Comments on: Is Ike Davis The Solution At Cleanup Spot?

By: Pete

Pete — Sun, 01 May 2011 14:29:49 +0000

You are right, when the rotation is a mess and you have a shell of a bullpen, you can pretty much stick a fork in the season. There’s a lot of good baseball teams in the National League and they will be eating the Mets’ lunch for this entire season. Get used to these losses, there will be very few six game hitting streaks this season. The only way to rebuild an entire pitching staff, is by having a multitude of talented young players coming up from the minors. Remember 1986? In 1984-1986 we added Gooden, Darling, Fernandez, Aguilera, and McDowell. Just prior to 1969, the Mets brought up Seaver, Koosman, Ryan, Gentry and McGraw. Someday in a couple of years we will have Mejia, Harvey and Familia, hopefully. But they are still two or three years away, and there is not much else. Years of signing big name free agents, and losing our first round draft picks, combined with refusing to draft over-slot, have left our farm system void of high ceiling players. It’s time to break a few eggs and make a delicious omelet. We need to liquidate, and the sooner the better. The first thing I would do, at any cost, would be to trade K Rod. They simply have no use for the guy. Get some young pitchers for him. Also trade Beltran, Pagan, (I hate to say this) Reyes, Parnell, and if they prove they are healthy and can pitch, Young and Capuano. Get as many young pitching prospects as you can for those guys. And then go out and have an intelligent draft for once. Maybe in two or three years we will be kicking some butt once again.

By: SFloridaMetsFan

SFloridaMetsFan — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:33:23 +0000

Oh yeah. Any trade for those two will gut the farm. Which is the exact opposite of what should be happening. Plus Pujols is going to want 10/300 while Prince wiling looking for 7/150 at the minimum. With that money ww can sign Reyes, sign Wright, sign IFA’s go over slot in the draft etc etc

By: SFloridaMetsFan

SFloridaMetsFan — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:26:13 +0000

Um no. Why trade Ike? Especially for a rental? And don’t say for extra picks. If you want Pujols or Fielder, just try and sign them. In all honestly we don’t need either. We need pitching.

By: Metsie

Metsie — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:52:48 +0000

Ike will probably be the cleanup guy if Beltran ever leaves.

But until then it is much more advantageous to have the Switch hitting Beltran there to negate any Lefty Righty maneuvering.

And Ike still needs to get the BA against lefties up a bit.

If we do lose Beltran then we will need to replace his bat and it might be easier to find a good Clean Up hitter to replace him leaving Ike to protect whoever that is.

By: francis

francis — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:13:08 +0000

ike can’t solve the real problem. no starting pitching. niese is ok and getting better. pelfrey may be able to get his whip under 1.3 eventually, but he’s not here next year anyhow. young is chronic. cap, gee, and capuano are all 4th starters. ike will eventually hit cleanup, but it won’t matter.

By: chris

chris — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:07:29 +0000

Love Ike, but he could be the key to a deal for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder. Both of them could be had in a trade and sign type deal like we did with Santana.

By: oktoday

oktoday — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:39:59 +0000

Based as per the season so far with it being one month, it sure looks like Wright, seems to have lost his ability to bat 3rd. And until he gets out of his problem, he should be batting at the last end of the power hitters (6th). AS far as I can see it this downgrade of his all started when he got whacked in the head. And I can not tell if some of that memory known by him or unknown may be part of his problem.

I am good so far with Jose, Murphy, and Beltran as the first up in the order. And then there is the hot Ike. And as long as he remains hot or close to it he should be the 4th hitter, with Bay right behind him.

Then of course it will eventually be Pagan, and Thole as the last two hitters.

A team cannot be using players who fail too many times to remain in important positions in the line up. It is time that the team use the players in the right line up in order to get the most runs.

Emotions and past experience that is not working now does not win. But adjusting it around can help to win.

And of course as the season goes on and things change, then change the position of when the get up all over again.

By: Tomterif

Tomterif — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:13:03 +0000

He should be batting in the three hole now because David Wright is not a three-hole hitter. More on that in a post to come.

By: any

any — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:17:05 +0000

I always liked Ike, and am glad to see him having such a good 2nd year. Entirely correct IMO that he is the obvious clean up hitter for the future, and really the future could start now.