Ike Davis is considered one of the more notable first basemen of the past decade who played in Major League Baseball. While his career ultimately fizzled out after several injury-plagued seasons, Davis had a few breakout years early in his career that made him a highly sought after player to collect on baseball cards. Let’s take a deeper look at Ike Davis’ career and some of the more valuable baseball cards collectors can find featuring the former first baseman.
Ike Davis was drafted by the New York Mets in the 1st round of the 2008 MLB draft out of Arizona State University. He moved quickly through the Mets farm system and made his MLB debut in 2010 at just 23 years old. Davis would go on to have a phenomenal rookie season, batting .264 with 19 home runs and 71 RBI in only 118 games played. This breakout rookie campaign led to Davis becoming one of the more hyped young players in baseball and his cards from 2010 saw a huge spike in demand, especially his rookie cards. One of Davis’ most desirable rookie cards is his 2010 Topps Heritage minor league card, which has a scarce print run and routinely sells for over $100 in near mint condition due to his early career success.
The 2011 season would be Davis’ best statistically. That year, he batted .302 with 32 home runs and 90 RBI, finishing 8th in NL MVP voting at just 24 years old. Davis established himself as one of the better young power hitters in baseball and thebackbone of the Mets lineup. His prolific 2011 season is well documented on baseball cards, with his main rookie cards from 2010 Topps and Topps Tribute selling for over $50-75 each. Davis also has desirable cards from 2011 Topps Series 1 and 2, Allen & Ginter, Bowman, Stadium Club, and Tribute selling in the $20-50 range. With his breakout season culminating in a lucrative contract extension with the Mets, Davis seemed poised for stardom.
Injuries would begin to derail Davis’ promising career in 2012. He struggled with ankle issues that sapped his power and batted only .227 that season. Still just 25, Davis and his cards retained value due to his strong previous years. His cards from 2012 sold for near their 2011 amounts. Things took a turn for the worse in 2013 though. Davis battled more ankle problems and was demoted to the minors, hitting a abysmal .154 in only 8 games for the Mets that year. This caused a sharp decline in his cards, with most from 2012-2013 selling between $5-15 each.
After the 2013 season, Davis was sidelined for over a year by further ankle injuries requiring surgery. He tried to catch on with other teams via minor league deals in 2015-2016, but never replicated his early Mets success. Davis played his final MLB game in 2017 before retiring at age 30. While injuries ruined his potential, Davis’ breakout seasons with the Mets made him a sought after name for collectors during his early career peak. Today, his best rookie and early career cards remain the most valuable, selling in the $50-100 range. But cards from his injury-derailed later years can be acquired quite cheaply for under $5.
In summary, Ike Davis established himself as one of baseball’s top young power hitters in 2010-2011 with the New York Mets, making his rookie cards and cards from those seasons highly valuable collectibles today. Unfortunately, a string of ankle injuries slowed Davis starting in 2012 and ultimately ended his MLB career prematurely at a young age. For collectors, Davis cards provide a unique investment opportunity to acquire the cards from his pre-injury success at fairly low prices today, considering his brief elite production at the start of his career. While injuries dashed his potential, Ike Davis’ early years with the Mets made collecting his baseball cards an interesting venture for both Mets fans and investors alike.
