Ike Davis

Davis disappointed fantasy owners once again in 2014, hitting just .233 with 11 homers and 51 RBI in 427 plate appearances. While he fashioned an acceptable .345 OBP, he offered little pop (.378 slugging percentage) and lost his left-handed platoon spot to Pedro Alvarez, a player who had never played first base prior to last season. A consummate professional, Davis helped Alvarez, but that was likely his biggest contribution to the team. Despite batting almost exclusively against right-handed pitching, Davis has slipped into a borderline major leaguer. At 28, he still has time to turn around his career, but it's looking more and more like the one-time promising slugger might end up as a bench player. The A's acquired him during the offseason, with the hope that he might be able to turn things around in Oakland.

For the second straight season, Davis got off to a slow start, but this time, it landed him at Triple-A Las Vegas in early June. At the time he was sent down, Davis had posted a .161/.242/.258 line with just five home runs, 18 RBI and 66 strikeouts in 55 games. Davis worked with manager Wally Backman and hitting coach George Greer in the minors to remove a major hitch in his swing. After a rough start, he was fairly successful, hitting .293 with seven homers, 13 RBI and a .424 on-base percentage in 92 Triple-A plate appearances to earn a call back up to New York nearly a month after his demotion. After his recall from the minors, Davis hit .269 with four home runs and 15 RBI with 40 walks in 52 games before a strained right oblique sidelined him in September. He made $3.13 million in 2013 and is arbitration-eligible, which is one of the main reasons why the Mets are looking to deal him. If he isn't traded, Davis could open 2014 as the team's starting first baseman.

It was a 'Tale of Two Halves' for Davis, wretched in the first and power-happy in the second. Davis entered the year with major concerns as to how his body would react to a case of Valley Fever. His slow start did little to ease those concerns, but a change in batting stance on June 24 made all the difference after some initial adjustments. Davis stopped using his normal front-leg kick and began to crouch at the plate. This enabled him to stay back on and see pitches longer, which allowed him to drive both fastballs and curveballs. After that date, Davis hit 24 of his 32 home runs and drove in 54 of his 90 RBI. Manager Terry Collins has committed to playing Davis daily, so a run at 100 RBI could be in the offing for this season.

Davis was tearing the cover off of the ball, batting .302 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in 36 games before injuring his left ankle in a collision with David Wright on May 10. The injury first was diagnosed as a strained calf, but ended up being a dented bone with cartilage damage that almost resulted in microfracture surgery. Davis opted against the operation and is reportedly 100 percent. Davis should be one of the main beneficiaries of the Mets' decision to move in the fences in right and right-center, but he needs to improve against left-handed pitchers after struggling against them during his first two years in the majors (.261/.335/.388).

After a big spring training, Davis was sent down to Triple-A Buffalo but he played just two weeks there before he got the call. Davis had major hot streaks followed by cold ones as he adjusted to playing in the majors, yet still finished the year with 19 HR, 71 RBI and a sold .264/.351/.440 line. What bodes well for future success is that he hit .295 against lefties, but just .254 against righties, a number that should improve dramatically his sophomore campaign. Davis needs to cut down on his strikeouts (138), but he also walked 72 times, and his eye at the plate helped him get better counts, leading to his ability to drive the ball. He also did a better job going the other way late in the year, boding well for a solid 2011.

Davis, the Mets' projected first baseman in 2011 if not sooner, finished the Arizona Fall League season hitting .341 with four homers and 16 RBI in 85 at-bats. He regained his prospect status in a big way last year after a disappointing first season in the Mets organization, hitting .298/.381/.524 with 31 doubles while blasting 20 homers between High-A St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton. Davis hits for power and plays solid defense at first, so the next step in his development will be to cut down on his strikeouts. Given the team's view of him, look for the Mets to likely sign a first baseman to a short-term deal to clear the deck for Davis to take over either in the second half of 2010 or in 2011.

Davis, selected by the Mets in the 2008 first round out of Arizona State, can play the outfield and first base and offers a left-handed bat with above average power. He also has a strong throwing arm and has pitching experience, but Davis will be a full-time position player in the pros. After a very slow start, Davis hit .368 in his last 10 games for the Brooklyn of the New York-Penn League, giving him a season mark of .256/.326/.326 in 58 games. He hit 15 doubles but no homers, which is somewhat disturbing since questions about his power with wood bats were present before he was drafted. It's too early to panic, but he will need to show more pop in 2009 to retain his status as an interesting prospect and merit the Mets' decision to make him a first-round draft pick.