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The New York Mets had reportedly been looking to trade first baseman Ike Davis for quite some time, and they finally dealt him to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. He was in the lineup for his new team on Saturday and did not disappoint, going 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Is a change of scenery enough to make Davis a good option for fantasy baseball owners?
Davis hit just .205 with nine home runs and 33 RBI for the Mets in 2013, as a midseason stint in Triple-A and a right oblique strain that sidelined him for the month of September limited him to 317 at-bats. He also missed a lot of time with a left ankle injury in 2011, which obscures the 32 home runs and 90 RBI he had in what looked to be a breakout season in 2012.
With his struggles against left-handed pitching (.202 for his career) Davis is likely to platoon with Gaby Sanchez, but he should have a spot somewhere in the middle of Pittsburgh’s lineup and get plenty of RBI opportunities when he’s starting.
Davis is not widely owned right now (eight percent in Yahoo! leagues), which is to be expected, but he is worth adding immediately in NL-only leagues for owners that are having trouble finding available options with much upside potential. Mixed league owners should not consider Davis a must-add until he puts together a productive and healthy stretch with the Pirates, but he definitely has a lot of appeal in daily leagues when Pittsburgh faces a right-handed starter.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter or connect on Google +.
