Davis' numbers at Citi Field are historic 

NEW YORK -- Now in its 11th season, Citi Field has made a habit of humbling right-handed sluggers. David Wright lost numerous home runs to Citi’s original dimensions, then spent much of the rest of his career trying to figure out his home ballpark. Jason Bay came to the Mets off a 36-homer season with the Red Sox. His first year playing home games at Citi, he hit three.

Multiple changes to the dimensions have made things easier on right- and left-handed hitters alike, transforming Citi Field into roughly a league-average place to hit. But no one has made it seem quite so small as J.D. Davis.

Entering Tuesday’s play, Davis’ 1.152 OPS at Citi Field was the highest in history among players with at least 100 plate appearances there. That includes seven Citi Field home runs, five of which have gone to the opposite field.

“I wish I knew the secret,” Davis said, struggling to explain why his OPS is nearly 500 points higher at home than on the road. “I feel comfortable here at home, I guess. I wish I knew the formula. That way, I could take it on the road with me.”

Forced to guess, Davis pointed to a tighter routine at Citi Field than at other ballparks, where players don’t always have as much say in when they can hit, lift weights or log hours in the video room. But maybe it’s just luck. Davis’ average exit velocity at home is actually slightly lower than on the road, even after his 107-mph homer to spark the Mets’ go-ahead rally Monday against the Marlins.

“I really like playing here at Citi Field. I really do,” Davis said. “I like the atmosphere here. I like everything about it -- good batter’s box, good playing surface, good lights, good energy by the crowd.”

The Mets will take Davis’ production -- a .300/.369/.498 slash line overall, with 12 home runs -- no matter where it comes. Particularly now, with Dominic Smith’s foot injury freeing up outfield reps, and Robinson Cano’s hamstring strain forcing Jeff McNeil to log additional time at second base, Davis has become an everyday player.

“I’ve always had confidence in myself, that if I got reps and I got more at-bats, then I would do well,” Davis said. “But to have the success that I’m having right now, would I have foreseen it in Spring Training? Probably not. I’d probably just be happy to be a part of the team, winning games and doing my part. … It’s been a crazy and wild ride.”

Queens zoo
The Mets’ two most famous animals will have their nicknames immortalized during Major League Baseball’s Players’ Weekend, which will return the weekend of Aug. 23-25. Players throughout baseball will feature nicknames on the back of their jerseys, including Pete “Polar Bear” Alonso and Jeff “Flying Squirrel” McNeil.

Alonso’s nickname is the newer of the two, and relatively straightforward. Back in Spring Training, teammate Todd Frazier told the rookie he looked like a polar bear, and the nickname stuck -- particularly after Noah Syndergaard mentioned it during a postgame interview. McNeil and Smith later acquired a giant plush polar bear for the Mets’ clubhouse, naming it Pete.

McNeil received his nickname in college, but resisted it at first. Once again, Syndergaard was the man to bring it mainstream, mentioning “Squirrel” during an interview late last year.

“It’s on MLB Network now,” McNeil said recently, laughing. “It’s out there.”

Must be puppy love
Representatives from the North Shore Animal League, a Long Island-based no-kill animal shelter and adoption organization, were back at Citi Field on Tuesday for a press conference with McNeil, his wife Tatiana and their new puppy, which the McNeils adopted last month. When McNeil first saw the dog, he video chatted his wife, who agreed to meet the pup in person.

“The Mets had already posted some pictures,” Tatiana McNeil said. “I just couldn’t help myself once I picked her up.”

The couple named the dog Willow, after the street on which they were married.

Panik Citi?
A Mets official did not dismiss the notion that the team could pursue veteran second baseman Joe Panik, whom the Giants designated for assigment on Tuesday. Although the Mets could claim Panik off waivers, doing so would force them to assume the roughly $1 million remaining on his contract. Another tack would be to wait until Panik clears waivers, then attempt to sign him for the pro-rated Major League minimum.

In that endeavor, the Mets would theoretically have an advantage. Panik grew up in the tri-state area and attended St. John's University in Queens, where he became a first-round Draft pick of the Giants in 2011. The Mets currently have a hole at second base with Cano on the injured list, possibly for the rest of the season. McNeil, Adeiny Hechavarria and Luis Guillorme have all filled in at the position, but the Mets need McNeil in the outfield, as well.

Panik, a left-handed hitter, was batting .235/.310/.317 in 103 games with the Giants.