Updated by HoJo on 5/25
Hitting coach Count Dave Hudgens continues to voice his strong opinion that the Mets need to stick with Ike Davis and not send him to Triple-A Las Vegas according to a report in the New York Post.
“I don’t even want to think about it, to be honest with you,” the Mets hitting coach told The Post yesterday before Davis went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in the Mets’ 5-5 suspended game against the Braves Friday night.
“I really like the idea of him being here, because I know what he can do. I know what he’s capable of and I have full confidence in him. I really do. I just think every time he goes up he’s going to do something and it’s just that one little breakthrough that he needs.”
Meanwhile, manager Terry Collins is now okay with the idea of sending Davis back to the minors for the first time this season.
“We’ve got to get him to believe in himself, get the confidence back, because that’s where it starts.,” Collins said. “ Sometimes you send him to a place like Vegas and that confidence can come back in a hurry.”
Original Post 5/24
Adam Rubin of ESPN New York spoke to some scouts who had this to say about Mets first baseman Ike Davis.
“Basically, you can beat him with velocity that’s up, and you can beat him with low-zone, ‘chase,’ softer breaking balls and changeups,” the scout said. “How I describe it is he has ‘in-between’ swings. And with all that excessive hand movement, once you get ahead, all you have to do is continue to pitch off the plate — not in the strike zone — and he’s going to get himself out. There’s no reason to go back and challenge him. So once you get ahead, immediately make sure that nothing is on the plate. If nothing is on the plate, the worst thing he can do is get a base hit. But he can’t hit for power.”
“He needs to go down someplace and get it right. It’s a hard place to get it right up here. All these guys are the best. Any flaws or holes are going to be exploited with the better stuff. What I don’t grasp is: How does it not serve him going someplace [in the minors] without that pressure, where he’s forced to make some of those adjustments, which are in his best interest? Forget about the team.”
“He would have been better served spending some time down there last year, just for the reality of, ‘OK, whatever it is that I’m doing, I have to change it,'” the scout continued. “The reality is he didn’t change last year. Until you make those changes, you’re just flying by the seat of your pants. You can’t do that up here.”
Davis has just one hit in his last 38 at bats and is hitless in his last 25 at-bats with runners in scoring position. He is hitting .147 with four homers and nine RBI this season
