New York Mets hitting coach Chili Davis has told the team that he wants a multi-year contract from the team as they look for common ground.
The New York Mets are hoping to retain hitting coach Chili Davis in 2020 under new manager Carlos Beltran. The team clearly feels he did good work with a lineup that had struggled with consistency prior to his arrival.
However, there are some sticking points in the negotiations, primarily regarding the length of the deal.
Mike Puma of the New York Post reports, while they are still working to find common ground, Davis has told the team he wants a multi-year contract.
Mets and Chili Davis still trying to find common ground on a deal that would return Davis as hitting coach. Davis has indicated to team brass he wants a multi-year contract.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) November 7, 2019
The Mets weren’t world-beaters on offense by any stretch last season, but they did do good work at the plate. They finished seventh in the National League in runs scored, and sixth in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
On a team that’s built around their pitching rotation, those numbers are solid. Most notably, the team had several young players step into big roles under Davis’ tenure.
Pete Alonso broke Aaron Judge‘s rookie home run record, finishing with 53. Jeff McNeil joined Alonso at the All-Star Game and slashed .318/.384/.531. J.D. Davis had the breakout season that his Triple-A numbers had suggested that he should, going .307/.369/.527 in a part-time role.
Michael Conforto reached the 30 home run mark (33) for the first time in his career while getting on base at a .363 clip, good for 39th in the MLB. Davis helping so many young players have large impacts clearly made an impression on the team’s front office, and having an experience hitting coach should help Beltran’s transition to management.
However, it remains to be seen whether the team was impressed enough to give a multi-year commitment to Davis. However, if they liked his work they should do what it takes to keep him around.
