever. It comes. It goes. It's supposed to remain with a person for life, and at the level that Ike competes at, having just 5% of his energy sapped by the fever might mean the difference between starring in the major leagues and struggling for a spot on the bench.

Nonsense. Swinging at bad pitches and taking good ones, and flailing around like a brain-damaged epileptic while doing so, has nothing to do with his "energy" or lack thereof. It has to do with mechanics and approach, which are currently for shit... and which may stay that way.

[Edgy MD]

I don't know. If illness can sap you of your energy or reflexes, then the adaptations to these shortcomings can lead to failed mechanics and approach.

Illness, of course, can also impair your judgment, concentration, and perception, leading to breakdowns in these things --- as has seemingly been at play in the failures of players with post-concussion syndrome.

I don't know if this is the issue, but I certainly think it's on the board.

[Edgy MD]

'Sides, in comparing him to a "brain-damaged epileptic," you tacitly acknowledge that a physical condition can be at play.

Maybe he is a brain-damaged epileptic.

[smg58]

My guess is that it's a correctable problem. Whether or not it gets corrected quickly is another story.

[ashie62]

31-40 Maybe the fever...Very stubborn attitude toward change....non tendered

[metsmarathon]

i'll take hte over. there's talent there. and if the issues are mechanical, or timing, then those are hte things you'd think can be adjusted and corrected.

confidence may be a little more of a challenge. but it looks all the world like his problem is mechanical, not athletic.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I picked 10 or below because I think this is more of a kick-in-the-ass assignment and not a long-term assignment. If he belts 10 homers in three weeks, he'll be back. Especially if the guys he is replacing aren't spectacular.

We know he has the talent. They just need to figure out what the hell is wrong. And, if Backman gets Ike back on track, that bodes well for Backman, too.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think you misread the question.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I think you misread the question.

Oops. Thought it said minor league homers.



I think he'll return to be a solid player.

[metirish]

I'm intrigued by what you said in regards to Backman.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

metirish wrote: I'm intrigued by what you said in regards to Backman.

We all know Wally wants to manage in the big leagues, and we speculate that he's not exactly the quiet guy in the room. Teams sometimes go through that pattern with managers with "nice guy" then "drill sergeant" and back.

We have a bunch of under-performing (and perhaps under-talented) people at the major league level. Maybe they need a fire lit under their ass. If Wally can turn Ike around after the major league staff has failed miserably, it may be a way of saying, "See! I know what the hell I'm doing. Let me at 'em." That might increase his chances of getting the job when they are tired of Terry.

[metirish]

Yeah but wouldn't this be "drill sergeant" to "drill seargent" ?

Collins came with that rep but it never materialized.

[Ceetar]

I really have no interest in Wally Backman.

[ashie62]

Ike Davis & Wally Backman

Bad Brew...

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Comes back up to us, flails around for the last two months (say, 12 homers).

When he walks, he's picked up by another two teams, then strikes gold with the fifth, with two productive years (say, 50 homers in part-time duty for AL team). Then injury, and slow trickle to retirement (with maybe another 3-5 along the way).

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah, but how many [u:87aymgf1]Saves[/u:87aymgf1] is future Ike Davis going to amass after the search for his once-potent swing proves futile and he remakes himself as a devastating left-handed closer?

[Fman99]

My favorite part of "Ike Davis Of the Future" is when he makes out with his own mom, played by Lea Thompson, in the car before Biff Tanner takes him out and punches him in the face.

Wait, what?

[duan]

I picked 31-40
I reckon he's finished with the mets, he'll get another shot next year at a big league club to start after spring, but that'll be his last time on an opening 25 man.

[Ceetar]

Here, I'll a bold specific prediction. He'll have more home runs on the season this year than days in the minors.

[Edgy MD]

I'll so take that bet.

[Lefty Specialist]

Ceetar wrote: Here, I'll a bold specific prediction. He'll have more home runs on the season this year than days in the minors.

Does that include homers in Las Vegas? Because if it's major-league homers there's no way he's hitting more than 30, which is about how long I'd expect he'll be a ward of the State of Nevada.

[Ceetar]

Lefty Specialist wrote: Ceetar wrote: Here, I'll a bold specific prediction. He'll have more home runs on the season this year than days in the minors. Does that include homers in Las Vegas? Because if it's major-league homers there's no way he's hitting more than 30, which is about how long I'd expect he'll be a ward of the State of Nevada.

Nope, but we can see if that's true or not.

[Edgy MD]

Current Score:

HR: 5
Days in Minors: 1