Does Ike Need to Press the Reset Button and Head to Triple-A?

On Monday, April 23, Ike Davis had a day that appeared to be the bottom of the barrel. The young man went 0-5 at the plate in the Mets’ two losses to the Giants. Of the 20 runners the team stranded on the bases during the doubleheader, 11 of them were left out there by Ike. He looks lost, uncomfortable, frustrated, distracted, etc; so many different words can describe what we are seeing from our first baseman. After being absent from the game for 5 months last year, he is only 8 for 54, translating to an unfathomable .148 average. He is slugging a measly .315, has an OBP of .207 and has walked only 4 times. Worst of all, he is striking out at the rate we wish he was hitting at: a ridiculous 29.3% of the time. If this continues into May, the best thing for Ike and the Mets might be for the 25-year-old to hit the reset button and head back to Triple-A.

Every pitcher seems to be tossing breaking balls low and away from Ike, and he has yet to make the adjustment (such as inching closer to the plate to take away that weapon.) When they do pitch him on the inside part of the plate, he is timid, letting that pitch go by hoping it’s either too inside or too low. His swing is so long right now, and he hasn’t been able to shorten it and go with the pitch like we have seen from him in the past. Each at-bat he continues to fail, and each at-bat his confidence level appears to take a nosedive. Heading back to the minors for a little bit might help him clear his head and get him some hits, raising his confidence level to a point he can make the proper adjustments to succeed in the Major Leagues.

The last thing I want is the scenario I just laid out. Clearly, I hope he can find his groove again while plating some runs for the New York Metropolitans. Ike Davis is fan favorite for a reason, and I do believe he will emerge into the light once more. If he does not soon, however, the Minor League scenario has worked for many greats in the past.

After basically a year out of baseball, it might just be what brings Ike into the upper echelon of The Show.

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