My Take On The Ike Situation

So an anonymous source suggested that the Mets may be looking to trade Ike Davis this winter if the right offer were to come along.

The reasoning for this, according to ESPN New York's Adam Rubin, is the following: "The Mets are disappointed in Davis' unwillingness to make changes based on coaching advice. Although he is personable and by no means a troublemaker, they also worry -- fairly or unfairly -- he is out too late after games, and that could influence other young players."

I have two issues with this and none of them have anything to do with Davis actually being traded. At this point, I think it's safe to say that nobody on this team is safe from being shipped off, Ike included.

My issues are with the reasoning for a trade.

One: This potential trade could be done in order to bring in help in other areas and allow for Lucas Duda to play his natural position...1st base.

Now, I wouldn't call myself an expert on such things, but when making a trade, isn't the goal to replace the traded player with someone equally as skilled at the same position (or gasp! possibly even better???).

Two: Whoever this source is, it appears their goal (or at least one of their goals) is to do a little damage to Davis' reputation. Davis is out too late after games? Who cares? Just like anyone else who has a job, as long as you show up when you are expected to and can do your job successfully, why should it matter what I do after work?

Ike told the Daily News, "I have never missed a game or not been ready to work because of anything to do with staying up too late...I show up every day. I play hard. It's unfair to me, and it doesn't make sense."

Ike's numbers in the first half were nauseating, but he has proven that he can turn things around and has had a very nice second half.

Who knows, maybe one day something just clicked with Ike and he was able to find his way at the plate again. I'm willing to bet, however, that that wasn't what happened. I'm going to go ahead and guess that he worked for it.

I've written in the past that I think Ike's attitude leaves a lot to be desired, but suggesting that he's not putting in the effort, or (out of the blue) labeling him as a partier, I wouldn't say that's fair.

As for influencing younger players...give me a break. This is a Major League Baseball team, not a daycare center. If younger players are that impressionable, perhaps this anonymous source should be looking into the character of those players.

Reminder: A Night With Ike Davis Sept. 9

Just a reminder that Ike Davis will be holding his annual charity event, "A Night With Ike Davis," on Sunday, September 9 to raise money for Solving Kids' Cancer (SKC) and the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative.

All proceeds from the event will go to SKC and the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative.

There are still some tickets available. So if you are interested and able to attend, why not buy a ticket, meet some players, and help out a good cause.  

The event, which will be held at City Winery, will feature a benefit concert starring country music artist Lee Brice, along with Ike and his teammates serving as celebrity bartenders.

Also featured will be an open bar, hors d'oeuvres, a raffle, auction, and VIP Clubhouse (The clubhouse includes access to the VIP area with Mets teammates, an autographed item, 2 tickets for a VIP-only premium raffle item, and a limited edition event poster).

Evan Roberts from WFAN will be emceeing the event. 

If you are unable to attend, you can still donate by "Tipping your bartender," which allows you to donate to individual players and celebrities participating in the event. The bartenders include Ike Davis, Justin Turner, and Lee Brice. Donations of $25 or more qualify you for some cool prizes.

You can also text "IKE" to 32020 to donate $10.

A Night With Ike Davis

As first mentioned by Anthony DiComo over at Mets Cetera, Ike Davis will be holding his annual charity event, "A Night With Ike Davis," on Sunday, September 9 to raise money for Solving Kids' Cancer (SKC) and the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative.

All proceeds from the event will go to SKC and the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative.

The event, which will be held at City Winery, will feature a benefit concert starring country music artist Lee Brice, along with Ike and his teammates serving as celebrity bartenders.

Also featured will be an open bar, hors d'oeuvres, a raffle, auction, and VIP Clubhouse (The clubhouse includes access to the VIP area with Mets teammates, an autographed item, 2 tickets for a VIP-only premium raffle item, and a limited edition event poster).

For more information, click on the links below.  

Event info: http://solvingkidscancer.org/give/events/#a-night-with-ike-davis_

To buy tickets: https://solvingkidscancer.org/give/buy-tickets/701C0000000dGpt?eid=44

ICYMI: The Week In Review

After getting swept by the Yankees last weekend in the Bronx, the Mets moved on to St. Petersburg where they swept the Rays in a three-game series.

Chris Young recorded his first win with the Mets since his return. His last win as a Met? April 5, 2011.

Terry Collins and pitching coach Dan Warthen mixed things up in the bullpen earlier in the week. With the exception of Frank Francisco as closer and Tim Byrdak as the lefty specialist, all other bullpen roles have been done away with. Essentially, if you want to be the eighth inning setup man, you're going to have to earn it.  

R.A. Dickey threw a one-hitter on Wednesday night. The Mets appealed to have that one-hitter changed to a no-hitter, arguing that David Wright should have been charged with an error after attempting to field a hit by B.J. Upton. They lost the appeal.

National League All-Star manager Tony LaRussa selected Terry Collins to join his staff for this year's All-Star game.

Ike Davis is starting to heat up at the plate. He has a seven game hitting streak and his average is now up to .192.

The Mets have signed 15 of this year's draft picks. For the complete list, visit ESPN.

On the injury front...

Jayson Bay was placed on the 7-Day disabled list with a concussion after crashing into the left field wall Friday night.

Justin Turner was activated from the disabled list following Bay's injury.

Ronny Cedeno, who has been on the disabled list since May 27 with a calf strain, is expected to return some time this week. In Triple-A Buffalo Saturday, Cedeno played all nine innings at shortstop and went 0-3.

The Mets are hopeful that Ruben Tejada will begin a rehab assignment on Monday. According to Terry Collins, Tejada ran in a straight line on Friday.

What To Change About Ike Davis? Maybe His Attitude

During the seventh inning of Tuesday night's game against the Marlins, Terry Collins made a noticeable swap. When Ozzie Guillen brought in a lefty, rather than sticking with the left-handed hitting Davis, Collins decided to sit him down, opting to go with Justin Turner instead.

Personally, I liked this move. Davis, while a fan favorite, needs to understand that if he can't get the job done, he's going to be replaced by someone else who will.

He's a mess at the moment, looking lost and frustrated at the plate.

So what can be done?

Well, first thing's first. He can quit complaining to the umpire after every call that doesn't go his way. He's not doing himself any favors when he curses, throws his bat, rolls his eyes, etc.

If you think umpires don't hold grudges, you're wrong. Just as Bobby Ojeda stated in Monday night's post-game show, umps are human. While it would be nice to think they're all professional and can look past immature behavior, let's be real, that probably doesn't happen.

Hissy fits will get you nowhere in this league.

Besides "showing up the umpire," Davis is a role model. Being a professional athlete means, whether they like it or not, there are kids out there who look up to them as a player. The example he's setting right now is embarrassing.

As far as mechanics go, I'm not a hitting coach, and I'm not going to sit here and pretend to be.

I will say, however, that during one at-bat in Tuesday's game, I noticed that Davis is just throwing his hands at the ball. He's not confident at the plate, and his swings show it.

I've heard some suggestions of sending him to Triple-A to, "find himself."

Could a temporary change of scenery help him out? Maybe. A change of attitude would probably help more.

Ike Davis Back In Mets Camp After Seeing Doctors In NY

After flying back to New York to see team doctors for an ailment that was not related to his ankle, Ike Davis returned to Florida to begin Spring Training. Of course, the fact that the team was vague as to why he had flown back to New York, allowed for speculation to run wild.





Well there's one mystery solved. Now on to the second. Are there no doctors in Florida that could have handled this?

Mets Morning News: Murphy And Duda Are Corner Infielders, Ignoring OffField Distractions, & Pitching Prospects

Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that Mets officials believe Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda are best suited as corner infielders.

"The Mets also privately fret if Davis will hit lefties consistently; something they have far less concern about with Duda. What worries them with Duda is if he will subtract from his offensive value — which even executives around the league believe is legit — by being such a defensive liability in right. Murphy, meanwhile, has been seriously injured each of the past two seasons turning pivots at second.

Thus, the Mets want to verify their beliefs that Duda and Murphy are above-average hitters. If so, they will at least have the option to consider dealing Wright and/or Davis to continue to deepen the young talent base."

Terry Collins sat down with The Star-Ledger to discuss the 2012 season. He won't let his players feel sorry for themselves or be distracted with off the field issues.

"You know what? Jose’s not here...The first time I hear someone say, 'Oh, Jose would have caught that ball,' we've got problems...So our payroll’s down...How many guys here care what our payroll is?"

David Lennon of Newsday writes of how the trio of Matt Harvey, Jeurys Familia, and Zack Wheeler shouldn't be labeled the next Generation K. Also, don't expect to see any of them called up before their time.

"The temptation with those three guys doesn't really exist at the moment," [Sandy] Alderson said. "Obviously, when you bring somebody up -- whenever you do -- they still have to perform. So on the one hand, you're tempted to bring somebody up to fill innings, but on the other hand, they better be ready. Because if they're not, there are obviously consequences to that, too."

2012 Ike Davis Player Profile – Is He The Next Joey Votto?

When Ike Davis rolled his ankle in Colorado, nothing was made of it.

The Mets thought he was day-to-day. Davis himself thought he would not miss much time. Then a day became a week, a week became a month, and eventually, Davis was lost for the entire season.

It was a terrible injury for the franchise because in his rookie season in 2010 and the beginning of 2011, Davis had shown a lot of promise.

With 19 home runs, 73 runs batted in and an ISO of .176, his future at the plate was looking very bright. Add to that his defensive abilities, his 10.1 UZR was good for the second best rating for first basemen in all of baseball, and we can safely say the Mets were happy with their 3.5 WAR first baseman.

The best part was, Davis had shown marked improvement in the second half of 2010.

After the all-star break, Ike trimmed his strike outs while increasing his walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He even saved his best for last in September, with a slash line of .330/.427/.524, a BB:SO ratio of 19:21.

It was like a cliffhanger at the end of a great book, he left every Mets fan on the edge of their seat, wanting more.

Meet the Met: Mike Baxter

This will be a weekly segment where I delve into the Mets farm system for a new face. It could be a player that has recently been acquired by the organization, or a player who many people may not know about, but has outperformed his expectations this season.

To begin, let me introduce: Mike Baxter.

Baxter, 26, was a fourth round pick of the San Diego Padres in the 2005 draft. He is a corner outfielder by trade, but played centerfield this past Saturday for the first time since 2009. Mike had been on the 60 day DL with the Padres for most of the season, after having surgery on March 28 to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. However, after Orlando Hudson was injured making a sliding catch, he was placed on waivers, where the Mets picked him up on July 22.

Over the course of his minor league career, which now spans seven seasons, Baxter has consistently improved. Take a look at these numbers:

	BA	OBP	SLG
2005 – A	.219	.267	.311
2006 – A	.256	.304	.363
2007 – A+, AAA	.271	.339	.401
2008 – A+, AA	.264	.345	.406
2009 – AA, AAA	.317	.394	.469
2010 – AAA	.301	.382	.517
2011 – A+, AAA	.321	.404	.440

At 26, his best years are still in front of him. Looking at his history, he has the ability to make adjustments and improve his craft no matter what level he is at, so he has some major league potential.