Things to Look Forward to in 2012: Ike Davis

With an extremely competitive NL East and tight salary budget, the Mets chances for glory in 2012 are slight. That being said, there are still various things for fans to look forward to this coming season. One of those things is first baseman, Ike Davis.
After spending two full seasons in the Minor Leagues, Ike Davis blessed fans with a magnificent rookie campaign in 2010. The former 2008 first round pick got the call in mid-April, and never looked back–slugging a .264/.351/.440 line with 19 HR, 71 RBI, and 73 R in 601 PA’s. But his value didn’t just end with his stick. The 23 year-old also gloved an impressive 11.9 UZR/150 in 1263 innings at first, and seemingly made 37,000 over-the-wall catches to boot. Needless to say, Ike Davis was a gem that would only appreciate in value.
Building off his stellar rookie season, Davis let the flood gates open in 2011. In his first ten games, the slugger collected a whopping 11 RBI while hitting a .351/.419/.568 line. But he didn’t slow down. In fact, during the month of April, Davis owned a dominant .337/.414/.600 line with 5 HR, 20 RBI, and 16 R in 111 PA’s. Even though it was just the first month of the season, many baseball heads felt Davis could eclipse the 30 HR-mark.
But then that fateful Tuesday night on March 11, 2011 occurred. On a routine infield fly ball, David Wright and Ike Davis came rushing in towards the front of pitcher’s mound in pursuit of the out. But as Wright made the catch, Davis tripped over his teammate and awkwardly fell on his left ankle. Even though Davis stayed in the game, he was lifted an inning later, and never saw Major League action the entire season. Fans remained hopeful that Ike would return, but unfortunately, his ankle never healed.
With almost ten months of rehab and rest, Ike Davis is set to return to the Mets in 2012. The 25 year-old will assume his starting role at first base, and most likely hit clean-up. Even though his health remains a question mark, there is no doubt that if Ike can stay on the field, his third season in the bigs will be a tremendously successful one. Considering the Mets let Jose Reyes go to free agency, Ike Davis’ return is one of the few reasons to continue watching the Mets day in and day out.