Terry Collins can’t seem to stop talking about Ike Davis. Everyday you read those quotes or hear him on SNY and he just raves about him endlessly.
“I’ve only seen this guy for a little over a month and that was enough to convince me that, with 550 plate appearances, he can’t help but walk into 30-40 (home run) fastballs,” Collins was saying Tuesday. “Ike being back now is like getting an All-Star first baseman out of nowhere.”
The consensus is that Ike Davis was on pace for a huge season before he was injured in that collision with David Wright. Most people I talk to all expect him to pick up right where he left off, and I expect he will.
The other think you have to love about this kid is what a complete player he is. His defense was something to marvel at in 2010 and 2011, and he takes that aspect of his game very seriously.
“Defense, in my mind, is the biggest part of the game,” Davis said. “It’s not what you’re going to get paid for, but it’s the most important.”
With Daniel Murphy still trying to learn the nuances of a new position, and Ruben Tejada moving over from second base to shortstop, you can’t underestimate the huge impact Davis will provide for the entire infield. With his great range and flexibility at first base, as well as his ability to pick those balls out of the dirt, it’s a comforting feeling for the pitchers to know that Ike’s got their back.
He might be Pure Chaos at the plate, but in the field Ike Davis is poetry In motion.
