Mets prospect Davis waits in wings at first base
IKE DAVIS
Team: Mets | Position: First base | Age: 23
Ike Davis has impressed Mets fans this spring. His power to the gaps and sweet swing has many fans wanting this young man on the big league roster right now. That won't happen (he's already been sent to Triple A). If Daniel Murphy struggles at first base, the Mets will come calling for Davis by mid-May. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Right now, Ike Davis is the best first baseman in the Mets' organization. There's no disputing that. When asked, a handful of the team officials who roamed the minor-league complex Friday pretty much agreed with that statement.
It's not to say that Davis is the best pure hitter at the position. That likely would be Daniel Murphy. And on this date, Davis, who will turn 23 March 22, does not have the power numbers that Mike Jacobs has on his major-league resume.
But the 6-5 Davis - who throws and bats lefthanded - certainly looks the part more than any other player in camp. On Friday, when he participated in fielding drills alongside Murphy, Jacobs and Fernando Tatis, he stood out - and not just because of his height. Unlike the others, Davis appeared natural at the position.
Omar Minaya described Davis as a "plus-plus" defender, basically grading him at the top of the chart. Davis - whose father is former Yankees setup man Ron Davis - was All-Pac-10 for three straight years at Arizona State before becoming the Mets' first-round pick (18th overall) in the 2008 draft. He played for the U.S. team that won the gold medal in last year's World Cup and was named to the Rising Stars Game in the Arizona Fall League in October.
"He's a collegiate player that has had some good competition," Jerry Manuel said. "He's a guy that you're not afraid of as far as coming in and playing in New York if some other things were not fitting correctly."
But the Mets prefer to be patient with Davis, who batted .309 with a .386 on-base percentage and 13 homers in 55 games last season for Double-A Binghamton after his promotion from St. Lucie.
As much as Mets officials get excited about having Davis at first base for the next decade, there is a cautionary approach. As one explained, they'd rather see him endure another 500 at-bats with Triple-A Buffalo this season before he has to deal with the adversity he'll no doubt face in the Mets' lineup.
"Every player's goal is to play up here," Davis said. "That time will come when they think I'm ready. That part is out of my hands."
Heading into the offseason, the Mets had planned to re-sign Carlos Delgado, who was coming off hip surgery. But those plans were foiled when Delgado's rehab turned rocky and he needed another procedure on that same hip last week.
With the addition of Jacobs, Manuel declared first base an open competition, but Davis is on the perimeter of that discussion. He attracted a crowd Friday when he squared off for live batting practice against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey and lefthander Jon Niese. Davis smacked a Niese curveball about 395 feet to straightaway centerfield. After looking at a few Dickey knucklers, Davis smoked a pair of line drives, one to rightfield and one to left.
The temptation to rush Davis is not going away, especially if he makes an impact early in the Grapefruit League games. He'll need to give the Mets an excuse to keep him around deep into March. For now, they view him as a future star and insist they will wait. "I think if we can afford that," Manuel said, "I think that would be best for him."
