Mets assistant GM Adam Guttridge, who is in charge of systematic development, was one of many assistants hired by Brodie Van Wagenen during this offseason. But Guttridge stands out compared to the others, according to Van Wagenen, since he is the one who brought J.D. Davis to the front office's attention.
"Brodie Van Wagenen gives a lot of credit to his assistant general manager... he said that Guttridge really pushed hard trying to acquire J.D. Davis this offseason," SNY's Steve Gelbs said.
Davis, who is currently fifth in the NL with a .361 batting average and seventh with a .418 OBP since the All-Star break, was acquired by the Mets in a trade with the Houston Astros on Jan. 6.
"Speaking with Guttridge today, he wanted to pass the praise around, and said it was much more a group decision, but did appreciate what Brodie had to say," Gelbs said. "Whatever the decision making process was though, it's clear that the Mets found an undervalued asset and have done wonders with him this season."
But how was Davis able to "hide in plain site" as a prospect? Gelbs explained...
1. He wasn't a pedigree pick.
2. He was part of a very deep Astros organization -- he wasn't a top three or top four guys, even though he may have been in other systems.
3. When he got a chance at the major-league level, he didn't perform that well. Davis played in 66 games with Houston over the 2017 and 2018 seasons, hitting a total of five home runs and 12 RBI over 165 at-bats.
4. He didn't really pop in the minor leagues.