30
2010
Ike Davis: The Rug That Ties The Room Together
An article by 
First, allow myself to introduce…myself. The handle is Taryn, but you can call me Coop, some circles know me as “The Coop,” and others know me as “The Coopinatrix.” Erm, plead the fifth on that one. Anyway, I am the primary contributor of a three years running Mets blog called “My Summer Family,” a passionate narrative from a cool chick and the love for her baseball team. I contribute to other sites as well, and now MetsMerized is the newest collaboration I have! I look forward to chatting with you and having intelligent baseball conversation here.
Now…back to biz. I will probably contribute once a week, and I’ll try to make my posts as interactive as possible. That said, my “Coffee Talk” topic of the week would be Ike Davis. Since he’s joined the team on April 19, they’ve gone 9-1 on an “amazin” (no irony intended) homestand, on their way into the City of Brotherly Love to reignite the I-95 rivalry versus the hated Phillies.
Is the injection of so-called new blood in the name of Ike Davis like the rug in the movie The Big Lebowski? While not tying the room together like that blasted rug did, he could very well be tying the team together.
Let’s take a look at the evidence in the form of stats. In this homestand, which he played in every game, he boasted an impressive line of .355/432/.538 with 1 HR, 6 RBIs and even 5 walks. What’s more is that he even made some impressive defensive plays at first base, which got first baseman extraordinaire Keith Hernandez to remark on positively in some of the broadcasts.
At the same time, an interesting phenomenon occurred. Things started to come together. They won two in a row, lost the third game to the Cubs and won the fourth. On Friday, April 23, Jerry Manuel decided that change was, indeed, good, and mixed up the lineup with Jose Reyes, perennial lead-off hitter, started to bat third. Jason Bay, who had yet to impress Mets fans, was batting cleanup, and he started to turn it on as well. In the last week hitting .333 with 1 HR (his first of the season and as a Met!) and driving in 5 runs. David Wright got his 1,000th hit. Mike Pelfrey has barely given up a run. Mets fans were left wondering “Carlos Who?” with Angel Pagan starting centerfield…okay, that’s a little joke, to see if you were paying attention. And the bullpen has been more than a pleasant surprise, they’ve been absolutely rocking it so far this season, with head rock star Hisanori Takahashi making us have Darren Oliver chills again as long man in the ‘pen.
One could argue that the lineup change could very well have been the flashpoint of this occurrence. And who knows, if they continue to roll over the competition, especially in the NL East with the lineup constructed the way it has been since April 23, maybe just maybe the shake up is what the team needed.
I think, however, there is a bit more to the equation than just shifting some players around to get more at-bats in a game. I’m a firm believer that sometimes young blood can come in and make a change for the better. According to the Mets 2010 Maple Street Press, Toby Hyde’s Mining for Gold piece ranked Ike Davis the Number One Mets prospect. After watching his performance in Spring Training this year, it was baffling to this Mets fan why he was not brought up with the team in April, while players like Mike Jacobs and Frank Catalanotto were given a chance to start. To the naked eye (or super-passionate fan) It was evident that Ike Davis was very well ready for action on the major league level.
The Mets often do things pretty backwards, and I felt this was no different. As a “for example,” I do not like Jenrry Mejia in the ‘pen right now (I have my asbestos suit on, so flame away). I will admit that they were quick to right a wrong and bring Ike Davis up to inject life into a team that desperately needed to get a hot start in 2010. And what happens? They go on a 9-1 homestand tear and are currently in FIRST PLACE in the NL East, storming across the Delaware River much like General George Washington did in the Revolutionary War.
I consider myself a realistic Mets fan. I get excited when they win, down when they lose, but I don’t lose sight of the “big picture.” I know that Mike Pelfrey will not sustain a 0.69 ERA all season and I also know that Ike Davis will come down to earth eventually. Jason Bay and David Wright will continue to be incredibly streaky. And we’ll still manage to scratch our heads on some patented Manuel Moves. That’s the realness you get with the Coop, folks.
All I can say right now is IF we are looking back on the season in late September with some fall anticipation in the air, we may just very well look to this homestand as a reason why.
I think that Ike Davis will be a BIG reason why we are considering that as well.
Talk amongst yourselves!
About the Author: Taryn Cooper
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Nice to meet you coop. And just th think on that monday the mets had him in the bison starting lineup,because they had trouble deciding!
Welcome aboard…
If things continue on a positive roll, the call-up of Ike Davis will definitely be looked at as an early turning point of the 2010 season.
All together now…”I LIKE IKE!!!”
We will never know for sure, but I absolutely believe that without Ike Davis, there is no 9-1 homestand. I’m curious and excited to see how he continues to progress, but right now he looks like a savvy veteran out there and not just a rookie callup.
I’ve enjoyed reading My Summer Family since I’ve happened upon it some months ago.
I’m a realistic fan as well – over 40 years watching Met baseball. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the incredibly ugly. My take on this year going in is no one was going to run away with the NL East – not even the Phils. I saw holes in their pitching, LF, and bench. Now…with the injuries, some of those holes are being exposed. Bottom line is I think this will be a dog fight through the summer and I, for one, am looking forward to it.
Then again, after last year, just watching a major league team once again is a plus…..
Sometimes I dream that he is me can’t you see that’s how I dream to be….like ike if I could be like ike!
The biggest value that Ike Davis brought to this team was not only his much needed enthusiasm, but the left handed bat the Mets needed to balance out this heavy righthanded lineup. Additionally, he energized this team like nobody could have ever expected. We are being treated to strong performances from Pelf and Davis who prove the Mets can make a good decision with their first round selections.
IKE!!!! Bottle him up so we can give some jolt to Wright whenevr he starts slumping again. And Bay too for that matter! This guy didnt just turn the Mets around, he turned them around too! Now if Frenchy would only stop reverting back to his old tricks.
I agree with your post in that adding youth tends to pick up the collective spirt of a team. It helps fans feel like the future is now, which is an energizing mindset. I suspect it makes the young players feel the same way. It also lights a fire under the ass of the veterans, ‘produce or be replaced because we plan on winning with or without you’. I would prefer Mejia be sent to AA to start and if he shows dominance then bring him up to replace the inevitable injured/ineffective pitcher in July. He has not been used in high leverage spots so I doubt his replacement would cost the team wins. Sending him to AA as a starter may help keep Perez, Maine, and Niese focused; knowing that they could be replaced with a prospect the team is ready to, and would like to promote. Now lets see if the Mets will give Nick Evans a shot if he comes back from injury and continues to rake. Its not like Cantalanato has been a big contributor and once Beltran return it makes sense to depart with GMJr. Lets see what Evans can do. If he looks good he is trade bait (like Murphy) or a cheap bench player, if not then his value to the organization is clearer than it had been.
‘produce or be replaced because we plan on winning with or without you’
I agree with everything you commented NC, but I love this line you coined and I hope it becomes the mantra of the Mets for a long, long time.
He hasn’t done anything ground-breaking, but he has slid into the lineup and been very good, especially when you condiser that opposing pitchers are treating him like Ryan Howard. He gets nothing hard on the inner half of the plate. He is hitting .300+ while haveing to deal with a litany of backdoor sliders, splitters, changes and curves. He himself said that his HR was the first chance he had had to “square up” on a ball since the call-up. If he keeps delivering big hits the other way, pitchers have to vary their approach. Then he will get a few shots when those inside fastballs drift out over the plate. The other thing I love about him is his cool.
Davis is a cool customer, but then his dad was pretty unflappable too.
His “I came to play” attitude has to make the others feel good, especially Wright who always gives it all. 24 and the instincts of a veteran? I think we haven’t seen anything from Ike Davis yet.
As always Coop, I agree with you. Great read.
This could be the same thing we saw when Murphy first got called up and simply a case of pitchers giving him a diet of fastballs. 10 games and the expectations are too over the top. Can he at least get as many games as Mike Jacobs got when the Mets called him up as a rookie.He was supposed yo be the next Jason Giambi.
That’s a good point if they have been giving him fastballs,but they are not! They have thrown him breaking balls like crazy,and have treated him like and established player,because late in games they are going to a lefty lefty matchup. And unlike jacons he is not coming here blasting homers left and right. He has taken what they have given him he has gone opposite field and has hit both lefties and right handers. Also unlike murphy he is a top prospect and murph was not.
Great first post, and we’re so happy to have you. 17 FB likes, that’s pretty impressive!
The Mets are playing good ball right now. We had a bunch of homers tonight (Wright, Francoeur, and a pair from Barajas). Meanwhile Ike was shutdown offensively, though he did get a BB. We still won handily.
For the first couple of weeks, we underperformed, now looking at it in terms of season long numbers, we’re outperforming. We have a good club, and everyone contributes but only time will tell if Davis has brought a special karma. I hope he has.
Niese and Pelfrey have also given us great performances. Their numbers are terrific and have meant as much in my way of assessing the Mets. Also, Angel and Luis have been gold. So many good things are happening on the field that our karma has been shining everywhere. LGM.
Coop, I’ve enjoyed reading your perspective.
Thanks for all the love, folks!! Of course, I do a focus piece on Ike Davis and (as Des says above), he was all but shut down, but hey. Nothing you can take away from a great defensive 1B-man (eso when David Wright gets a case of the Knoblauch yips
). I’ll try to keep a more serious perspective here, Joe D!! Well, as serious as I can get anyway.