Note: The Legend of Ike Davis
Yesterday, in a loss to the Astros, Mets 1B Ike Davis hit his second home run of the spring, and is now batting .524 in 21 at bats.
“He looks good,” David Wright said of Davis, according to MLB.com. “I don’t know how you can say anything negative about a guy that seems to be hitting the ball as well as he has. It looks like, mentally, he’s really advanced as far as a hitter.”
That said, following the game, Jerry Manuel said, right now, it is unlikely Davis will make the Opening Day roster.
Instead, Manuel explained, “I would say more young pitchers have made the jump than more young, unproven position players.”
…yesterday, during the game, i asked, what happens in May, when pitchers begin to figure him out, and he struggles… then what… also, i need to remember, though he’s hitting home runs against weak, spring training pitchers, those same pitchers also striking him out… he k’d three times yesterday… i love the idea of this kid cracking the starting lineup, and making an impact… but, this season, given the pressure to win, can the Mets live with a rookie finding his way at first base… i mean, for all his mediocrity, Daniel Murphy went through that phase already, and seems poised to move forward… and so, even if davis keeps hitting, i still believe the Mets will send him back to the minors, like they did back in the day with David Wright, where he can keep hitting, and be successful every day… he’ll be back, and i think he can be great… yes, the same can sort of be said for Jenrry Mejia, but like jerry was alluding to, it’s easier to promote a young pitcher to the bullpen and throttle his usage, picking his spots, while also still letting him develop… whereas the young hitter has to play every day, while being exposed to the best pitching in the world, day in and day out…
Yesterday, in a poll on MetsBlog.com, 74 percent of voters said Mejia should stay in the minor leagues to develop; 14 percent are unsure, and need more time to watch him before deciding; while just 12 percent feel he should be added to the team’s major-league bullpen on Opening Day.
[poll id="359"]
