NewsMets' Davis pacing himself for success
Former first-round pick hikes AFL batting average to .348
By Danny Wild / MLB.com
11/11/09 6:29 PM EST
The Mets surely could use a young, power-hitting first baseman, but Ike Davis knows the quickest way to Citi Field is by taking things slowly."I just try to be calm and slow things down," said Davis, the 18th overall pick in the 2008 Draft. "And right now I'm just slowing everything down a bit and trying to stay relaxed. When people throw hard, you try and speed up. It works against you. I'm trying to have a smooth, quick swing."
Davis employed that game plan Wednesday, hitting his fourth Arizona Fall League homer and driving in four runs, but the Surprise Rafters squandered a late lead in a 9-8 loss to the Mesa Solar Sox.
The Arizona State product said staying focused and prepared at the plate is the key to his progress.
"I felt comfortable at the plate today, I'm seeing the ball well," said Davis, who went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. The 22-year-old first baseman has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, with six RBIs in that span.
Davis, one of the Mets' two first-round picks in 2008, knocked home two runs with a double in the first inning and slugged a two-run homer in the second, giving him 14 RBIs and a .348 average in 16 games with the Rafters.
The Edina, Minn., native hit .298 at two Minor League levels during the regular season. Surely a .348 average in the elite AFL is pretty good, right?
"I've had some good weeks and bad weeks, but I definitely feel like I could be doing better than I have," said Davis, who hit a grand slam and drove in six runs on Opening Day. "Overall, I think I've kind of picked up some good things. This is a good league with good pitchers, people that throw real hard. It's a battle every day."
The Mets must make a decision for 2010 on free agent first baseman Carlos Delgado, with Daniel Murphy a candidate to replace him. Davis, who reached Double-A Binghamton this season, may not be ready to make the leap to Queens.
"I don't know," Davis said of his role for 2010. "I just think about every day squaring some balls up. And next year, we'll see what happens. I'll keep playing hard, let the people who make those decisions handle that."
For now, Davis continues to develop with Surprise. He worked the count in the first before his two-run double off Cubs prospect Andrew Cashner.
"I had first and third and really was just trying to get a ball in the air, get the runner in from third," Davis said. "I didn't want to hit a grounder. With one out, I'm looking for a pitch to hit in the air. He threw me a 3-1 changeup middle-in, and I hugged it down the line for a double."
Davis took Cashner deep two innings later for his first homer since Oct. 31.
"I had a guy on second with no outs, trying to get a ball middle-in and hit a ball to the outside, move him over," he explained. "But he threw a slider and I stayed back on the ball, caught it deep, hit it over right-center."
Mesa, which has won six straight, won it in the ninth when Jose Iglesias singled home fellow Red Sox prospect Ryan Kalish for a walk-off win. Kalish hit a three-run homer, David Cooper (Blue Jays) went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Rene Tosoni (Twins) added two hits and an RBI.
Davis struck out in the top of the ninth with a chance to keep the Surprise rally alive after Yankees prospect Brandon Laird popped his sixth homer, a game-tying two-run drive.
"I had a chance to get on base that inning -- Laird had a great at-bat and crushed that ball, tied it up and gave us a chance," Davis said. "They put some hits together and it was a little grounder that beat us."
Yankees righty Ian Kennedy started for Surprise and allowed four runs on seven hits over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one before Rangers farmhand Brennan Garr (0-1) surrendered a run on two hits over the final 1 2/3 frames for the loss.
Cubs right-hander Blake Parker (2-1) picked up the win, despite his second blown save, allowing two runs on a hit and a walk in the ninth.
Danny Wild is an editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
