Ike Davis hitting a home run in Philly. Yeah, I don't remember it either.
After being considered a prime breakout candidate by many before the season, Ike Davis has certainly been a bit of a disappointment to Mets fans so far this year. The question is, what is wrong with Ike?
Looking at what he has done so far this year, the first two things that stuck out to me were his ground-ball and fly-ball rates, both way off his career norms. The ground-ball rate is at 56.1% (as opposed to a 44.4% career rate), and the fly-ball is sitting at 27.3% (against a 39% career average). This is most likely why Ike’s BABIP is so low.
Looking deeper into Ike’s performance this year, one can see that he is getting an exorbitant amount of curve-balls, at 19.4% (12.9% for his career). This is the highest percentage of anyone in the league, which is very alarming. Accordingly, the amount of fastballs he has seen this year has gone from 50.5% over his career, down to 44.4%.
The higher amount of curve-balls (and that small sample-size thing, but for sake of argument we’ll drop that for now) is what is most likely leading to his 16.7% infield fly-ball rate, doubled from his career norm. The one good thing here for Ike is that his HR/FB rate is right around his career norm, at 16.7% (13.4% career).
The key for Ike is going to be learning how to make better contact with the curve-ball, as that .157 average against that pitch is alarming. Sliders are nearly as bad, as he is hitting just .211 on those, and if he wants to see more fastballs and less breaking pitches, both of these will have to improve dramatically.
Another byproduct of the amount of curve-balls he has seen is that 46% of his hits this season have gone to the right side (according to ESPN spray charts). When Ike is on, he is hitting to all fields; He bats .317 in his career when hitting to the ball to left or center field.
So what do you guys think, send him down? Keep him up? TRAYED TEH IKE?
Or rather Wright?!? } – 
14 comments
SaltyGary
5/5/2012-1:30pm at 1:30 pm (UTC -4)
His whole plate approach is in tatters right now. There is no power in his swing he is just trying to make contact. He is not even doing a good job of swinging defensively. AAA might be the answer. He is way better than this hes just out of his mind.
Last night he was even arguing balls/strikes. When a player is hitting below mendoza they only look pathetic doing that.
NJstuckinTX
5/5/2012-1:40pm at 1:40 pm (UTC -4)
I’m with you. He needs to go down, refocus and get his act together. Everything is off with him, and I think it’s seeping into his fielding too.
Send Ike down, put Duda at 1b, either play Valdespin more often or at least platoon him with Hairston.
Hazmet
5/5/2012-2:26pm at 2:26 pm (UTC -4)
I’m impatient. I want to see Reese Havens. I don’t care that he just got back and is only at Bing. If Ike’s still struggling through the Philly series send him down to get right move Murph to first and bring Reese up for second base.
I know it will never happen but I just want to see kid after kid rotated through this year to see what we got and to see who might stick.
NJstuckinTX
5/5/2012-3:16pm at 3:16 pm (UTC -4)
Havens, i’m guessing, will get up here in July and then never let 2B go. That, or body parts will fall off him when he’s changing his socks or something.
Stickguy
5/5/2012-3:18pm at 3:18 pm (UTC -4)
I was hoping for havens to win the job in ST. Oops. I know they aren’t bringing him up yet, but I too want him to get settled in and raking in the minors for a couple months, then come up and take the job and never let go.
I’m done with Murphy for now. ready to move on.
Hazmet
5/5/2012-5:12pm at 5:12 pm (UTC -4)
lol – injured changing his socks. well played.
jerseymet
5/5/2012-2:47pm at 2:47 pm (UTC -4)
Send him down to Buffalo. Let him work it out there. We need a right handed bat with some pop. Way too many runners left on base. Hey I loved the movie Rocky, lets bring up Pascucci to play first. Lightning in a bottle anyone?
jerseymet
5/5/2012-4:22pm at 4:22 pm (UTC -4)
Satin is 27 time for him to sink or swim. He is a right handed bat and on the 40 man roster.
srt
5/5/2012-2:50pm at 2:50 pm (UTC -4)
It’s apparent Ike isn’t getting anywhere right now.
I’ve been saying his swings look weak almost from day one. I have no idea why.
Last night he said something interesting. When his bad ankle buckled on him at the plate, he didn’t even run out the ground ball. Said he was very nervous until they checked it out when he got back to the dugout – that he re-injured it. So……does anyone think maybe that bad ankle is playing on his mind somewhat?
I keep forgetting he’s still on the young side and hasn’t played a full season yet in the ML. He missed a good chunk of last season. Is this more mental now – him desperately trying to prove he belongs and keeping his fingers crossed he doesn’t get re-injured?
Stickguy
5/5/2012-3:15pm at 3:15 pm (UTC -4)
we are rapidly approaching the point where his season is going to be a total lost cause. Players have them on occasion, where it starts bad, everything goes wrong, and they never pull out of it.
so just decide, will you let him have it here, dragging down the team, or try to salvage something for the season while you are still in the hunt?
Stickguy
5/5/2012-3:12pm at 3:12 pm (UTC -4)
whatever reason, he is messed up mechanically. Form watching, he can’t hit a breaking ball to save his life, so he is getting a steady diet of them, and pretty much flailing at ones way out of the zone (or taking the occasional pitch in the strike zone!).
and a steady diet of lefties, which he can’t hit either, so a double whammy.
what to do with him? I would say send him down until he get get straightened out. Otherwise, he is killing the team, so you pretty much need to drop him to 7th, and platoon him, which really doesn’t seem like a good LT plan.
a couple weeks or a month in AAA can’t hurt.
trs86
5/5/2012-8:24pm at 8:24 pm (UTC -4)
Yup, he’s got to lay off the breaking ball in the dirt and learn to drive the hanger. Then the % will balance out.
Jack Fitzpatrick
6/26/2012-2:07pm at 2:07 pm (UTC -4)
Ike Davis needs to toughen up. Plain and simple. He misses all of last year with a twisted ankle. He misses all of spring trainning with something called valley fever. Then he misses two games in the biggest series of the season because he ate a bad oyster. As long as Terry Collins is the mgr this team is going no where.
This is Bobby Valentine, Willie Randolph, and Jerry Manuel all over again. Over a ten year period in the 1950s, Gil Hodges averaged over 153 games per season in 154 game schedule.
Pitchers can’t pitch over 100 pitches. Players are taken out of the lineup to protect their batting averages. Catchers can’t catch the day after a night game and on and on.
Roy Campanella caught 2 doubleheaders in one day while playing the Negro Leagues.
rayr
7/11/2012-12:58pm at 12:58 pm (UTC -4)
i think the met doctors have screwd the pooch again.
every time this guy gets up he is sqinting his eyes like he just read war and peace in the dark. send him down with a pair of glasses