Tom Brennan - Is JD Davis a Keeper? I'd Say So

Before starting my article today, what do I love most about Cinquo de Mayo Eve?

All 4 Mets' minor league teams start their season today, their first games since around Labor Day 2019 because...well, you know why.

May the boys dazzle and dazzle us all season long.  More about them in my Thursday article.

Now, back to today:

Boy, oh boy, do we hear a lot about why JD Davis is a liability in the field.

Lots of people wondering who we can get to replace him.

Here's a thought for you about who can replace JD Davis. 

You'll have to guess from THESE stats:

How about a guy who, with his current team, has had 641 at bats, 34 doubles, 30 HRs, 96 runs scored, 83 RBIs, .295/.377/.491.  

Guess who had an extremely similar .296/.376/.491 slash in his career?  

David Wright, that's who.

So, who is that mystery fella? He sure sounds pretty good.  

Answer? (Drum roll...)

The REAL JD Davis. Yep, him.

Considering he struggled at the plate last season, consider also how he has hit so far as a Met in 2019-21 through Sunday, he has his flaws - but likely has not peaked - maybe he'll peak this year, at age 28 (happy belated birthday, JD).

Again, drop out that weird, struggling 2020 season, and he has otherwise hit .316 as a Met. That’s THREE SIXTEEN.

Ask him what he loves to do most in his garden, and he'll tell ya:

I LOVE TO RAKE, DUDE.

His fielding has too many times been shaky, in good part because he was abruptly thrust into the outfield when he became a Met.  

He played in just 31 games in the outfield in the minors, 25 as a starting OF. Not much training.

Also, in 2021, his IF fielding struggled because the cold bothered him - he said as much to the press - you see, cold might not bother everyone, but it bothered him.  His 3 errors did occur in minus forty degree wind chill, so I can understand. After all, one fan bought an Eskimo Pie in the first inning and it was more frozen at game's end than when he bought it.

The great Joe Torre shifted to 3B from catcher to preserve his great bat, and fielded like JD Davis has at 3rd in his career so far. 

Some baseball purists would probably have benched Joe for his slowness and weak D, but his teams tolerated the glove for the bat. 

And Joe Torre’s bat? .297/.365/.432 career...not as good as JD Davis’ slash as a Met. Just pointing it out...don’t get mad at me.  

JD could, and should, be a decent 1B, but we’ve got two of those already.

To be fair, JD falls short of David not just on defense, but in 2 offensive areas:

He hits into a lot more DPs, like Torre (284) did, and like Torre, has few SBs to his credit.  (Torre as a Met was so slow, he GIDP 41 times in just 794 plate appearances.  

("Honey, can you come into the kitchen for a sec?" "Just a minute, dear, as soon as Torre grounds into his double play, I'll come right in...OK, he just did, first pitch, how considerate, I'm coming, my Sweet").

Wright was clearly a better player than JD - not that close.

But JD may just give you a superior quality bat in 2021 compared to other third basemen, and hopefully deliver at least close to average fielding.  

John Lennon said, "All I am saying...is give JD a chance".

And why not?  

JD won't be a free agent until 2025. Making “just” $2.1 million this year, fellas (I know, you don't pay the bills). A bargain.

He's hit .390/.479/.610 this season, too, in just 14 games so far due to temporary hand issues, which have returned him to the IL for a second time for several more days.  Oh, and he had a .420 OBP in spring training, too.  That's a WHOLE LOT of getting on base, I can imagine Francisco Lindor saying.

We'll have to wait and see what he does over the rest of this season, but so far he has out-hit everyone on the team not named Nimmo or Jake.

So...all I am saying, is:

Give JD a chance - cut him some slack - and enjoy the ride.

LAST NIGHT’S GAME: 

That rare species of bird, the Lindor, seems close to extinction - he is now just 14 for 86, with a highly scarce 2 extra base hits.  Where is the "80 extra base hit Lindor", and what have you done with him? This catalyst needs a catalytic converter.

Lucchesi not lucky: 

He has Arenado fanned, but somehow ruled a phantom foul tip, next pitch, Nolan jacks a 3 run shot. Ugh. But too many fat pitches from Joey, for whom AAA seems inevitable for now. Cookie Carrasco must be close now.  I'm in the mood for a Cookie.

Lastly, McNeil is now hot, but first pitch swinging against a notably wild pitcher starting off the 9th is not what Nimmo would have done. Nimmo works a walk there, if playing. 

Two more guys walk in the 9th, and the "disappointing-in-2021" Dom Smith flies out to end the one run loss with (yes) another stranded RISP.

LATE BREAKING FROM MOSCOW: 

Discovering that Chili “Vladimir” Davis is a Russian mole whose assignment was to derail Mets hitters, Davis and his hitting coach assistant Boris are exiled to Siberia. 

A dermatologist was brought in to successfully excise the two moles.  The two were discovered to be part of a basal cell.

Siberia is is truly chilly, comrades. Bring mittens.

I liked it a lot better in 2020, when Chili (Vladimir) was remote and the hitters were present. 

In 2021, Chili was present, but the hitters were remote (as in remotely as good as they hit in 2020 when Chili was the remote one).  

Maybe now The Mighty Lindor can get rushin' and accumulate the other 78 extra base hits he needs this year to get to 80 for the third time in his career.