As the thoughts of most people turn to Indianapolis and which quarterback is cuter, real women start stocking potential sleepers for their Fantasy Baseball teams. (I don’t know. Maybe, it’s just me.) Regardless, if you’re not lucky enough to have the first pick in your league, it is time to start reading up on the sleepers that will be there to bail you out when you’re ten rounds into your draft and you realize your mascot might have to play first.
If you are a Roto Queen like myself, you need a versatile player, someone who could hit for average. I’m going to toss out a name – Ike Davis.
I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t you just rave about Daniel Murphy? What’s your obsession with the Mets? Fred Wilpon isn’t even obsessed with the Mets.
Here me out. You want Ike Davis for completely different reasons than you want Daniel Murphy. Murphy is your dream utility player. Ike Davis is your first baseman, especially when you have a terrible slot in draft.
Let me explain, because this is not the backhanded complement it first looks like. Lets face it. You have a lot of needs and not a lot of draft slots. If you find yourself midway through and stuck without a first baseman, Ike Davis is your man. You can definitely get him fairly late in the game.
Ok, so Ike Davis isn’t an All-Star per say. Nonetheless, he’s consistent, good and is going to come cheap. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Ike Davis doesn’t have Jose Reyes to protect him anymore. That’s true. Still, with the fences coming in and Davis playing on an everyday basis, he’s got nothing but positives in his favor.
Now, we need to address the red herring in the room – Davis’ 2011 season. Ike Davis started the season like gangbusters. He established a Mets record of at least one RBI in 9 of his first 10 games. Then, on May 10, the season took a dark tone. Davis sustained an ankle injury in a collision with third baseman David Wright. It was a routine popup near the pitcher’s mound with Davis rolling his ankle. At first, the injury seemed to have Ike Davis surgery bound. However, by September, ESPN reported that Davis was going to skirt that fate. During the injury-shortened season, Ike Davis had 139 at bats in 36 games. His average was .302 and his OPS was .925. Ike hit 7 home runs and had 25 RBIs.
In two seasons of play (one being injury shortened), it’s hard to look at Davis’ career numbers on a whole. However, looking at these two seasons, Davis is definitely a model of consistency. If he can learn to stay out of David Wright’s way, Davis should be good for at least a .300 batting average and 20 home runs. He’s also 25. He’s only really entering his prime now. In a position where everyone is overshadowed by Albert Pujols, only one person can ultimately get him in the draft. The odds are, it won’t be you. Stop putting all your picks into one basket and welcome to a world that might include Ike Davis.