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Mets like Ike

Mets 1B Ike Davis is congratulated after a 9th inning home run. (Danny Wild/MLB.com)

Mets fans may not have a great year coming, but they do have a few kids with lots of promise on the way. Ike Davis, one of the Mets’ first-round picks a couple years back, is challenging for a spot on the club’s Opening Day roster this spring. It’s unlikely he’ll get a spot out of camp, but he’s definitely a candidate to get called up and make an impact this season, especially if Dan Murphy struggles at first.

I got to see Ike take a few swings on Saturday, including an impressive game-tying homer to center in the ninth inning against St. Louis. Davis, the Mets’ organizational player of the year in 2009, came on as a pinch-hitter earlier in the game and took Jason Motte deep to keep the game alive.

Davis watches his game-tying homer leave Roger Dean Stadium. (Danny Wild/MLB.com)

Here’s a video of the home run: http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7206183

Ike Davis rounds third after his big home run against Jason Motte. (Danny Wild/MLB.com)

I saw Ike in 2008 after he was drafted by the Mets and assigned to Class A Brooklyn. He took off in his first full season last summer, batting a combined .298 with 20 homers and 71 RBIs between Class A Advanced St. Lucie and Double-A Binghamton. Notably, his numbers got even better at Double-A after the promotion, and he followed up the year gaining Rising Star recognition in the Arizona Fall League. Count on Davis to begin the spring as Triple-A Buffalo’s first baseman and make a case for a call-up to Queens by June, depending on how badly the Mets are doing.

Here’s Motte, the bearded, emotional Cardinals closer who was happy when Ruben Gotay bailed him out in the bottom of the frame:

Cardinals reliever Jason Motte pitches to Ike Davis. (Danny Wild/MLB.com)

I’ll post later about Gotay’s big moment. And this weekend should be a good one at West Point — Army will play it’s annual spring game, a scrimmage at Michie Stadium on Saturday at 1pm. I cannot wait, they’re selling game-worn jerseys too, plus it’ll give me a chance to see some of the new faces slated to start in 2010.

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