J.D. Davis

New York Mets’ J.D. Davis comes clean about sign-stealing scandal

by

The New York Mets currently employ two former members of the Houston Astros’ team that won it all in 2017. That same team was the one punished by MLB for using technological equipment to steal opposing squads’ signs.

Jake Marisnick already issued his apology, and in the past few hours, it was J.D. Davis’ turn. The 2019 breakout star of the Mets, who was with Houston in 2017 and 2018, opened up about what happened back then and backtracked from comments made in the offseason, where he said he wasn’t aware of what was going on.

“Back in December we had that same question, and I spoke a little bit prematurely. I spoke before the MLB or during the investigation. And so again, I was a rookie and I was going up and down the system and I was fighting for my life. MLB called and I cooperated with them. I made my statements. Again, back to the December comment and the interview — I spoke prematurely,” he said to the New York press, quoted by Danny Abriano of SNY.

When asked if he was embarrassed by his acts, Davis said: “I think not only the fans want the game to be fair. I know you guys want it to be fair as well. You want to cover a game where it’s fair to everybody. Again, to the peers as well. And of course, everybody that’s part of the 2017 Astros, they feel regrettable about that decision. Looking back, as a young guy being exposed to that in 2017 and looking back now and getting a full season under my belt, of course, it’s regrettable. You feel ashamed (to be) a part of it. I’ve learned what not to do and I’ve applied it to the 2019 season having a breakout. Again, (you have to learn) from it and get ready for the 2020 season with these guys.”

A new clubhouse

When Davis broke on the big leagues, he came into a clubhouse that already had a scheme to steal signs in place. Today, he is a New York Mets’ player and intends to leave it all behind.

“Obviously as a 24-year-old at the time I was pretty starstruck with the whole thing of being around some of the veteran guys, being in a big-league clubhouse,” Davis said. “Just growing up there through the system. And again, what I’ve applied as the years (have gone by) and I applied last year. And again, having a breakout season last year and I’m trying to learn from the failures and the success and apply it to this 2020 season. And I’m excited.”

He was, indeed, aware of the system. But the Astros’ clubhouse was the first one for him in the bigs and he explained he wasn’t sure if what they were doing was applied on other teams. The Mets are only his second organization.

“Didn’t really think much of it going up there fresh, new, being part of the major league clubhouse, among major-league guys,” Davis stated. “Maybe what they did was the norm. I have no idea. I had never been in another big-league clubhouse to compare the two. Looking back at the situation, the details of it. It’s terrible. It’s terrible for the game of baseball.”

A couple “steps backward”

He recognizes that “baseball took a couple of steps backward because of these events and the investigations that applied to it. Anybody that gets crowned World Series champion, it’s not only a big deal but it’s a big deal for the baseball world for how they’ve earned it and gone through 162 games and through the playoffs and everything. To have the incident is very unfortunate for the game of baseball.”

Davis said he wasn’t sure if the Astros would’ve won the World Series had it not been for the scheme. “That I do not now. They’re a pretty talented team. That’s a pretty big ‘if’ question. I really don’t know. Their up-and-down the lineup is pretty good and their pitching staff at that time was incredible.”

He is now fully focused on the upcoming New York Mets’ season. He is slated to earn a lot of at-bats and defend left field.

New York Mets to Give Yoenis Cespedes and J.D. Davis First Base Reps

by

Despite having the rookie of the year in Pete Alonso and two backup first basemen, the New York Mets are looking to expand their depth there. Brodie Van Wagenen said Yoenis Cespedes and J.D. Davis might see time at first base throughout Spring Training. It certainly is a questionable move, considering the situations for both players.

The Mets already have Alonso, Dominic Smith, and the recently signed Matt Adams at their disposal. Alonso spent 156 out of his 161 games at first base, and the five games he did not play there were either a DH or pinch-hitting stint. First base should be the least of concern for the Mets as pitchers and catchers officially report this week.

Focus on the Outfield

Cespedes is coming off of nearly two years on the sidelines, and Davis is trying to prove he can be a capable defender in the outfield. It would be a waste of time to take away outfield reps to have a couple of players have the ability to play multiple positions. Of the 15 position players on the current 40-man roster, nine can play multiple positions. It would be different if the two were not fighting for playing time, but both have something to prove during the Spring.

Giving both first base reps could also mean the Mets could still be shopping one of the two. The Mets already have an abundance of veteran players throughout their roster. Van Wagenen might look to make a move close to the end of Spring Training if both are playing well, and having them split time is not ideal. Cespedes seems the more likely option trade due to his age, contract, and Davis recent success compared to Cespedes’s inability to play a full season.

Projecting the New York Mets Everyday Lineup

by

The 2020 New York Mets starting lineup comes in with plenty of potential, but one of their biggest questions will be defense. Their lineup contains plenty of power as well, which should make up for the lack of speed it holds. Here is what it should look like come Opening Day.

Catcher: Wilson Ramos

Wilson Ramos is an undervalued catcher coming into Spring Training. He came off a strong year at the plate, hitting .288/.351/.416 with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs. Ramos defense is what held him back ranking in the bottom of most defensive metrics and only throwing out 15% of base stealers. Most of it was in part of the Mets inability to hold runners on, but the Mets should expect another strong year from the Buffalo.

First Base: Pete Alonso

There is nothing to say about Pete Alonso that everyone else has not said. He is coming off one of the best rookie seasons of all time and has emerged into a fan favorite. The home runs are likely to regress, but the real growth from Alonso will come in his walk and strikeout rates.

Second Base: Robinson Cano

Robinson Cano came in full of hype in his return to New York but struggled with injuries and his performance. Despite entering his age-37 season, his solid second half should give hope that he returns to All-Star form. Cano should keep his performance strong as he ages much like fellow Dominicans Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz.

Shortstop: Amed Rosario

Amed Rosario had a huge growth year in 2019. He set career highs in offensive stats across the board and improved defensively in the second half. Rosario’s walk rates and stealing ability still need to improve, but at age-24, he is trending in the right direction.

Third Base: Jeff McNeil

Jeff McNeil emerged as an All-Star outfielder but is likely to play a majority of third base. The position itself will be a revolving door early in the season, but once he should remain there every day as Luis Rojas settles on a consistent lineup. McNeil’s power emerged in 2019, which made him a very dangerous hitter due to his high ability to put the ball in play.

Left Field: J.D. Davis

Speaking of a revolving door, that is likely what the Mets outfield will be. J.D. Davis took the job in left field and ran with it to make Brodie Van Wagenen look like a genius for acquiring him. His defense is a significant issue, and any improvement can make him a real All-Star threat in the National League. The competition between Davis and Yoenis Cespedes should be exciting, especially if Cespedes shows he is fully healthy. The prediction is that Davis comes away with the job, but if Cespedes is in the 2015-16 form, then there is a real log jam there.

Center Field: Brandon Nimmo

Despite all the trade rumors, Brandon Nimmo has survived the offseason. His ability to get on base allows his flaws as a center fielder to go overlooked. Nimmo is still a serviceable center fielder, and with Jake Marisnick as a defensive replacement, it should help the Mets late in games.

Right Fielder: Michael Conforto

Michael Conforto has been the one consistent part of the Mets offseason. No drama or publicity and it translates to his play on the field. He has hit 25+ home runs in three straight seasons and has been someone the Mets count on to anchor the middle of the order. Conforto will see time in center field, but a majority of his time will be in right field.

Mets Likely to Begin 2020 With Familiar Faces in the Outfield

by

The New York Mets were in the market for a dynamic outfielder this offseason and were hoping to land a centerfielder to be the glue they’ve been needing for several years now.

It didn’t materialize. There was talk of the Boston Red Sox star Mookie Betts, the 2018 AL MVP, coming over in a blockbuster deal. Then a more reasonable deal involving Sterling Marte of the Pittsburgh Pirates also dissipated leaving the Mets with just one new face in the outfield mix this spring – light-hitting free agent Jake Marisnick, formerly of the Houston Astros.

So, where does that leave the Mets come April? Last year, they mixed and matched a bunch of corner outfielders with excess infielders along with Juan Lagares, who is no longer here. Marisnick basically replaces him, so there’s no real gain there.

Coming back this season are the core two, Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo, J.D. Davis (who can also play third base) and backup first baseman Dominic Smith. They still don’t have that everyday centerfielder they’ve been craving though.

From Anthony DiComo:

Despite months’ worth of rumors connecting the Mets to Starling Marte, Mookie Betts and others, plus speculation that they might ship Nimmo out of town, the Mets appear likely to enter this season with a familiar outfield: Davis, Nimmo and Conforto, from left to right. The team acquired Marisnick as a defensive-minded option to spell Nimmo in center, and Smith is still around to back up in left. The wild card here is Yoenis Céspedes, whose renegotiated contract eliminated a potential barrier to playing time. Until the Mets report to Spring Training, they won’t have a great idea of how much — if anything — Céspedes can provide after losing more than a season and a half to injuries.

How much Cespedes has left is a huge question and at this point of his career can only play on the corner, pushing wither Nimmo or Conforto to center and putting either one of them, or Davis, on the bench. The defense is going to suffer no matter what. Marisnick is there to balance things out, but he doesn’t provide the offense the other can.

If the Mets do manage to pull off a trade, it doesn’t seem like they’ll get a centerfielder that could much of a differed without giving up some pitching assets, which they are reluctant to do unless it’s for the right player.

Marisnick trade paves way for Mets’ quest to acquire Josh Hader

by
New York Yankees, Josha Hader

Heading into this offseason, two of the New York Mets’ major objectives were to find an everyday centerfielder and to work on fortifying their leaky bullpen.

Today, by adding CF Jake Marisnick in a trade with the Houston Astros for prospects they won’t miss, they’ve covered both needs. If Marisnick is going to be the primary centerfielder for the Mets in 2020, it means Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo will strictly be corner outfielders and J.D. Davis will likely be the odd man out.

That also clouds Jeff McNeil’s status as an outfielder. He will likely be a rover, playing outfield, second base and some third base which is nothing new to McNeil.

The addition of Marisnick gives the Mets the latitude and ammunition to trade for Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Josh Hader, a former client of Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen during his days as an agent for CAA. Davis could be the piece that tilts the deal in the Mets’ favor.

The Mets will miss Davis but Marisnick gives them more of what they need in terms of being a total player plus, in Hader, the steady bullpen star they hoped they were getting with Edwin Diaz.  The 25-year old Hader has a 2.52 ERA over the past two seasons with 281 strikeouts over 157 innings.

It will likely take more than Davis to land Hader, however, but that won’t deter BVW. He has no qualms with trading away any of the Mets’ prospects who the previous regime invested in. He is building the organization with his own people od which Hader is one.

New York Mets: J.D. Davis Year in Review

by
New York Mets, J.D. Davis

J.D. Davis was a breakout star for the New York Mets during his first full season in the big leagues. He emerged as one of the top hitters in the Mets lineup and reached the potential he showed throughout his minor league career. Davis was also one of the driving forces through their second half revival.

https://twitter.com/DDJavis/status/1184111936599920647

Davis was acquired from the Astros prior to the season for three low level prospects. He was a highly touted prospect in the Astros organization but was stuck behind Alex Bregman. With Bregman being younger and better defensively than Davis, he had no shot to play everyday in Houston. This is what made Davis such a cheap option to turn to and was Brodie Van Wagenen’s best move as general manager.

From Bench to Big Hitter

He came into spring training as a fringe big leaguer who had a very limited role on the roster. The plan was to use Davis as a pinch hitter and to replace Wilmer Flores as the lefty killer. He received a lot of playing time due to a strong April in which he hit .302, but struggled in May only hitting .219.

When Brandon Nimmo went down with his neck injury, the Mets were short in the outfield. Dom Smith emerged as the everyday left fielder for the time being, but Davis also made his case to earn some time in left field as well. An unfortunate injury to Smith opened up the opportunity for Davis to play everyday.

He ran with the opportunity and solidified his spot in left field. From July 27 (first day without Smith) through the end of the season Davis hit .328 with 13 home runs, 31 RBIs and had an OPS of .996. His defense still needs work but his bat alone has left Smith as the odd man out.

Davis immediately became a fan favorite due to his talent and loose personality. He embraced the fans and the fans reciprocated the love. Davis went from the 25th man on the roster to one of the Mets rising stars.

Grades:

Hitting For Average: A, He has been a .300 hitter throughout the minors and show he can stick up here

Hitting For Power: B+, 22 home runs in 410 ABs is a solid year

Defense: D, He has a strong arm but is still a liability in the outfield. More experience should fix that

Baserunning/Speed: C, Swiped three bases but no speed to be found

Intangibles: A+, A great clubhouse guy who helped bring the team together

New York Mets: Six Games Over .500 for the First Time All Season

by
New York Mets, J.D. Davis

The Mets pulled off their late-inning magic once again in their 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians in 10 innings. Wednesday night’s game was one filled with disappointment, happiness, and hope. The win put the Mets at 66-60, their best record all season.

Stroman Injury

Marcus Stroman left his start after four innings due to hamstring tightness. He suffered the injury covering first base and felt it tighten up. The Mets were forced to get six innings out of their bullpen due to Stroman’s exit. The Mets are not too concerned about the tightness and Stroman should be expected to make his next start.

The Mets bullpen did a terrific job of keeping the Mets in the game and giving them a chance to win. Seth Lugo pitched two brilliant innings along with Jeurys Familia, Brad Brach, Justin Wilson and Luis Avilan providing one inning help as well. Mickey Callaway decided not to bring in Edwin Diaz in the 10th inning and went with Avilan who allowed a solo home run to Carlos Santana to give the Indians a 3-2 lead. Callaway could have brought in Diaz, but it was not a bad move to keep Avilan in the game after he retired the first two batters.

Doing What Winning Teams Do

The Mets played the type of baseball is needed to win in October. The bottom of the order supplied the first two runs of the game. Juan Lagares perfectly executed a hit and run which led to the first Mets run. Since Lagares has received consistent playing time starting on August 3rd, he is hitting .326/.408/.422 along with a huge improvement in his defense. A month ago it seemed like his time as a Met would end after the season, but he has shown why the Mets had hope in him.

The second Mets run came from Luis Guillorme, who has proved to be a key asset off the bench. His pinch-double gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. Guillorme is only hitting .209 on the season but is a .263 hitter off the bench to go along with his slick fielding.

The 10th inning

If you asked 1986 how to create a perfect comeback, this is how they would describe it. The Mets were down one against Brad Hand, who has already blown three saves in the second half. Combine that with the Mets never say die attitude and you have a recipe for success. Amed Rosario started things off with a double, which set the table for a perfectly executed bunt by Joe Panik.

The bunt is an overlooked play because it forced the hand of Indians Manager Terry Francona. He had the choice of either pitching to Pete Alonso or intentional walking him to get the favorable lefty on lefty matchup against Michael Conforto. Francona decided to put Alonso, the winning run, on first base. The move almost worked out for the Indians, but instead of trying to throw out Rosario at home, they tried to turn two on Conforto’s weak ground ball. No one was able to cover first and the Mets tied the game.

This was all followed by Wilson Ramos rumbling down the first baseline on his swinging bunt to get his hitting streak to 15-games. J.D. Davis put together a terrific at-bat to get the count from 0-2 to 3-2 and lined a double to left field to pull off another miracle in Flushing. The win is the fourth straight for the Mets and their second straight against a strong team.

The Mets attempt the sweep Thursday with Noah Syndergaard on the mound before they start a key three game series with the Atlanta Braves. The win also put the Mets 1.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL wild card race.