For the first time over the course of his red-hot second half, New York Mets outfielder J.D. Davis came into Monday’s Labor Day matchup with the Washington Nationals mired in a bit of a funk.
From July 12 through August 21 (119 plate appearances), the 26-year-old hit .371/.429/.610 with six homers, seven doubles, a .429 wOBA, and 171 wRC+.
His .434 batting average on balls in play over that span signified the likely unsustainability of that stretch, but a .297/.364/.509 season line (heading into Monday) provides clear evidence of the type of ceiling Davis possesses as a still-developing ballplayer.
Bubbles’ bubble was bound to burst at some point, but in the thick of a wild-card race, the Mets could ill-afford its arrival.
Well, as things tend to go in this game, his peak shifted into a valley. Heading into Washington, the California native had gone 6-for-his-last-34 with 13 strikeouts.
Sure, he hit three homers and walked six times over that span, but this was not what anyone had become accustomed to since Davis broke out back on April 6 (two homers off Patrick Corbin, .898 OPS since).
On Monday, Davis promptly got back on track, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored in a 7-3 win over the Nats. After the game, Davis credited the Mets’ first-year hitting coach, Chili Davis, with keeping him focused through the inevitable downtimes (video via SNY).
“Credit to Chili […] Just watching the video, a lot of us are visual learners […] Working with [Davis] the last day and a half and then feeling good in the cage and then going up there and sticking with my plan and staying short, good things happen.”
“Obviously I’ve been feeling a little bit off and I’ve been having good at-bats but just missing pitches because of getting a little bit of a longer swing. [Davis] has been watching me so I’ve just been picking his brain, getting back to the same old p’s-and-q’s. It’s been helping me out.”
Let’s hope J.D. Davis continues to regain the form that had him playing like a man possessed for five weeks after the All-Star Game. The Mets need it now more than ever.
