This offseason, New York Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen went out and put a major emphasis on adding depth. One of the underrated moves he made was acquiring infielder J.D. Davis from the Houston Astros in exchange for a trio of minor leaguers.
While the acquisition of Davis isn’t nearly as flashy as a Machado or Harper, this could be a sneaky good addition for Van Wagenen and company. Davis is a guy who with playing time, could turn himself into a solid big league piece.
Career Thus Far
Davis is a former third round pick out of California State University, and is still just 25 years old. He is mainly known for his raw power at the plate and strong arm in the field. Though Davis hasn’t had much success in the majors, he has a pretty strong minor league track record.
Over the past two seasons, Davis has appeared in a combined 66 games at the big league level, and has posted a slash line of .194/.260/.321 with six doubles and five home runs.
But on the other hand, he hit .342/.406/.583 with 25 doubles and 17 home runs in 85 games last season with Triple-A Fresno. And over his last three minor league seasons, Davis is hitting .350 with 27 home runs against left-handed pitching, which was a big weakness for the Mets in 2018.
Strong Start to Camp
Though it is early on, Davis has enjoyed himself a nice start to camp. On Wednesday afternoon, the Mets crushed the Miami Marlins 14-6 for their second win of Spring Training. In his second at-bat, Davis crushed a long home runs to left center off of lefty Adam Conley. He finished the day 3-for-5 with five RBIs.
Postgame he told reporters, “Ya know I’m just getting my work in and been playing better, so I had a pretty fun day today.. I’m just trying to do my part, just work good at-bats, drive in runs, and play good defense.”
Outlook for the 2019 Season
With the injuries in the Mets infield, Davis figures to have an opportunity to win a strategic job come Opening Day. Davis plays both corner infield positions, and the Mets have said they want to test him out in the corner outfield spots as well.
Davis has a real pretty swing, and with some adjustments, I think his raw power can play at the big league level. Wednesday afternoon’s long ball could be a sign of things to come for the 2019 season.
After giving up three high upside prospects for him, the Mets are certainly going to give Davis every chance they can to succeed. The one thing that remains to be seen is whether or not he will take advantage of this new opportunity in the Big Apple
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