The Athletics Have A Lot Riding on Ike Davis
By Jason Burke
When the A’s acquired Ike Davis from Pittsburgh for $270K in international signing money, the addition was seen as a depth move. Now, rumors are swirling around Brandon Moss, and Davis has potentially become a linchpin in the Oakland offense in 2015.
Last season, the A’s had Josh Donaldson, Yoenis Cespedes and Moss as their 3-4-5 hitters. Donaldson was coming off of an MVP caliber 2013 season, Cespedes is a hitter pitchers feared, and Moss was coming off of a 30 home run season. Heading into 2015, a potential 3-4-5 combination is Brett Lawrie, Billy Butler and Davis. With Lawrie, injuries are a question, Butler has the potential to have a bounce back year after failing to hit double digit dingers for the first time since his 2007 rookie campaign, and Ike Davis has combined for a .220 batting average over the past two seasons. Obviously there is a big drop-off.
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With Davis having signed-on for 2015, he isn’t going anywhere, meaning someone else has to go. Moss is seemingly the most valuable option, so his name has been floated in relation to Cleveland for the past few days, and has had this A’s fan afraid to look at his phone while said trade discussions are being had.
Moss isn’t gone yet, but all indications are that he will be on the move this offseason. So where does that leave the middle of the order? Cases can be made that Lawrie (just stay healthy) and Butler (still hit .271 in 2014) will be productive in 2015. Ike Davis on the other hand is two years removed from his 32 homer, 90 rbi season in 2012. In the two years since then, the left-handed hitting first baseman has hit 20 home runs and driven in 84 runs–total. His .223 batting average over the past three seasons sure won’t give the offense a boost if his power numbers don’t come back, either.
That’s all the bad. The fine lining with Ike Davis is his on-base percentage. In 2012 when he was having a career year, his OBP was still just .308. However, since then, his OBP has risen to .326 in 2013, and .344 in 2014. Yes Billy, he can get on base. Davis’ walk total has hovered around sixty per season each of the last three years, but his strikeout total has dropped dramatically. Going from 141 in his monster season, to 101, and finally 78 last season. His 2014 strikeout percentage was 21.5%, compared to Moss’ 26.4%. His eye at the plate is seemingly getting better, which is encouraging. Davis will also enter 2015 in his age 28 season, which is considered a “prime” age for baseball players.
There is room for optimism when it comes to Ike Davis replacing (seemingly) Brandon Moss. Will I like it? Not at first, because Moss is one of the good guys in the game, and seems truly happy to be an A. Yet, his impending departure is a part of the business, especially for us A’s fans. If Davis performs, he too, will be embraced.