Good Bye Mike, Hello Ike

Well… that was quick.

As AC Wayne mentioned as a possibility below, Ike Davis is on his way to Citifield now that Mike Jacobs is on his way to unemployment. I like Jacobs, but he had to go. I wish him luck and hope he is able to catch on with someone somewhere… just as long as it isn’t with the Mets. His 2nd run here with the team was a mistake… one I’m glad to see resolved quickly rather than dragged out.

There’s going to be a lot of excitement with the promotion of Davis, and rightfully so. However if people are expecting him to come smashing out of the gate and rescue the Mets’ struggling offense, odds are you’re going to be disapointed.

Davis has a busload of talent. That much is certain. His glove and bat will be improvements over Jacobs in just about every way… that is certain also. But you have to temper your expectations. Could Davis start off strong and stay solid for the year? Sure he could. I remember when Robinson Cano was brought up (along with Chien-Ming Wang) by the Yankees in 2005 in what seemed like a desperation move by a Bombers team that was struggling and both had great rookie seasons. Cano especially stood out and finished second in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Davis could absolutely have the same success. However, forgive me if I’d prefer to allow for some serious growing pains first.

Davis had an excellent spring and made it look like he could belong, but anyone who knows baseball knows that you have to be careful on how much stock you take in spring training stats. This is not to say Davis doesn’t have what it takes. I think he does. I think in the end he’ll be fantastic. I just don’t know if the time is right. The Mets are off to a horrible start, despite their better play this weeknd, and at 4 – 8 to start the season they need to do something to make sure the seats in Citifield get filled. From a fan perspective, this was a smart move. it will sell tickets and give the fans, who feel like there is little to be excited about, something to cheer for.

With the addition of Davis, the Mets have an infield made up of young corner-stone players who are expected to carry the load for this team. Davis gets to join Jose Reyes and David Wright on the big stage… but is he ready? Only time will tell.