St. Louis Cardinals: 5 Tempting Non-Tendered Free Agents

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Ike Davis, 1B

Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Like Pedro Alvarez, Ike Davis jumped into pro ball out of college as a first-round draft pick in 2008 made his big league debut two years later. That’s fast, even for a relatively accomplished college hitter like those two were. Maybe their non-tendered status this year is an indication they were rushed to the bigs a little too quickly.

Davis took his original club, the New York Mets, by storm in his third year, swatting 32 homers and driving in 90 runs in 2012. He hasn’t hit more than 11 in a season since, while his batting average lingers comfortably below .250 every year. Last season, he had hip surgery in August, cutting short his one and only season with the Oakland Athletics. The highlight for him was pitching two innings of scoreless relief against the Baltimore Orioles on August 16 (see photo).

Davis will be 29 in March, but his career looks as if it’s been over for at least a year or two. I’d love to make a case for him with the St. Louis Cardinals, but I can’t. The team would be just as well off reacquiring Mark Reynolds. And I have a pretty good idea of how Cardinals Nation feels about him.