#Chili Davis still unsure if he’ll join the Mets this season

The hard part for Chili Davis was watching the Mets’ two exhibition games against the Yankees last weekend.

Normally, the Mets hitting coach would have been in the dugout, available to discuss opposing pitchers with his players or maybe an approach. Instead, the 60-year-old Davis was at home in Arizona, largely a frustrated spectator.

Davis, who decided before the start of spring training 2.0 to work remotely because of an underlying health condition that could complicate matters if he were to contract the coronavirus, remains unsure if he will join the team this season. It has left him utilizing Zoom and text messaging more than he could have ever imagined in trying to communicate with players.

“It’s just really tough to do because I’m used to being around those guys and I’m used to being hands on with them, in contact with them all the time,” Davis said Wednesday. “I know a lot of things are real different there right now as far as how much contact you can make with players. It’s not easy. It’s kind of boring sitting here not doing what I signed up to do. It’s not easy at all.”

Davis watches video of hitters and speaks regularly with manager Luis Rojas. On site, assistant hitting coach Tom Slater and minor league hitting coordinator Ryan Ellis have assumed the bulk of the instruction.

In recent days, Davis has begun studying the upcoming opposing pitchers, and he expects to present the pre-series scouting report on Zoom to his hitters Friday, when the Mets open their season against the Braves at Citi Field.

Yoenis Cespedes’ re-emergence after two years removed from major league action has been a dominant storyline in camp. Davis, who previously served as Cespedes’ hitting coach in Oakland, wishes he could say he was surprised by the 34-year-old outfielder’s surge back into the starting lineup. Cespedes has indicated he will start as the DH on Friday.

“There is nothing in this world that I would ever believe that Cespedes cannot do on a baseball field,” Davis said. “He’s proven that to me already. He’s a very determined young man. He’s a very proud young man, so I think when he makes up his mind that he’s going to go out to the world and prove what he can do, he’s going to definitely do that. I just hope he stays healthy.If he stays healthy he is going to be a huge benefit to that ballclub.”

Davis will lend his thoughts on the batting order, but ultimately Rojas — with additional input from other staff members — will script the lineup.

From Davis’ perspective, it will likely be Jeff McNeil or Brandon Nimmo batting first, with Amed Rosario hitting ninth, giving the Mets a second leadoff hitter of sorts after the first time through the order.

“If Rosie is hitting ninth, he is a guy that starts that whole lineup again at the back of the lineup,” Davis said. “If he’s on base, now you have Nimmo or [McNeil] or somebody coming up after him. I think they are three good quality leadoff hitters.The obvious choice I think will probably end up being Nimmo or Mac [at leadoff] because of the success they have had.”

Davis watched Pete Alonso set a MLB rookie home run record last season and is expecting the first baseman to continue his success in 2020.

“Petey and I had a conversation [Monday], just reminding him the guy who hit 53 home runs last year wasn’t just the guy who finished the year, the second half,” Davis said. “The guy that hit 53 home runs last year was the guy that started from spring training to the All-Star break. I thought he had a few more ups and downs in the second half than in the first half.”

Davis noted that Alonso won the Home Run Derby last year and represented the Mets at the All-Star Game, setting the bar high for the second half.

“The one thing we talk about mostly is this year, especially, you can’t match in a 60-game season those numbers you put up last year,” Davis said. “You have got to keep the approach as simple as possible.”

“The second thing I wanted him to understand: ‘Don’t put in your mind that pitchers aren’t going to pitch to you.’ They are.”