Bats/Throws: L/L
Height/Weight: 6’5”, 195 lbs
Acquired: 1st rd ’08 (Arizona State)
Born: 3/22/87 (Edina, MN)
Why Ranked Here: Davis, who had a rough professional debut, shows off plus big league raw power in batting practice. He has not taken that leverage to games yet, failing to homer in his first season as a Brooklyn Cyclone, but it’s in there. Davis has sound footwork at first and as a former pitcher in college, the arm for right. However, those other attributes are of secondary importance to a player who was drafted 18th overall for his offensive gifts.
2008: After hitting .385/.457/.742 in 52 games with Arizona State, Davis began his professional career with a 15 game hit streak over which time he hit .292/.288/.385 without drawing a single walk. By July, Davis’s average was lurking around .250 and he was a mess at the plate. The only pitches he was hitting hard were fastballs thigh-high, middle in. He was getting beat by heaters up or in and was lunging hard onto his front foot chasing breaking balls. As Brooklyn made a late dash to the playoffs, Davis appeared to relax. In his final 58 AB, he hit .310/.394/.379 with 8 BB and 12 SO. concluding as
Dr. Pangloss Says: If it all comes together Davis could be a solid to above average regular at first or right.
On the Flipside: Davis had a concerning professional debut. Whether he was dealing with nagging injury or merely fighting himself mentally, his talent did not make the impact it should have. The good news is that no one makes a career out of the New York Penn League.
Projected 2009 Start: St. Lucie. Davis will take on the pitcher-friendly FSL.
| G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SSA | 58 | 215 | 55 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 43 | 0 | 0 | .256 | .326 | .326 |
Apparently I was not that far off yesterday — in “above average systems” would have Davis at number 15, we’re not in such bad shape after all
I got to see Ike Davis play on TV (both on SNY and during the College World Series) and in person in Brooklyn. The first this that struck me was that he seemed to have a hard time adjusting to wood bats. This was a concern with some teams, who saw him struggle before the draft with wood bats.
When I saw him live, another thing that struck me was that he seemed unfocused and unmotivated. I don’t saw that as a bad thing. It’s an observation. When he walked to and from the field, there was no fire. It seemed like he was in a haze. Not sure if it was that he was mentally and physically tired after a long season or what.
As for hitting, he seems to have altered his stance a bit. I’m not sure if it’s to tailor his swing more to wood bats or him trying something new once he started struggled, but it just didn’t work for him. The swing I saw in college was much smoother with his hands and shoulders at a higher starting point. The swing I saw with the Cyclones (both in person and on TV) was clunkier and with a lower starting point, which may attribute to his getting beat high and in.
When I saw him in college, he reminded me of Ryan Church in a way. I’d still welcome if he eventually turned into the Church from the 1st half of last season, but Davis needs to come in more focused and must iron out his swing.
On defense, I like him better in right than at first because of his arm, but his footwork is good for first and he has soft hands. Where he eventually plays will depend on (1) whether he pans out at all, and (2) where Daniel Murphy and Fernando Martinez play (if they, too, pan out). That’s a stretch at this point.
In an ideal world:
(i) Murphy plays first while hitting .285-.290 with 15-20 homers (power is scouts main concern aside from his defense);
(ii) Martinez plays left field while hitting .280-.285 with 25 homers or so; anbd
(iii) Davis plays right while turning into a Ryan Church-type player.
But you know what? This is only the ideal scenario and odds of this happening are slim in most cases.