23
2011
Is Ike Davis On The Verge Of Becoming A Star?
An article by 
With all the hype surrounding the second base competition, let’s not forget about our rock at first base: Ike Davis.
With just one year under his belt, Davis is poised to have a breakout year in 2011. He may not put up Albert Pujols type numbers, but then again not many first basemen can.
Since question marks surround Carlos Beltran and Jason Bay, Davis will have to provide consistent production in the middle of the Mets’ lineup.
He has a chance to become a superstar this season.
Playing In New York
Unfortunately, the Mets have been the laughing stock of the league the past few years in regards to their performance on the field, their financial issues and poor free agent signings.
Playing under the bright lights of New York can have a serious impact on a player. Some players crumble, while others are able to rise above the pressure.
If a player succeeds in New York, he becomes an instant superstar.
A perfect example is New York Yankees’ right fielder Nick Swisher. He had some good years in Oakland, but he has become a household name after two productive years in the Bronx—including a World Series title.
A big year from Davis can cement his superstar status.
Gold Glove Caliber Defense
Though Davis may be more well-known for his powerful swing, he played a Gold Glove caliber defense at first base last year.
He’s not afraid to get dirty and can pick it with the best of them.
Also, he made a few circus catches along the dugout railing, which are always exciting plays to watch.
With some fine tuning of his defense, Davis will become a better all-around player which will aid in his superstar status.
A few Gold Gloves should adorn his mantle in the near future.
Blossoming Clubhouse Leader
Though he will only be entering his second season, Davis will be expected to develop into a clubhouse leader.
His hard work on and off the field had resonated with the organization, which is prepared to highlight Davis as one of their budding stars.
Davis has already become a favorite among the media for his insightful comments and fun-loving attitude.
It’s easy to express those feelings after a win, but Davis will also have to be available for postgame comments after tough losses.
There are lots of new faces for the Mets this season, so Davis will aid in creating a strong clubhouse atmosphere.
Now that the headaches of Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez are gone, team unity shouldn’t be an issue for the Mets.
Power Stroke
In the words of Ron Darling when speaking about Davis: “He’s got some serious power.”
Davis takes a big swing every time he steps to the plate and hits moon-shots when he connects.
He crushed 19 home runs his rookie year—many of which either tied a ballgame or put the Mets ahead.
None of his shots were more clutch than this walk-off bomb he crushed against the San Diego Padres in early June.
In a full season, Davis has the power to hit 30+ home runs.
Patience At The Plate
One facet of his game that Davis has been working on is his patience at the plate.
He went through stretches of free-swinging last season that resulted in 138 strikeouts.
As a power hitter, strikeouts are inevitable. However, Davis can improve his on-base percentage by laying off bad pitches and drawing walks instead.
This is much easier said than done, so Davis will keep working hard the next two weeks.
This spring, Davis has struck out eight times in 37 at-bats, but he has also drawn six walks.
If he shows patience at the plate, opposing pitchers won’t be able to rely on Davis swinging at bad pitches and will therefore give Davis more pitches to hit.
It’s up to Ike to hit those pitches hard.
Not Content With His Rookie Season
The great thing about Davis in his quest to become a superstar is that he is never content with his performance.
Davis said he will not settle for being a .260 hitter the rest of his career and wants to improve on all aspects of his game.
It’s this passion and drive that will allow Davis to take the next step in his career.
So many players experience some success in the Major Leagues and are content with producing at that same level for their entire careers.
However, Davis genuinely wants to produce at the highest level for the Mets.
This desire to succeed proves that Davis is ready to achieve superstar status in 2011.
Follow me on Twitter @JMMancari.
About the Author: Jim Mancari
Jim Mancari hails from Massapequa, N.Y. He recently earned a Master's degree in Journalism at Hofstra University. He is a devout Mets fan and takes pride in his team, despite their lack of success over the last few years. Like all Mets fans, Jim has plenty of hope. He also writes as the sports reporter for the Brooklyn Tablet newspaper and the senior editor of metroBASEBALL Magazine. Click my name to view my personal website.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 25 | 18 | .581 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 21 | .523 | 2.5 |
| Phillies | 21 | 23 | .477 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 17 | 24 | .415 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 12 | 32 | .273 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/19/2013
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well as long as he is a clubhouse leader
Martin the smarty gets his jollies off. Thanks for the post to remind us it’s all about the numbers. LOL
If you look at Davis’s journey to making the Bigs he has not just held his own but exceeded and was among the best everywhere he has played. I can only hope that continues to be the case now that he has arrived to the Bigs.
I look forward to seeing the Starting 1st baseman at the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi-Fields to be Ike Davis.
Ike’s a ballplayer, he’s the real deal. He’s gonna be a 25-40 HR guy for a long time and he’ll hit for a nice average too not to mention is his excellent defense. He’s gonna grow into a SOLID ballplayer for years to come.
The question about Davis entering last year was would he be able to improve against LHP at AAA. We didn’t get to find out but up here he had no platoon split. Looking under the hood though reveals he had 9 infield singles in 81 AB’s vs LHP. Being that Ike is no speedster this is not sustainable unless they were coming from beating the shift. He also gives up the outside of the plate and then reaches and rolls against LHP. I am really looking forward to seeing Ike take lefty’s to left and I have no question he can do it.
Davis would also help other hitters (especially Wright) in the line up so much if he can keep his platoon split neutral.
Ike comes to this game through his Dad and Grandfather. Both played professional ball, in fact his Dad was a pitcher for the Yankees. They are his teachers and the first people he calls for information or help. After seeing Ike play last year and now getting ready for his first full season at Citi Field, I have a lot of confidence in this third generation ball player.
Let’s not get too overzealous with the word “superstar.” Ike is a nice player with a great deal of potential, no doubt about that…but a superstar in 2011, not quite. Ike had a nice rookie campaign. .264/19/71 in 147 games is very good. However, look closer at his numbers…he had a terrific start and terrific finish to the season. In April and Sept./Oct., Davis hit .328 in 41 games…unfortunately, from May – August (106 games), Davis only hit .241. Davis also had an OPS of only .791 last season…that ranks 4th out of the NL East first basemen (Howard – .859, Sanchez/LaRoche – both .788) and The Braves are starting a rookie this season at 1B. In fact, the player most comparable to Davis in the NL East is Gaby Sanchez from the Marlins, who was also a rookie in 2010 and his numbers were .273/19/85. In only 4 more games than Davis, he had more doubles, RBIs, higher average, slugging percentage, and OPS and less strikeouts. Not to mention, his fielding percentage was .991 and Davis was .993. This begs the question, is Gaby Sanchez ready to be a superstar? Davis is a nice player…but lets not overvalue him, as Mets fans do with their homegrown talent at a way higher rate than any other fanbase. Is he Alex Escobar…no…but is he Darryl Strawberry…probably not.
Where the hell is Nick Swisher a household name?????? Swisher is maybe ok, hopefully Davis will be a lot more
Swisher has actually been good offensively, especially by RF standards. He plays decent defense, walks and is a great clubhouse guy in addition to a slugger.
The Yankees couldn’t be happier with Swisher. Although “household name” is probably pushing it a bit. His wife is probably more famous.
Ike can be a very good hitter, a great fielder and a cornerstone piece for a franchise. It may not happen this year, but progression should be evident every year
I don’t want to rain on Ike’s parade but that boy has a ton of work to do to cut down on his strikeouts and up his run production. The majority of his at bats last year came in the clean up spot (source ESPN splits – http://espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=30532) – yet, in close to 600 plate appearences he knocked in only 71 runs. That’s not good enough and certainly not a superstar-in-waiting type number.
At times last year there was incredible daylight that could been seen between the ball and his bat.
I reckon this year could go either way for Ike. I’m hoping that the Ike boosters are right – but the jury is still out.
Maybe the new hititng coach can earn his keep by helping Ike out.
um,
You do know he was a rookie right? You do know this is his 2nd year in the show, right? All rookies need work to improve. Why? Because they’re rookies.
What do you mean by Ike boosters? He’s the Mets first baseman, he was a rookie last year and he’s showing a lot of promise and I like him a lot and so should you.
Hey Bayonne – how are you?
Listen, Ike is a good defensive first baseman. He is a good power hitter. At this stage – yes, going into his sophomore season – he has some areas with his bat that needs improving.
I hope he succeeds and becomes a good run producer – but the point I wanted to make is he is not one now. So it is a bit premature to say that he will become a star.
“Yet, in close to 600 plate appearences he knocked in only 71 runs. That’s not good enough and certainly not a superstar-in-waiting type number.”
That’s not his fault. He hit well enough, he just didn’t have the guys on in front of him to knock in. Ike’s gonna be a good hitter, but his RBIs are dependent on the guys who hit in front of him.
Check out his stats with men on base.
I said from the beginning that I expect Ike to become a superstar. His power reminds me of Adam Dunn except with gold glove defense and ability to hit for average as well.
I like Ike as much as the next guy. But to anoint him a superstar after one year is a little much.
I think he made some nice adjustments in the middle of the year when pitchers caught up to him. But he this is a notoriously tough year for a player as teams have figured out what he does and doesn’t do well.
Let’s wait for year four or five before you use the term superstar.