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PORT ST. LUCIE — Ike Davis has dealt with a bone bruise that turned into a season-ending injury and then an unusual ailment — Valley fever — that robbed him of strength for much of last year.
Just when he had put those issues behind him, Davis now finds himself in the middle of an unproven — at best — Mets lineup.
“I think we’re going to be pretty good,” Davis said. “And I have enough to worry about with myself before I start worrying about anyone else.”
Still, for someone who is not known for plate discipline, the lack of significant bats around him is worrisome to others, if not to Davis.
“He’s a guy who swings at a lot of bad pitches anyway and he’s probably going to see a lot more of them now,” one scout said. “I wouldn’t throw too many good ones to him.”
While Davis figures to have David Wright in front of him, the Mets’ lineup after the first baseman in the cleanup spot is ugly — with Lucas Duda a possibility in the five-hole.
Yesterday, sandwiched between Collin Cowgill and Marlon Byrd, Davis doubled to left-center against Atlanta’s Tim Hudson, before being hit by a pitch and striking out in a 4-2 loss to the Braves at Tradition Field.
Despite the potential issues, hitting coach Dave Hudgens is confident Davis is up to the task.
“He learned a lot about his swing last year and he wasn’t able to work like he normally does because he wasn’t feeling well enough,” Hudgens said. “He’s a guy who had never struggled like that before and when you do, no matter how talented you are, you have to make adjustments.”
And Davis certainly struggled.
On June 8, he was hitting just .158 with a .507 OPS. He rebounded in the second half and finished with 32 homers.
“He looked at video and widened out a little bit,” Hudgens said. “He eliminated some of the floating forward that got him in trouble and then locked in. He just has to continue that going forward.”
And stay healthy for a full season, something he hasn’t been able to do since 2010.
“I can already tell everything’s a lot different than last year,” said Davis, whose swings and workload were limited a year ago as he and the Mets tried to figure out what was wrong with him. “I’m actually getting some hits. I remember last year I never knew what pitch was coming and not really seeing pitches because I was so out of whack.”
That’s no longer a problem.
“At this point last year, I was already sick and I didn’t know what was in store for me,” Davis said. “I didn’t know how long it was going to last. It’s a massive relief to feel good again.”
And he’d like to keep the power he has developed and cut down on the bad swings, since, in the two seasons he has been able to play a full year, Davis has struck out 138 and 141 times.
More than anything, he doesn’t want to have regrets about his career.
“I don’t want to battle through injuries and not being as productive as I should every year and then look back when I’m 30 and say, ‘What happened?’ ” Davis said. “I know I’m gonna have slumps, but I’d rather them happen because of my own inability and not because I don’t feel right. Struggling [stinks] and losing [stinks]. I feel like I’ve already done that enough.’’