J.D. Davis was one of the biggest surprises for the New York Mets last season, as the 26-year-old put together an outstanding offensive campaign. Davis proved that his bat has the potential to make him a cornerstone for this franchise moving forward, but his glove left much to be desired.

Whether he was playing third base or left field, the advanced metrics pointed to a player that could not handle himself in the field last year. Needless to say, Davis had his work cut out from him this offseason, as he set to improve his defense and force his way into the starting lineup every day.

Tuesday night, Davis spoke with the media after being honored with the Thurman Munson Award for his performance on the field and his impact in the community. When asked about his defense, Davis was candid about the time he spent this offseason addressing that area of his game.

“Been doing some agility work and defensive work, I think I’ve taken more groundballs than swings this year.” Davis said.

Of his work in the outfield, Davis continued by saying. “Then reconnecting with Luis Rojas in the outfield probably every two weeks.”

If Davis could become an adequate defensive third baseman, he could spell Jeff McNeil as a way to get into the lineup. If third base became his better position, Davis could also push McNeil back into left field, as the latter excelled defensively wherever he played last year.

Still, the assumption has been that McNeil will be the everyday third baseman and Davis will be one of many guys vying for at-bats in left field.

There is no question that the Mets are counting on Davis to be a big part of their team this year. Davis trailed only McNeil and Pete Alonso in OPS and weighted runs created plus, as his .895 OPS and 136 wRC+ were the third-best marks on the team.

Unfortunately as impressive as the offensive numbers were, the defensive statistics were the polar opposite. Davis was worth a combined -20 defensive runs saved (DRS) last year, playing primarily in left field after struggling greatly at third base (-9 DRS). Across 585.1 innings played in left field, Davis was worth -11 DRS.

Surprisingly enough, Davis’ defense at third base actually graded out highly on Baseball Savant’s new metric, Infield Outs Above Average. Across the small sample size of 64 attempts, Davis was worth 1 OAA. Compare that to his -7 OAA in left field and an argument can be made for Davis to spend more time at third base.

Assuming the healthy return of Yoenis Cespedes, at-bats may be harder to come by for Davis this season. Being a versatile defender is the best way for him to find his way into the lineup.

To his credit, Davis appears to have worked hard this offseason to make that a reality.