Somebody just called up Mike Francesa addressing that same exact issue (no guys, it wasn’t me)..

Mike’s response was a lot like your’s – that the Mets have given him test after test and haven’t come up with anything. There is the possibility, he said, that something is still there and that the doctors haven’t discovered it yet. He does, however, believe that the Valley Fever does play a part into this – how much, that’s anybody’s guess.

Ike’s swinging at bad pitches is a sign of a bad slump – many do that. But it’s the balls that he does hit having little pop in them that makes me wonder if the Valley Fever is still effecting him in some ways. Even if Ike is over the infection, could there be a time period for the body to completely recuperate from such an infection? Might not be noticeable with a couch potato like myself, but with an athlete like Ike Davis, a minute loss of strength would be all the difference in the world. Again, these are just guesses.

As far as not finding out the reason for swinging at bad pitches, you went to the wrong clinic – it’s not Charley Mayo, it’s Charley Lau! LOL

On another note, I guess Mike Francesa brought this up as a rub to angry Met fans when he continued talking about the Mets needing more hitting and mentioned the great year Beltran is having in St. Louis and hot it would be if Carlos was still in the Met lineup. The stat I found interesting was five stolen bases in six attempts – shows that the speed is still there somewhat and the knees are not a problem.

Just remember, Francesa raised the question, not me!

But don’t let Manny’s aloof personality fool you…he was one of the hardest workers (at hitting at least) in the game. As simple as these guys make it seem…these guys work extremely hard to do what the do…

I can tell you, as someone who still plays and has a long swing and a hitch (sometimes) in his swing…knowing that you have the problems is only a small step in fixing it and even it you do fix it, it’s very easy to fall back into the bad habits.

that was what mid March or so right?

So I went to the Mayo Clinic since you referenced it. Your point about it lingering is valid but here is why I disagree

“It can cause fever, chest pain and coughing, among other signs and symptoms.”

So if the main symptoms are the same symptoms that basically lead to Wright being sat down and others for flu like symptoms… then we’re either suggesting the Mets are ignoring a feverish coughing Ike Davis… or Valley Fever isn’t an issue.

I am looking at the Mayo Clinic’s website now and nowhere on it does it say that Valley Fever makes you swing at bad pitches.

If Valley Fever was an issue, the Mets were aware of it during Spring Training so any symptoms since would have been handled. If Ike is walking around with a fever, the trainers would know about it. If he’s not walking around with a fever, then Valley Fever isn’t why he’s hitting below .200.

I read where Teufel looked at tape of Wright in the field and saw something that when tweaked, seems to have helped him in the field this year. Wish someone would come up with a similar answer for Ike.

That is why most guys that are consistent have relatively simple swings. Quicker, more repeatable, etc.

Look at Manny Ramirez. Hell of a hitter, but didn’t he have a nice, compact quick stroke? Nothing fancy or funky, just a short quick path through the hitting zone? And considering he was always one of those “roll out of bed and hit” types, kind of makes sense.

I’m sure Ike can fix himself different ways if he wants to. keep the same swing and hope he gets it all timed right? Go back to what he was doing to start last year with a quieter swing?

whatever it is, he can’t have forever to figure it out in the majors.

But the Mets knew it was a possibility, so Ike would have to be walking around flu like, losing weight for 2 months now? Come on…that just doesn’t add up.

Ike’s mechanics are out of sync…his timing is off…he’s pressing…that’s why he’s not playing well.

Ike has a long, big loopy swing with a big hitch. You could see during the spring that he was trying to eliminate the hitch by starting his hands down near his belt, but it didn’t work and he went back to starting his hands high, then dropping them and bring them back up.

Players with big swings like that can have problems with stepping in the bucket and their hand will be way out in front, they won’t be swing with their hips, they’ll miss pitches on the outside corner and have problems with breaking pitches.

He needs to keep his hands from moving so much when he loads up…I think he also needs to learn how to shorten up his swing a little and I think he should move up in the box a few inches and move closer to the plate a little.

When you’re going bad like Ike is, you think that you’re not being quick enough, but the fact is, you’re being too quick…so instead of trying to slow down, you’re speeding up.

That’s why you see guys like Ike get worse before they get better.

My question and reason for this post is

There is more evidence to suggest he’s a .250 20 HR hitter than a .300 30+ hitter. And I think we all assume its a lock that he’s a .300 30+ guy, but what if he isn’t?

Is it possible he isn’t? I think it’s highly possible and that’s a shame…

I’ve heard or read every opinion on Ike from Ralph to Keith to Terry to numerous baseball analysts to fans. What I’ve heard very little of, if anything at all, is Ike’s take on all this. Did I just miss those?

Ralph implied last year and Keith implied so far this year, that Ike is ‘stubborn’. Is that really it? Does he refuse to alter his mechanics thinking he knows best? Or maybe he has or is doing that but since the results aren’t there, everyone just assumes he’s being stubborn.

I haven’t given up yet on him but it’s coming to the point where it can’t be ignored for much longer. As much as I really don’t want to send him down, it might be their only choice come June.

Ike was a 1st rd pick and a highly regarded prospect for a reason: He’s a very talented player, and has a lot of potential. And we have seen flashes of his talent in his rookie year and last year. Yes, he’s struggling now, but I think that’s because of all the time he missed last year, and the time he missed in ST with valley fever(which could still be affecting him, who knows?)

Some of us think Ike’s swing problems are not worthy of Mensa. They are not so hard that slo-mo cameras would be fooled. But let’s let the batting coaches earn their keep. Whether Ike will listen is a separate issue.

You can hope or predict it, but there is more evidence to suggest he’s a .250 20 HR hitter and that is not what the Mets were thinking 2 years ago.

You can have all the power in the world but if your swing is flawed it doesn’t matter. Marcus Thames was what 6’2, 220 ish? When he got a hold of one in Detroit he was crushing them. But that didn’t mean he was a good hitter.

The evidence is there to suggest Ike could be not as good as we all expected or hoped. And my question is, did we ignore the warning signs and overhype him and if my fear is correct… then what?

Because he’s a big strong guy(He’s 6′ 4″, 230 lb.), and has hit some BOMBS during his short time up here. He has so much power that even Chipper Jones said that he’s never seen a hitter pound for pound have more power than Ike.

“he has tremendous power, and has a very good eye at the plate(He hasn’t shown it this year, but he did his 1st two years here, and throughout his minor league career).”

In 182 minor league games he hit 22 HR. In the minor leagues he had a .371 OBP. Which is good, but you have to also consider some sort of drop off in the big leagues no?

In 182 games he hit 22 HR, in 223 big league games he’s hit 31 in total. So why do we say he has tremendous power?

It’s POSSIBLE his April, Sept in 2010 and April 2011 were more of a fluke than his May-August 2010, May 2011 and 2012 are.

I’m not saying he’s a .160 hitter.

I’m saying its more possible he’s a .250 20 HR hitter than a .300 30+ HR hitter like MOST of us assumed he’d be.