Ike Davis Back – What About Josh Satin?
According to ESPN-NY and Mets.com, Ike Davis will be returning to the Mets today. Is there room for both he and Josh Satin? There could be …
Satin has been in a zone since his callup, hitting a scorching .353 with a 1.017 OPS. No one expects him to continue at that pace, but it makes sense to keep penciling in his name in the lineup as long as he remains hot — especially for a team whose offense could be described as “woeful.”
But Ike Davis has been proclaimed ready after working for almost a month with Wally Backman and his first pro batting coach George Greer. And that’s great — assuming he’s truly ready for big-league pitching again, there’s no reason to keep him in Las Vegas. With three righthanded starters facing the Mets this weekend, it makes sense to plug in the lefty-hitting Davis.
What of Josh Satin, however?
Satin has made exactly one professional appearance in the outfield, so putting him there would be a gamble. Not to mention, the Mets already have righthanded-hitting outfielders Andrew Brown, Marlon Byrd, and Juan Lagares blocking his path. Certainly, Satin won’t displace David Wright at 3B. Satin’s natural position is second base, but he hasn’t played there yet this year — and appeared there only 36 times in 2012. Surely, he hasn’t forgotten how to play second base, but the Mets reportedly would prefer to station him elsewhere, because his proficiency is less than adequate. Hmm … and Daniel Murphy‘s is? Sometimes I really wonder about what goes into the decision-making. Seriously: could Satin be worse than Murphy? I find that hard to believe, but maybe he is.
It might make sense to platoon Murphy and Satin, at least for a while, to see if the Mets really have something with Satin, or it’s just a guy in a zone at the right time in his career. Facing mostly lefthanders, Murphy is 4 for his last 23, and is hitting .239 with a .536 OPS against lefties in 2013. His performance vs. LHPs last year wasn’t as bad, but it wasn’t that great, either — .283 AVG, .680 OPS, 1 HR in 196 plate appearances. Those stats are acceptable from a good glove man, but not someone who is shoehorned into the lineup for his bat. The numbers suggest that lefties have figured out how to retire Murphy, and ideally, the Mets would keep sending him out there against them with the hopes he’ll eventually make the necessary adjustments. However, I for one would like to see a platoon with Satin — for now, while Satin is on fire. If Satin cools off, fine, what has been lost? But if Satin keeps hitting … well, maybe the Mets have something they didn’t have before.
What’s your thought? Are you open to a second-base platoon? Fire away in the comments.
I say no, if the deal includes someone along the lines of CarGo or Giancarlo Stanton.
Murphy might have some value if a contender loses a first baseman or second baseman to injury and is desperate. Even then, I’m not seeing the Mets getting much in return — maybe a situational reliever or a former prospect struggling in AAA and in need of a “change of scenery.”
My thought is make sure Satin always plays versus a lefty, but rotate him around the field such that he starts in place of Ike one day, the next day in place of Murphy, and all the while see what he has in the outfield. He cannot be worse than Duda defensively. Satin would make a very good platoon partner with either Murhpy or Davis, but if the team is not going to commit to him long term, and instead thinks that Ike or Murph can be a long term solution, then they likely have to keep them in against lefties. So Satin would end up playing maybe 3 times a week, and rarely at the same position twice. Maybe he cannot handle that, but if he can then you have a very versatile option off the bench who can hit more than Turner against lefties.
It is hard to believe that a teamwith a “woeful” offense stuggles to find a place for a hot bat. As much as the microscope is on Davis, Tejada, and to some degree Duda, Murphy is a guy that is not getting it done. Through half the season, batting in the 2-hole, he has a OBP under .310 and an OPS just over .700. That doesn’t get it done with his glove. The dilemna in platooning with Satin is that it can lower Murphy’s trade value. I think Fklores is destined to get a crack as the Mets everyday 2B, but I do think Satrin can play the “Turner” role better than Turner.
But, I suppose the idea is that Ike is swinging well, and if he can get off to a hot start, it can go a long way in resurrecting his career. Whereas, the Mets org. is not convinced that Satin is talented enough to be a MLB regular.
Hard to believe? That Edgin, with the team up 9-5 in the eighth with two men on and two men out, somehow managed a save. Made me think, but I guess the man on deck was the tying run.
The platoon business is a reasonable idea though with the OF so crowded (the best move might be to trade Byrd, freeing up a slot … wouldn’t be too upset if JV1 went either) that Young might play a few games at 2B.
Another issue is if Mr. Tweet (guy has been tweeting a lot during games lately) ever comes back. Red beard.
[If no one said it already, congrats to Anthony Recker and his upcoming nuptials in November. They look like a nice couple.]
– There was agreat piece written last week.Basically Satin and Ike were drafted TOGETHER inthe same year,out of the same league, Satin from CAL and Ike from USC. So Josh feels very adequate next to Ike and rightly so. To make a comparison though does Josh remind you of Dave Magadan?
– I do not support your hypothesis though: But per the article I WOULD try him in the mold of his ‘mentor’ Ben Zobrist and i think that is likely. Why? You must include Wilmer in the 2nd base equation.
– Also: Are the Mets commited to Ike? I doubt it but he must play to be traded. Think;the mets could trade Murphy and Ike and install Flores and Satin,reducing salary. I dont want Ike to go, I really like him as a player…..but.
With which hypothesis do you not support? Satin at 2B?
I’m not sold on Wilmer Flores as a Major League infielder. But then, I’m not sold on Daniel Murphy as one, either, yet he’s in there every day, so what do I know?
Yes, Mets are committed to Ike because Alderson is in love with HR.
Satin does not remind me, at all, of Magadan. Magadan had an incredible knowledge of the strike zone, great discipline, and fantastic hand-eye coordination. He walked a ton, struck out rarely, put the bat on the ball, and almost never went into a slump. Because of his short swing, though, he never had much power. Satin’s strike zone knowledge and discipline is only average, and he drives the ball in the air more than Magadan did. We also haven’t yet seen the “real” Josh Satin — the one who is not on a hot streak.
-Maybe you should re-look our new Flores. He has been in the organization since 16, he is JUST 21…younger than Harvey, Wheeler, Ike, Satin et al. He has hit at every level…even having to adjust as he grew. He is amongst the AAA leadrs in every hitting category..that is not shabby.
-So his defense is not great…well how long has he played at ONE position. I bet it gets better in time. I also am willing to gamble that Wilmer takes 2B over around 1 august.
– so who does Satin look like? Greg Jeffries….
Honestly, I don’t have a comp right now. It’s been 20 games and it’s too early to tell. Keith Miller? Jeff McKnight? Joel Youngblood? A righthanded Danny Heep?