Ike Davis entered the 2012 season with several health issues that made us fans doubt whether he would finally live up to expectations. First, it was the apparent ankle injury that wiped out most of his 2011 campaign. He elected to NOT undergo surgery, because it was apparently not required. So, as if that was not bad enough, he was diagnosed with Valley Fever syndrome in the Spring. The last player to have that disease was Conor Jackson, whose career got completely derailed while battling it. Many worried about Davis' stamina, and long-term health. Despite the positive tests, Ike never complained about any symptoms of the disease, so that gave the team some hope that it was possibly a false-positive-like situation. 
Ike got off to a very rough start to the season, but Terry Collins kept him in the lineup nevertheless. His batting average was below the Mendoza Line, and there was some talk about sending him to the minor leagues. The talk never really surfaced into anything major, and the management believed that Ike would just find his way out of the slump eventually. In July he started to find his power stroke, hitting 9 home runs in the month but with a mere .221 batting average. In August he really "broke-out", in a sense, because his batting average was higher (.287 in 100 plate appearances) and he had 5 long balls. He finished the season strong, and gave the Mets confidence that he is a trustworthy player over at first base.
As for the future of Davis, he appears to be a lock at first base, despite several rumors that expressed the Mets' apparent interest in trading him. Getting rid of him would be idiotic, especially if he were to be replaced by a ding-dong like Lucas Duda. You just cannot get rid of 30+ homers in your lineup.
I think the Mets should explore a possible contract extension with the big man soon. He will be arbitration eligible this winter, so he will earn a reasonable salary but nothing too earth-shattering. He could possibly earn a Jon Niese-like extension -- $25 million or so. I think that is a good price tag for him right now, but I can see him having a strong 2013 season and asking for the big bucks, which is good and bad for the Metsies.
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