J.D. Davis has been excellent since getting regular playing time again

It’s looking like J.D. Davis was Brodie Van Wagenen’s hit of the winter. Having made several moves, most of which haven’t exactly wound up at their 90th-percentile outcomes, the Mets’ new rookie GM didn’t get much credit for the deal with the Astros that brought the Mets Davis and sent prospects Ross Adolph, Scott Manea, and Luis Santana to Houston. But Davis has proved any doubters—including us—wrong.

The Mets’ 13-1 stretch was already underway when Dom Smith hit the injured list with a stress reaction in his foot, which has kept him out since and seems likely to keep him out for quite a bit longer. Davis played in the July 25 game that started the Mets’ incredible return to relevance, and he sat the following day. But he’s played in every game since July 27, starting all but one of them.

Since July 25, Davis has made 49 plate appearances. He’s hit an obscene .400/.490/.750 with three home runs and a 218 wRC+. By that metric, he’s been the Mets’ second-best hitter during the team’s hot streak, and impressive feat when playing in a lineup that includes Michael Conforto, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil.

And Davis wasn’t exactly a slouch with the bat before his recent run of success, either. Through July 24, he had hit a solid .288/.351/.459 with a 116 wRC+. It’s still far too early to hang a “won the trade!” banner, but it’s encouraging to see that the Mets may have done something that contending teams so often do: Find a hitter with potential who doesn’t have a role with his current organization, acquire him, and let him thrive in your uniform.