Ike Davis Reflects On His First Year In Pro-Ball, Minor League Life
[Davis had to cut the interview short for BP, but I want to note that he graciously offered to continue the interview afterward. I didn't have time to do that, but here is what we were able to talk about.]
It hasn't been so long since Ike Davis rode the bus.
Sure, major league players hop on a bus here and there, but they don't live on one. Minor league players spend a great deal of their time on one and the twenty-four-year-old first baseman for the New York Mets appreciates how far he's already come.
“It was tough. Not a lot of off-days and a lot of bus rides. It's a grind,” Davis said before a Mets-Phillies game in Philadelphia. “You're not getting a lot of money, so it's tough. But it's also fun. You develop a lot of good relationships.”
In April of 2010, Davis was called up from Triple-A Buffalo where he'd played in just ten games for the Bisons and hitting .364. He'd set a franchise record for most home runs by a rookie with eleven, making projections that he could hit 20-30 home runs a season seem pretty accurate. He finished the season setting more Mets rookie records in walks (72) and extra bases (53) . What he remembers best is not so much he had to do on the field, but what he needed to learn off of it.
“[You're learning] how to play major league baseball, the travel, what to do what not to do. How to act. It's the same game no matter where you are, it's just the little things outside of baseball is what you learn the first year.”
Davis spent just two full seasons in the minors, but he made the most of it. In 2009 he was named the Mets Organizational Player of the Year. Between Class-A Brooklyn, Adv.-A St. Lucie, Double-A Binghamton, and Buffalo, he hit .288 with 92 RBI, 22 home runs, and a .467 SLG percentage.
While he quickly took to major league pitching, he noticed an immediate difference and knew what he had to do to succeed.
“The difference is [pitchers] knew where you were hitting and where you weren't hitting a lot faster than in the minor leagues. So one series you're hitting fastballs really well. But then within two games, they're not throwing you any of that. They're trying to find another pitch you're not hitting. In those two games they might find you're not hitting the changeup really well, they'll switch over and start throwing you changeups. If you don't make that adjustment they'll continue to do that until you do.”
2011 Spring Training was a very different experience. He knew where he was going to be to start the regular season and it allowed him to focus on preparation.
“I'd never had a starting role, a major league job, out of spring training. It gave me the freedom to just work on my game instead of trying to impress everybody and maybe open eyes to make the team. It was more about just getting ready for the season.”
Davis began the season with nine RBI in the first ten games, setting yet another Mets record. For all the team's struggles, Davis is a brilliant bright spot for the Metropolitans.