J.D. Davis was a reclamation project when the New York Mets acquired him from the Houston Astros prior to the 2019 season. The former top prospect carried a career .194/.260/.321 slash-line with him to Queens, before experiencing a breakout season last year.
Davis enjoyed great success working with Mets hitting coach Chili Davis, who helped him refine his swing and make great in-game adjustments all year. Davis hit .307/.369/.527, with 22 home runs, 22 doubles, 57 RBI and a .895 OPS. According to Fangraph’s Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+), Davis was the third-most productive hitter on the Mets with his wRC+.
This season, Davis has not enjoyed that same level of success, as his numbers are down across the board. After another 0-for-3 game on Tuesday, the 27-year-old is now hitting .250/.373/.394, with a .767 OPS and a 119 wRC+.
Davis started the season red-hot, hitting .320/.393/.560 across his first 25 at-bats in July, but has struggled to find much consistency since. Mets beat writer Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News spoke with Davis about his struggles and the third baseman talked about missing the guidance of hitting coach Chili Davis.
“It’s a little bit tougher not having Chili here. But we understand the circumstances. He and Slater are doing a great job keeping us ready, keeping us going.” Davis said.
The elder Davis has been absent from the Mets dugout this season due to health concerns surrounding the Coronavirus. The 60-year-old has been working remote from his home in Arizona, while assistant hitting coach Tom Slate handles the on-site duties.
J.D. is just one of many hitters who have failed to meet expectations from their performances last season. Pete Alonso and Wilson Ramos are experiencing down years as well. Whether Chili’s presence could have completely changed the fates of those three hitters is unknown, but it is fair to assume that he would have helped.
“In the dugout, Chili is really valuable,” manager Luis Rojas told Thosar. “Chili will have that conversation with the guys as well as the game is going. So that’s the one part that we don’t have with him not being present.”
Even without Chili, there have been countless hitters on the Mets that have not skipped a beat and are having outstanding offensive seasons. But for a cerebral hitter like Davis, who needs information to make those adjustments at the plate, this season has been a trying one for the Mets third baseman.
