SAN DIEGO -- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was unaware on Friday of any club plans to turn Minor League first baseman Ike Davis into a pitcher, but he's not opposed to it.
"Arizona State, good arm, high school star, two-way player, hasn't pitched in a long time, Team Israel," was Roberts' scouting-report recollection. "Don't know about him as a professional pitcher. What have we got?"
A tweet from Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers broadcaster Alex Freedman informed the world that the 30-year-old Davis, who slugged 32 homers for the Mets in 2012 but is batting only .206 with three homers at Triple-A this year, threw a bullpen session on Friday.
"We all know he's an athlete, and we believe he might be able to provide value in many different areas," said Gabe Kapler, Dodgers director of player development.
Whether Davis can reinvent himself as a professional pitcher is unclear, but he was a pretty good amateur. In the 2008 Draft, the Mets selected Davis 18th overall and made him a slugging first baseman, even though he had 78 strikeouts in 78 innings as a left-handed pitcher for the Sun Devils when he wasn't playing the field.
Davis has a 0.00 MLB ERA, having pitched two scoreless innings for Oakland in 2015.
"Hopefully he can get a lefty out," said Roberts. "Can he strike the slider? The curve? If he can throw 90, throw strikes, strike the curve, I'm good with it. Ike's a good athlete. If he's open to it, he's had a good career as a position player. He can be the next Brooks Kieschnick."
Worth noting
Outfielder Brett Eibner, who threw a half-dozen bullpen sessions earlier this year, has been shut down because of a sore arm, Roberts said.