New York Mets hitting coach Chili Davis spent the entire 2020 season on the opposite side country while working remotely. In 2021, Davis plans to return to his post in person and build on their offensive success from last season.
This is just tremendous. Mets hitting coach Chili Davis, who is working remotely from Arizona, was conducting a Zoom interview with reporters today when Jeff McNeil crashed it.
"What up Chili Dog!" pic.twitter.com/6OTaHT4Qhq
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 22, 2020
Davis worked remotely during 2020 due to his preexisting condition and wanted to remain safe from COVID-19. He plans to be with the team at the beginning of spring training, whenever it starts. Davis says he hopes to get the vaccine when it becomes available to him so he can be more at ease.
Statistically, the Mets offense was great in 2020 without Davis. They led all of baseball with a .272 batting average and finished in the top five for most offensive categories. The offense struggled with the clutch stats. They batted .245 w/RISP and struggled mightily in the first half of the season. Those numbers resulted in the Mets finishing in the middle of the pack in runs scored.
Davis will return to a very gifted group of hitters, headlined by the newly acquired Francisco Lindor. He joins James McCann, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo, to name a few. Pete Alonso and J.D. Davis were two pupils who benefitted from Davis in 2019 but missed his teachings during 2020. The players love Chili and will thrive with having him back in-person this season.