Isaac Benjamin Davis (born March 22, 1987) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

. From 2010 through 2016, he played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

. Davis led his high school team to three straight

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

championships as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and

. As a hitter he batted .447, while as a pitcher he recorded a 23–0 win–loss record, a 1.85

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), and 14 saves. He also pitched for the gold medal-winning U.S.A. Youth National Team in the 2003 World Youth Championships, and was the most valuable player of the 2004

AFLAC Aflac Inc. (American Family Life Assurance Company) is an American insurance company and is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States. The company was founded in 1955 and is based in Columbus, Georgia. In the U.S., A ...

All-American High School Baseball Classic. Ranked second in the nation as a freshman for Arizona State University by both '' Baseball America'' and ''

Collegiate Baseball ''Collegiate Baseball Newspaper'' (also known as ''Collegiate Baseball Magazine'' and ''Collegiate Baseball'') is an American publication based in Arizona that considers itself the "voice of amateur baseball" which has been published for over 40 ...

'', he was named Pac-10 Conference Freshman of the Year, as he became the first freshman ever to lead the conference in

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBIs). He hit .353 with a .605 slugging percentage in college, threw a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

that reached 94 miles per hour, and was a two-time All-American and a three-time All-Pac-10 selection. Davis was drafted 18th overall in the first round of the

2008 MLB Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first rou ...

. In the minor leagues, he batted .288 with a .371 on-base percentage (OBP), and a .467 slugging percentage, and was the Mets 2009 Organizational Player of the Year. The Mets called him up to the majors in April 2010. His 11

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s prior to the All-Star break that season tied him for the second-most ever by a Mets rookie. He set the Mets rookie record for total bases (230), and tied the Mets rookie records for bases on balls (72) and

extra-base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

s (53). He was named the first baseman on ''Baseball America''s 2010 All-Rookie Team. During a 2011 season shortened by an ankle injury, Davis batted .302. In 2012, he batted .227, but his 32 home runs were 5th-best in the National League. In 2013, he split his time between the Mets and AAA Las Vegas. He was traded to the Pirates in April 2014, and traded to the Athletics after the season. He played for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Early years

Davis was born in Edina, Minnesota, to Millie (née Gollinger) Davis and Ron Davis. His father was a major league pitcher who pitched in 481 games in the majors in his 11-year career. His father was a

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

, and an American League All-Star in 1981. He pitched from 1978 to 1988, starting with the New York Yankees (1978–81, going 27–10 with 22 saves, primarily as the

setup man In baseball, a setup man (or set-up man, also sometimes referred to as a setup pitcher or setup reliever) is a relief pitcher who regularly pitches before the closer. They commonly pitch the eighth inning, with the closer pitching the ninth. A ...

for

Rich Gossage Richard Michael "Goose" Gossage (born July 5, 1951) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1972 and 1994. He pitched for nine different teams, spending his best years with the New York ...

). He pitched for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants. His father retired at the age of 32 in 1988, however, so Ike remembers more from old-timers' games, such as the one where, at age 12, he met Derek Jeter. He and his father are the 197th father-son combination to have both played in the major leagues. Ike went to Cocopah Middle School. He took the baseball team to two straight state championships. He set a school record with 18 home runs in one season and 3 in one game. A field there was later named after him. Davis is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

through his mother. His mother, the youngest daughter of Bernard and Harriet Gollinger, is Jewish, and his father is

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

. Davis embraces both sides of his family’s ancestry. His mother's family was from Lithuania and immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. Of those who stayed behind, most of her family were murdered in

The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

during World War II. Davis had a great aunt on his mother’s side who was a

Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...

. Davis said: "She was the one who knew everything that happened. She was able to come to the United States, and she brought the story with her." Davis' paternal grandfather was an American

paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

who landed in France on D-Day in 1944. He later helped liberate one of the

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as con ...

. Davis' given names are Isaac and Benjamin (after his mother's grandfathers). Davis does not practice Judaism and is non-religious,Adam Rubin
ESPN New York: "Ike Davis to play on Yom Kippur"
September 16, 2010 but he stated: "I am really proud of my Jewish heritage." He describes himself as "culturally Jewish." He reflected: "It's funny about Judaism; It doesn’t matter if you're ultra-religious or not, as long as you know that it's in you or you're a part of it, everyone accepts you." He often uses the Jewish greeting "

shalom ''Shalom'' ( he, שָׁלוֹם ''šālōm''; also spelled as ''sholom'', ''sholem'', ''sholoim'', ''shulem'') is a Hebrew word meaning ''peace'', ''harmony'', ''wholeness'', ''completeness'', ''prosperity'', ''welfare'' and ''tranquility'' and ...

". Davis says: "I'm glad Jewish kids get to see they can grow up to be professional baseball players." As a youth, he attended a five-day baseball fundamentals camp that his father continues to run for children ages 5–14. His father was also his

little league Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization His father said:

People would say Ike was good because his dad was a player. But it's not that easy.... I can tell Ike how to swing, I can teach him to pitch,
each Each may refer to: *''each'', a determiner and indefinite pronoun An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun which does not have a specific familiar referent. Indefinite pronouns are in contrast to definite pronouns. Indefinite pronouns can represent ...
the game of baseball, but he's the only one to make it to the big leagues. You can't teach heart and soul. That's what it takes to play in the game.

High school

Davis attended Chaparral High School in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

, where he won three state titles (2003–05). His father would throw him batting practice. He hit .559 as a sophomore, the school record, ahead of

Paul Konerko Paul Henry Konerko (; born March 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman from 1997 to 2014, most prominently as a member of the Chicago White Sox, where he was a si ...

's .558 in 1994. He also hit a school-record 23 doubles, breaking Konerko's record of 18. He followed that up by batting .425 as a junior (when he was also Arizona 4A Pitcher of the Year), and .450 as a senior. As a senior, he had a 92–93 mph fastball, to complement his

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

and

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

. He was ranked 12th in the country by '' Baseball America'', and was a high school All-American. In 2003, he also pitched for the U.S.A. Youth National Team (16-under) in international play. They won the gold medal in the

International Baseball Federation The International Baseball Federation (IBAF; Spanish: ''Federación Internacional de Béisbol'', French: ''Fédération internationale de baseball'') is the former worldwide governing body recognized by the International Olympic Committee as over ...

XI "AA" World Youth Championships in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. In 2004, he played on the U.S.A. Junior National Team (18-under). In his two seasons playing for Team U.S.A., he batted .404. In 2004, he was one of 40 players from across the country chosen to play in the

All-American High School Baseball Classic. He won the

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

Award for the game, hitting the go-ahead home run for his team. The following year, he was MVP in the all star 2005 High School American Game. By November 2004, the 17-year-old Davis was already and 194 pounds. In 2005, despite his having indicated he was going to go to college, he was drafted in the 19th round by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He elected not to sign. Davis graduated from high school with a .447

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in 320 at bats, with 48 doubles (a school record, ahead of Konerko's 44), 12 home runs, and 106

(RBIs) (third in school history). As a pitcher he was a perfect 23–0, with a 1.85 ERA, 14 saves, and 213 strikeouts (a school record) in 174 innings. His teams were 95–8 over his sophomore, junior, and senior years.

College baseball career

Freshman year (2006)

Davis chose to attend Arizona State University (ASU). In October 2005, he was ranked the # 2 freshman in the nation by both ''Baseball America'' and ''

''. He pitched (as the team's Friday night starter; the role given the "ace" of a college rotation), was the

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by th ...

, and played first base and corner outfield. In March 2006, he was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week, and College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll Player of the Week for a week in which he batted .588 and drove in 13 runs, in four games. In 2006, with 65 RBIs in 227 at bats he became the first freshman ever to lead the Pac-10 in runs batted in during the regular season, and set the ASU freshman RBI record. Batting clean-up, he hit .329 with 79

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

s (third all-time, for an ASU freshman), 23 doubles (tied for the Pac-10 lead, and tying the ASU record for doubles by a freshman), and a .542 slugging percentage in 58 games. His 9 home runs tied him with Bob Horner (1976) for third all-time by a Sun Devil freshman, 2 behind Barry Bonds (11, in 1983). He was also the team's opening day starter, and pitched a team-high 12 starts. He was named a ''Collegiate Baseball'' Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American,

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

First-Team Freshman All-American, ''Baseball America'' Second-Team Freshman All-American, '' Jewish Sports Review'' First-Team All-American,

American Baseball Coaches Association The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) is the world's largest Amateur baseball in the United States, amateur baseball Manager (baseball), coaching organization. It was founded in 1945 as the American Association of College Baseball Coach ...

(ABCA) First-Team All-West Region, Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, and a member of the First-Team All-Pac-10. Davis spent the first part of the summer of 2006 with Team USA. He then played in 22 games for the

Anchorage Bucs The Anchorage Bucs Baseball Club is a college summer baseball team in Anchorage, Alaska. The team has been a member of the Alaska Baseball League since 1981. They were originally formed in 1980 as an Anchorage Adult League team. Team colors are ...

of the Alaska Baseball League, and was named the # 10 prospect in the league by ''Baseball America''.

Sophomore year (2007)

Davis demonstrated his versatility in an April 2007 game. He came to the mound with his team trailing 5–4, ended the inning by striking out a batter, and in the next half-inning stole home as the lead runner in a triple steal. For his sophomore season, he primarily played right field (batting .349 with 23 doubles—tied for the conference lead—and 61 RBIs, in 62 games) and pitched as a middle reliever (sporting a 1.35 ERA). He again received First-Team All-Pac-10 honors, and was named a ''Collegiate Baseball'' Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American, a

National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) is an association of baseball writers, broadcasters, and publicists in the United States. It was founded in 1962. The NCBWA compiles a preseason ranking of the top 35 teams in the nat ...

(NCBWA) Third-Team All-American, and again a ''Jewish Sports Review'' First-Team All-American. In the summer of 2007, he played for the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

in the Cape Cod League. A

bone spur An exostosis, also known as bone spur, is the formation of new bone on the surface of a bone. Exostoses can cause chronic pain ranging from mild to debilitatingly severe, depending on the shape, size, and location of the lesion. It is most common ...

in his left wrist required surgery over the summer.

Junior year (2008)

He was named a pre-season 2008 All-Pac-10 outfielder by Rivals.com, and a pre-season Third-Team All-American by both the NCBWA and ''Collegiate Baseball''. In consecutive weeks in March 2008 he was named both the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week and the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week. In the first week he hit .450 and struck out all four batters he faced. In the second week he batted .529 with a 1.412 slugging percentage, and recorded five outs from the mound, four by strikeout, without giving up a hit. He was the first Sun Devil to win the Pac-10-award in consecutive weeks since

Travis Buck Travis George Buck (born November 18, 1983) is an American baseball coach former professional outfielder, who is the current hitting coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Clevel ...

in 2004. The College Baseball Foundation named him to its National All-Star Lineup. For his junior season, Davis hit .385, with a .457 on-base percentage and a .742 slugging percentage. He hit 23 doubles (tied for the Pac-10 lead), 16 home runs, and 76 RBIs in 213 at bats over 52 games, while missing 10 games with a rib

oblique Oblique may refer to: * an alternative name for the character usually called a slash (punctuation) ( / ) *Oblique angle, in geometry *Oblique triangle, in geometry * Oblique lattice, in geometry * Oblique leaf base, a characteristic shape of the b ...

muscle strain. He was 4–1 as a pitcher, with a 2.25 ERA, 4 saves, 20 strikeouts in 24 innings against 4 walks, and hit 94 miles per hour on the

radar gun A radar speed gun (also radar gun and speed trap gun) is a device used to measure the speed of moving objects. It is used in law-enforcement to measure the speed of moving vehicles and is often used in professional spectator sport, for things su ...

. He also threw out four runners from right field. He was named ASU On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player; prior winners included

Dustin Pedroia Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played his entire Major League Baseball career for the Boston Red Sox, from 2006 to 2019. He was a four-time All-Star, and won the Americ ...

Willie Bloomquist Willie Paul Bloomquist (; born November 27, 1977) is an American baseball coach and former utility player, who is the current head baseball coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils. He played college baseball at Arizona State for coach Pat Murphy f ...

Paul Lo Duca Paul Anthony Lo Duca (born April 12, 1972) is an American retired professional baseball player and television personality. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers (–), Florida Marlins (2004–, ), New York ...

, and Barry Bonds. He received First-Team All-Pac-10 honors for the third straight year. He was also named a First Team All-American by ''Baseball America'', ''Collegiate Baseball'', the NCBWA, Rivals.com, and the ABCA. Four of his Sun Devils teammates that season went on to play in the major leagues: Brett Wallace, Jake Elmore,

Jason Kipnis Jason Michael Kipnis (born April 3, 1987; nicknamed "Kip") is an American professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs. He attended Glenbrook N ...

, and

Mike Leake Michael Raymond Leake (born November 12, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, and Arizona Diamo ...

. He hit .353 in his college career, with a .605 slugging percentage (10th-best in ASU history). He totaled 159 runs (8th-best), 244 hits, 33 homers (5th), 69 doubles (2nd, behind Dustin Pedroia), and 202 RBIs (3rd). On the mound, he ended his college career as the Sun Devils closer, and totaled a 7–5 mark with 4 saves and 78 strikeouts in his career. Davis was also a part of two Pac-10 Championship teams, and went to the

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

in 2007. He was named to the ASU All-Decade team. Scouts felt he was at his best as a batter when he used the whole field. They noted that his bat speed allowed him to wait on pitches and drive them the other way, and that he was quick enough to catch up to good fastballs. Mark Schlereth of ''ESPN'' observed: "The bigger the game, the better he plays."

Minor leagues

Davis was the 18th player taken in the first round of the

2008 Major League Baseball Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first ro ...

, chosen by the

in his junior year as compensation for the Mets' loss of

Tom Glavine Thomas Michael Glavine (born March 25, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, for the Atlanta Braves (1987–2002, 2008) and New York Mets (2003–2007). With 164 victories durin ...

to the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

. He was drafted for his power bat. ''Baseball America'' ranked him the third-best college power hitter in the draft, and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' indicated that he projects to hit 25–30 home runs. He signed for $1.575 million. Davis said, "It was a huge thrill. I was excited to be picked by New York." He received fatherly advice from his dad, and recalled:

He just said they've got the best fans, and it's a blast because every game is live or die for them. It's a great environment to grow up playing baseball, and learning how to play under pressure in front of all those people. He loved it, and I'm looking forward to it, too.

Davis was assigned to the

Single-A Class A, also known as Single-A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for each ...

Brooklyn Cyclones. On defense, he excelled, as he committed only one error in 492 total chances at first base, for a league-leading .998 fielding percentage. Uncharacteristically, he struggled on offense, batting only .256, without a home run in 58 games. Asked the following year to name his most embarrassing professional moment, he replied: "Not hitting one home run in my first professional season." He noted:

It was first time I ever swung wood full time. I was learning how to play pro ball. I had never played every day in my life. That's totally different.... You have to learn to conserve your energy. In college, you just left it all out on the field every game. In pro ball, you do that and you'll wear out, because you play every single day.

In 2009, Davis started the year with the St. Lucie Mets. He began to turn it around, hitting .289 with 7 home runs in 59 games. He was then promoted to the Double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mirab ...

, where he came into his own, hitting .309 with 13 home runs, 41 RBIs, and a .565 slugging percentage in half a season. Mako Oliveras, the B-Mets manager, described him by saying: "Very live bat; the ball jumps off his bat when he makes contact. And as for defense, he's like a vacuum cleaner." For 2009, Davis was named the Mets Organizational Player of the Year. After the season the Mets assigned him to the Surprise Rafters of the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

, where he hit .391. He was named to the Arizona Fall League's all star Rising Stars Game. In September 2009, he played for the gold-medal-winning U.S.A. World Cup team. In the off-season, ''Baseball America'' rated him the Mets’ No. 4 prospect. Promoted to the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

, the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, to start the 2010 season, he hit .364 with a .500 on-base percentage in 10 games. For the week ending June 24, 2013, Davis was the Pacific Coast League's Player of the Week. In 2013, in 10 games with the AAA Las Vegas 51s, he batted .364 with a .500 on-base percentage and a .636 slugging percentage. In his minor league career, he batted .289, with a .376 OBP and a .487 slugging percentage in 752 at bats.

Major leagues

New York Mets

2010

Davis played in spring training with the Mets in 2010, and led the team with a .480 average as he hit 3 homers. He also sparkled on defense, prompting José Reyes to observe: "People talk about his hitting, but he is one of the best defensive first basemen you will ever see for a player his age." Many Mets players were rooting for Davis to break camp with the team, but he was sent down to the minors at the end of spring training. On April 19, however, the Mets purchased Davis's minor league contract. At that point Davis had played only 65 games in his life above the Single-A level. Davis made his debut at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

on April 19 against the Chicago Cubs. He singled in his first at bat, and had two singles in four at bats in a Mets win. "This is awesome," he gushed. In a sign of acceptance and welcome, after the victory Mets veteran Jeff Francoeur slapped a shaving-cream pie in his face. Davis had two multi-hit games in his first four games. In his fifth game, on April 23, he hit his first home run. It traveled , onto Shea Bridge at Citi Field, and was the longest home run of any Met at Citi Field. He had his first multi-home-run game on May 7. A gifted, slick-fielding defensive first baseman, in 3 of his first 21 games he made spectacular catches of foul pop-ups, bracing himself against the railing in front of the first base dugout, and then flipping over the railing as he caught the ball. The Davis said: "I'm going to try to catch any ball I can. I've got long arms, I guess. I'd rather end the game, than worry about getting a bruise."

The Met fans began to treat him like a folk hero. The ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' described him as a "cult hero." Within a month of his debut, he had become a fan favorite. "I Like Ike" banners began appearing at Citi Field, a phrase once used in the decades-prior presidential campaigns of

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. Weeks later, he recalled:

I had such nerves the first few days. I didn't even have an approach. It was just see the ball, hit the ball. Only now am I settling in, getting the chance to think about how a pitcher is going to approach me.

While the Mets had appeared uncertain whether Davis could handle the pressure of the major leagues as spring training ended, by mid-May—just a month after calling him up to the majors—they moved him to the cleanup spot in the batting order. Manager

Jerry Manuel Jerry Lorenzo Manuel Sr. (born December 23, 1953), nicknamed "The Sage," is a former major league manager. He previously managed the Chicago White Sox from 1998 to 2003 and the New York Mets from the middle of 2008 to 2010 and played in the major ...

said: "I think we're going to try to leave him there for a while. I think he's ready to handle that." On June 8, Davis hit his first career

walk off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will not ...

, against the Padres' Edward Mujica. His 11 home runs prior to the All Star break tied with Benny Agbayani (1999) for the second-most by a Mets rookie, behind

Ron Swoboda Ronald Alan Swoboda (born June 30, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from through , most notably as a member of the New York Mets ...

(15, in 1965). By September 26, as advanced defense metrics reflected a "UZR/150" ( ultimate zone rating) of 12.5, putting him second in baseball behind Oakland's Daric Barton, sportswriter Mike Silva mused as to whether he could win a Gold Glove. Using the advanced metric Defensive Runs Saved, sportswriter John Dewan indicated that Davis was best in the NL and second-best in baseball, having saved 14 runs, again behind only Barton in the majors. He showed good range, and saved a number of throws with his soft hands on scoops. For the season, he was second among all NL rookies in runs (73), doubles (33), walks (72), extra-base hits (53), on-base percentage (.351), and OPS (.791). He was also third in RBIs (71) and slugging percentage (.440), and tied for third in home runs (19). He set the Mets rookie record for total bases (230). He also tied

Lee Mazzilli Lee Louis Mazzilli (born March 25, 1955) is an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the New York Mets, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and T ...

's 1977 Mets rookie record in walks (72) and

Ty Wigginton Ty Allen Wigginton (born October 11, 1977) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado ...

's 2003 Mets rookie record in extra-base hits (53). He was second among rookies in Mets history with 33 doubles (behind Wigginton), his 19 home runs tied for second-most with Ron Swoboda (1965), behind Darryl Strawberry (1983), his 71 RBIs tied for second with Wigginton, behind Strawberry, and his 138 hits were 4th on the Mets all-time list (behind Jay Payton—2000,

Ron Hunt Ronald Kenneth Hunt (born February 23, 1941) is a former professional baseball second baseman. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1974 for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos and ...

—1963, and Wigginton). Davis was named the first baseman on '' Baseball Americas 2010 All-Rookie Team. He came in 7th in the voting for 2010

NL Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

, receiving two third-place votes.

2011

Davis started the 2011 season by establishing a Mets record, with at least one RBI in 9 of his first 10 games. On May 10, he sustained a left ankle sprain and bone bruise, initially misdiagnosed by the Mets as a strained calf, in a collision with third baseman David Wright. The injury occurred on a routine popup near the pitcher's mound, with Davis rolling his ankle in an injury that didn't appear very serious at the time. On June 22, he was told that the injury might require season-ending surgery. On September 6, ESPN reported that Davis was rehabbing his ankle and would not need surgery. During his injury-shortened 2011 season, Davis batted .302 with a .925 OPS, in 139 at bats in 36 games. He hit 7 home runs, and had 25 RBIs. In 2011, Davis also appeared on an episode of the fourth season of MTV's game show '' Silent Library''.

2012

In early March 2012, Davis was diagnosed with valley fever, a rare dust-borne

fungal A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

infection endemic in the American southwest. The effects of it lingered with him for years. MG 4789 Ike Davis

Davis started the season slowly, but then began hitting, getting one homer in each of three games of a four-game span in mid-April. On May 24, he had the second-lowest batting average (.159) of all qualified major leaguers. As of June 15, he had raised his batting average to .188. On June 18, Davis hit his first career

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

against

Jake Arrieta Jacob Joseph Arrieta (born March 6, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Diego Padres. Arrieta played college ...

of the

Orioles Oriole or Orioles may refer to: Animals * Old World oriole, colorful passerine birds in the family Oriolidae * New World oriole, a group of birds in the family Icteridae Music * The Orioles, an R&B and doo-wop group of the late 1940s and earl ...

. The grand slam also extended his hitting streak to 9 games, and Davis hit .462 (12-for-26) during the span. After the hot streak Davis cooled and again struggled. Davis was ejected from a Major League game for the first time in his career on June 26, when he argued with umpire Manny Gonzalez after Steve Clevenger was ruled safe at first on a pickoff attempt. In June, he had 10 consecutive extra-base hits (five home runs and five doubles), the second-longest such streak in Mets history. On July 28, Davis hit home runs in his first three at bats (all solo home runs) against the Arizona Diamondbacks' Ian Kennedy, eventually going 4-for-4 (adding a single in his final at bat). Davis became only the 9th Met in history to hit 3 home runs in one game. The 3 homers in one game were also a career high for Davis; with them he also reached 20 home runs for the season, breaking his prior year high of 19 home runs. He ended the 2012 season with a .227 batting average, 32 home runs (5th in the National League), and 90 RBIs, as his home-run-every-16.2-at-bats was 3rd in the NL behind

Giancarlo Stanton Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton (born November 8, 1989), formerly known as Mike Stanton, is an American professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2010 a ...

and Ryan Braun. He became the 16th Met to surpass 30 home runs in a season. On defense, his fielding percentage of .994 at first base was 5th-best in the league.

2013

Davis struggled early in 2013 and became a subject of criticism for many Mets fans and sports analysts. In June, Davis was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas for 10 games, in which he batted .364. He was recalled in early July. He tied a team record set by John Olerud in 1998, by reaching base at least twice in 12 straight starts from July 29 – August 13. He recovered to hit .286 in the second half, with a .449 on-base percentage. For the season, he batted .205 with 9 home runs and 33 RBIs for the Mets, in 103 games.

2014

Davis was the 2014 Opening Day starting first baseman for the Mets. Early in the season he was platooned with

Lucas Duda Lucas Christopher Duda (born February 3, 1986) is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played most of his Major League Baseball career for the New York Mets. He was the starting first baseman for the 2015 Mets team that wo ...

and

Josh Satin Joshua Blake Satin (born December 23, 1984) is an American former professional baseball corner infielder. Satin played first base, second base, and third base. During his career, he played for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball, as well a ...

. On April 4, Mets' manager Terry Collins announced that Duda would get the bulk of the playing time at first base. On April 5, Davis hit a walk-off grand slam coming off the bench against the Cincinnati Reds.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On April 18, 2014, the Mets traded Davis to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Zack Thornton and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

, Blake Taylor. Davis hit another grand slam against the Reds on April 21, becoming the third player in MLB history to switch teams midseason and hit a grand slam against the same opponent (following Ray Boone in 1953, and

Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007. He currently serves as the manager of the Italian national baseball te ...

in 1998), and the first player to hit grand slams for different teams in the same April. Overall, in Pittsburgh he hit .235 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs in 336 at-bats, splitting time with Gaby Sanchez at first. For the season, on defense he had the best Range Factor/9 Innings of all major league first basemen, at 10.59. With the bases loaded, he tied for second in the National League in grand slams (2), and tied for fourth in RBIs (17). As a pinch hitter, he tied for second in the NL in home runs (3) and RBIs (12). Davis was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Pirates on November 20, 2014.

Oakland Athletics

On November 23, 2014, the Pirates traded Davis to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for bonus slots for use in signing international free agents. On April 21, 2015, Davis pitched a perfect eighth inning in the losing side of a blowout against the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

, retiring all 3 batters he faced, all on ground balls, using only 9 pitches. Davis in high school was 23–0 with a 1.85 ERA and was the Arizona High School Pitcher of the Year, and in college he had a 2.25 ERA as a pitcher. Against the Angels he threw his fastball as high as 88 miles per hour, threw a slider in the high 70s, and threw a cutter. It was the first time the A’s had a position player pitch since Frank Menechino in 2000. On August 21, 2015 it was announced Davis would undergo surgery to repair a torn hip labrum, ending his season.

Texas Rangers

On February 15, 2016, Davis signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. Hampered by injuries throughout spring training, Davis was assigned to the Triple-A Round Rock Express to begin the season. On June 12, Davis was released from his contract in order to pursue a major league opportunity elsewhere. In 39 games with the Express, Davis hit .268/.350/.437 with 4 HR, 25 RBI, and 37 strikeouts.

New York Yankees

On June 12, 2016, Davis agreed to a major league contract with the

. The Yankees depth at first base was very thin, with four first baseman on the disabled list, and middle infielder Rob Refsnyder manning the position at the major league level at the time of his signing. He was designated for assignment by the Yankees on June 25. Two days later, he was outrighted from the 40-man roster to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Triple-A International League. On August 10, Davis was released by the organization.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Davis signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

on January 27, 2017. He began the 2017 season playing first base for the

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...

of the AAA Pacific Coast League. In 35 games, he hit .212/.258/.412 for Oklahoma City. After the season,

Jeff Passan Jeffrey Scott Passan (born September 21, 1980) is an American baseball columnist with ESPN and author of ''New York Times'' Best Seller ''The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports''. He is also co-author ...

of Yahoo Sports ranked him the 13th-best free agent first baseman. In midseason, Davis switched to pitching and made his debut on the mound for the Arizona League Dodgers, pitching one scoreless inning, striking out the side as his fastball was in the 88-92 mph range. He pitched in six games in the Arizona League at the end of the season, allowing no runs and only three hits in 5 innings, with six strikeouts. Dodgers catcher Kyle Farmer said: "He has a live fastball, really good changeup, and he’s working on his slider right now." On November 6, he elected to be a free agent. He retired in November 2018.

Team Israel

Davis, although eligible to play for Israel at the 2013 World Baseball Classic was unable to participate in the qualifying round due to being an active player for the Mets. Israel was ultimately eliminated during the qualifying round, eliminating the chance for Davis to play for them during the 2013 tournament. Davis played in the qualifying round for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. During game one, Davis came on as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 7th. After facing a 3-2 count, Davis fouled off three straight pitches before picking up an RBI single that drove in

Zach Borenstein Zachary Borenstein (born July 23, 1990) is an American professional left-handed-hitting baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. Borenstein attended Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois, where he was a ''Chicago Tribune'' and ''Chicag ...

to give Israel a 4-2 lead. In the second game, Davis started at first, going 0-2 with two walks and a stolen base. During the third and final game, Davis was the starting DH, going 0-3 before being taken out for pinch hitter Charlie Cutler Davis played for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic in March 2017. He batted .471/.571/.706 with 2 doubles and a triple, scoring 5 runs and driving in 3 RBIs in 17 at bats.

References

External links

*
Minor League Baseball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Ike 1987 births Living people 2017 World Baseball Classic players American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Arizona League Dodgers players Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Minnesota Binghamton Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Jewish American baseball players Jewish Major League Baseball players Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball first basemen Nashville Sounds players New York Mets players New York Yankees players Oakland Athletics players Oklahoma City Dodgers players People from Edina, Minnesota Pittsburgh Pirates players Round Rock Express players Secular Jews St. Lucie Mets players Surprise Rafters players Wareham Gatemen players All-American college baseball players 21st-century American Jews Anchorage Bucs players