And this is not a nasty Phillies or Yankees fan talking here; as many of you already know, I'm a die-hard Mets fan. Nonetheless, I am obligated to speak the truth:
David Wright is not a superstar.
That's it. I said it. It's out there in the open now...
And of course I won't say it without backing it up, and I'll make sure to give David credit where credit is due. Let's go to the numbers for this season:
The Good
.326 batting average, .414 on-base percentage, 80 games played (durability), 20 stolen bases, 45 walks.
The Bad
Five homers, 42 RBI, 84 strikeouts, caught stealing eight times, 12 errors, .167 BA with the bases loaded
Sure this is only one half of one season, but Mets fans know that David's a different player these days. I'd love to go back to his numbers of past years (.302-33-124, .325-30-107), but they aren't indicative of the player that David Wright has morphed into.
He used to be an all-around offensive threat with power and the ability to hit to all fields with pop. Now he's a high batting average guy that dinks and dunks his way on base. He's showing little-to-no power, and he's pulling off the ball with regularity.
He used to be consistent. Now he's a one-man roller coaster, with high highs and oh-so-lows.
I miss the consistent version of David Wright. I miss the David Wright with some thunder in his bat. I miss the David Wright that stayed in on the ball, and boasted extremely sound offensive mechanics.
Now his mechanics are messy, and his results have gone hand-and-hand.
His "Good" stats are exactly that. The BA and OBP are bordering on exceptional, but the stolen bases are offset by the high number of CS.
"The Bad" are horribly bad. Pretty terrifying for we Mets fans, actually.
Five home runs? Really? I mean, I know Citi Field is spacious and pitcher-friendly, but it's not Yellowstone Park. Ralph Kiner, who hit bombs a million years ago when the parks were MUCH bigger, said the players and media members need to stop whining about Citi Field's dimensions. Kiner said it's a "small" park. In the grand scheme, I believe him. The guy is a living legend with the numbers to back it up.
So are we really going to say that David Wright has only five homers because of his new home ballpark?
Nahhh, that would be lame. Let's own up -- something is wrong with Wright, both physically and mentally. Physically, it's obvious: fouling off too many sweet pitches to hit, striking out too much, not making adjustments, not shortening his swing with two strikes, pulling off the ball with both head and front hip. I think his .326 average is a small miracle.
Mentally, that's another thing. I can't testify as to what is going on in David Wright's head, but whatever it is, I don't approve. He has only 42 RBI, and yet the Mets have been one of the top OBP teams in the National League throughout the year. The runners have been there for David, but he's hitting .167 with the bases jacked. That ain't gonna cut it, especially with Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Delgado out of the picture.
A true superstar would respond with those key players on the disabled list. A true superstar doesn't crumble because of a lack of "lineup protection." If the pitches to hit aren't there, take the walks. Wright does that; but when he finally GETS the pitches to hammer, he's late. Swing is too long, and it takes too much time for him to get through the zone. Essentially, he's getting beat.
So what can we do as Mets fans?
Sadly, not much. Really, nothing at all. We'll just have to hope that David somehow finds his power stroke and/or consistency in the second half, or else we're totally finished. The problem is, Wright hasn't shown me any indications of potential improvement. He's stubborn, and he seemingly refuses to adjust.
And let's not forget about defense. D-Wright already has 12 errors, and that number doesn't include the favorable hometown scoring decisions. I've counted six errors of Wright's, already this season, that were ruled as hits by the Mets' official scorer. Anything to protect the Golden Boy's reputation, apparently.
He's a mess. The Mets are a mess, top to bottom. But when we've been good, we collapse when it matters. Now that we suck, well, maybe we'll turn it around before it's all said and done for 2009. Who knows?
Don't ask me. I can't predict the future...I don't think.
(The Red Sox are the new Yankees. How did they make the transition? "JFro," aka John Frascella, is the author of "Theo-logy: How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land."
It's the first full-length book centered on Boston Red Sox's popular
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throughout the U.S. Also, check out John on Twitter.)
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Career Avg .311
2005 .306 27 hrs 102 rbi 160 games played
2006 .311 26 hrs 116 rbi 153 games played
2007 .325 30 hrs 107 rbi 159 games payed
2008 .302 33 hrs 124 rbi 159 games played
Superstar numbers to me. Add in 2 gold gloves.
Sure JFRO his power numbers are down thru 80 games in a first half that has been a disaster for the whole Mets team. Regardless what you say about his "bloop" hits hes on pace to set his career high in doubles. (He has 23 at the half way point and his career high is 42)
One of the main reasons why the Mets are 5th in MLB in OBP is because of Wrights .414 OBP. Also, without Reyes getting his doubles and triples in front of Wright, he can't score singles hitters (mostly cora and castillo) with RBI groundouts, Sac Flys or even singles. Here is a stat for you. The mets are 26th in slugging percentage, meaning hes not coming to bat with as many runners in scoring position.
If Reyes, Beltran and Delgado were in the lineup batting ahead of Wright I think it is safe to assume that we can add on 10 RBI to his total. At that point 52 RBI would be fine.
As for Wrights dip in power he is hurt by citifield the most out of all the Mets. His power is to right-center, where the wall is 415 feet. I can recall at least 4 balls he hit that would be out of a normal ballpark. Of course the ballpark isn't 100% to blame about his drop in power but we need to give him time to adjust to the new park.
Bottom line is that he is the only player out of the big 4 hitters that has been on the field everyday. If nobody was hurt and Wright was batting .326 and on pace for 40 steals we would not be complaining. Everything he does now is magnified because hes the only "star" player we have. He grounds into 1 double play and everything is blamed on him.
embears88
Long Beach , NY
Total Comments (37)
Lol it's not about one double play. Most Mets fans have noticed a monumental change in David Wright's game, and that change has been one for the worse. I see here that you conveniently neglected to mention that Wright's strikeout rate is higher and more alarming than ever. That doesn't signify a negative change in approach?
That in combination with just FIVE home runs? The 415-foot fence in right center isn't going anywhere, so are we going to have to be OK with 10-12 total homers for the season? Really? A guy who hit 26 or more the past four seasons?
Nothing is different? He's not showing limited power? He's not hitting .167 with the bases loaded? He hasn't been caught stealing EIGHT times? He doesn't have TWELVE errors?
What about all of the negatives? They should all be dismissed?
That appears to be your stance. Obviously, I have to disagree. I also have to go to sleep.
JFro
L.I., NY
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k
embears88
Long Beach , NY
Total Comments (37)
"Most Mets fans have noticed a monumental change in David Wright's game, and that change has been one for the worse"
So basically you are saying to ignore his 703 games prior to this year and focus on the 80 the has played this year with a AAA lineup around him. A year in which his .326 avg is till 15 pts above his career average of .311 even after a cold week dropped his average from an impressive .356.
You keep talking about his .167 with the bases loaded. Thats 12 at bats. In his career he bats .353 with the bases juiced and thats in 68 official at bats. More of a sample. If you want to focus on 2009.. he is batting .344 with RISP and .348 with runners on. I would focus more on his 96 at bats with runners in scoring position then the 12 with the bases loaded.
I'm not going to avoid your strikeout argument. He is on pace to strikeout about 50 more times then last year. I would be more alarmed if he was batting .280 with the increase in strikeouts. It is obvious that since he is the only threat in the Mets lineup that he is pressing. Causing him to overswing and pull off some pitches. Also, he is swinging at some pitches out of the zone trying to do too much. Since he is the only hitter in the lineup that most pitchers fear, hes also not getting as many good pitches to hit.
And as far as his 8 caught stealings... give me a break. If you told me before the year that he would have 20 steals at the all star break i would be pumped. That an added bonus to his game. The 8 caught stealinss aren't even that bad. I'll list some numbers below...
Chone Figgins 24 steals 8 caught stealings
Juan Pierre 23 steals 8 caught stealings
Nyjer Morgan 20 steals 20 caught stealings
Emilio Bonifacio 18 steals 7 caught stealings
Hanley Ramirez 12 steals 7 caught stealings
Brandon Phillips, Troy Tulowitzki, Ichiro, Brian Roberts, Dustin Pedroia, Denard Span and Scott Podsednick all have less steals then Wright and at least 5 caught stealings.
Dwrights 8 caught stealings should be the last thing we worry about.
embears88
Long Beach , NY
Total Comments (37)
embears88, I don't think you should totally ignore his previous 703 games, but those are just stats now and MLB is very much a 'what have you done for me lately' business. I've noticed a change in Wright's game just from the few games they have broadcast on ESPN (and the ones they have played against ATL).
I agree with JFro...the Mets are a mess, top to bottom and that does have an effect on a player's psyche. Hell, the Braves are in the same situation, just not as many injuries to work around. Neither team (Mets or Braves) act like they want to win the division or even compete for it. A truly uninspired bunch, at least from what I've seen.
ATLfan15
Total Comments (876)
ATLfan15 the Braves are not in the same situation as the Mets. The only starter that is on the DL now is Kelly Johnson and he was pretty much platooning anyway. This is who the Braves are. Not a team picked to win the world series by many experts.
The braves went out and got an all-star (mclouth) while the Mets haven't brought in anybody.
And you say you have noticed a change in Wrights game in the games you have seen vs Atlanta? He's is 9-21 (.429) with 1 of his 5 homers vs the Braves this year. Sure it's a small sample, but that is all you have to go by.
embears88
Long Beach , NY
Total Comments (37)
* Morgan should be 20 steals 10 caught stealings. Typo
embears88
Long Beach , NY
Total Comments (37)
If you go back and read my post, I said 'just not as many injuries'; obviously you didn't. And no, the Braves weren't picked to win the WS but it seems to me that at this point in time, both teams are in similar situations.
McLouth has had minimial impact thus far. And yes, I have noticed a change in his game. Again, go back and read my post; I've watched the Mets play on ESPN and NOT just against the Braves. This is what I'm basing my opinion on; you should read the posts more carefully before snapping off a reply.
ATLfan15
Total Comments (876)
The only reason why the Braves are even close to the Mets is because of the Mets injuries. I don't consider the Mets and Braves situations to be similar. The Braves are going to be around a .500 team with their entire team intact, while the only reason why the Mets are floating around .500 is because of injuries to their stars. Where would be the Braves be without lets say Chipper, McCann and Escobar?? If they were all out then I would call the situation similar.
As far as Mclouth impact being "minimal" he has 5 home runs with the Braves in 25 games. Those 5 home runs would tie for 3rd on the Mets in that category and his 14 overall would lead the mets. Not to mention he plays a very good centerfield. I'd take him on the Mets in a heartbeat.
And i read your post about watching ESPN. I don't know exactly how many games you have seen of him on ESPN, as the Mets are blacked out on ESPN in New York. The only thing I can go by is his stats vs the Braves which I have posted. So if I'm leaving out 2 or 3 games that you have seen him on ESPN in which you came to the conclusion that his game has changed I apologize.
embears88
Long Beach , NY
Total Comments (37)
You're right about the Braves....but McCann has already been on the DL this year; Ross (his backup) is pretty good. Still not 100% sure about Escobar; and when Chipper's not in the lineup, it really hurts. We'll have to agree to disagree about the similarity of the two situations; they look like the same team, injuries notwithstanding. I can sum it up this way: when your decent starting pitching gets little to no run support, your team is almost destined to hover at .500 (or below it).
Not doubting McLouth's ability, but he hasn't been with the club that long. He is a good CF, but he is also showing tendencies of being an 'all or nothing' type hitter....the upside is that he's got some speed, which the Braves desperately need in the lineup. Regardless, I am glad that Wren traded for him.
2 or 3 games on ESPN?! Mets games may be blacked out in NY, but trust me, that is all they show to the rest of the U.S. (also, the Yanks and Red Sox if the Mets game wasn't picked up for that night). I'm a baseball fan so I enjoy watching a variety of teams; it just seems to me that there is something different in the attitude and overall demeanor of this current Mets team. And yes, I think it's a crime that they left Santana off the All Star roster.
ATLfan15
Total Comments (876)
Santana is on the all-star team.
This is not the "real" mets team. You can't go by the attitude of Fernando Martinez, Alex Cora and Tim Redding. Up until the last week everyone in the New York media was talkin about this teams demeanor and how it appears different then the last 2 years. The main example was the Mets winning the next day vs the Yankees with Fernando Nieve pitching after the Castillo dropped pop up. It's unfair to judge the teams attitude and demeanor with the whole team on the DL.
embears88
Long Beach , NY
Total Comments (37)
Yeah, my bad on Santana....I saw that after I posted; apparently the page I was looking at did not load completely.
I wouldn't call it your 'whole' team.....just a bunch of starters, which makes it more tough than usual. But apparently the other guys were good enough to make a major league roster; either that, or Minaya's scouts aren't worth a damn. At any rate, the second half of the season should be entertaining to watch....will be going to the game at Turner Field on July 18....and I hope the "real" Mets show up. I always enjoy a good division battle, even if it is for third place. :-)
And wow, how weak is the NL East as a division when you are 4.5 or 5 games out and you STILL have a chance at winning it?
ATLfan15
Total Comments (876)
Haha no big deal. Just got back from CitiField and I take back every good thing I ever said about the mets. They are a pathetic group of losers with an idiot manager and 3rd base coach.
Doesn't look good for Beltran, Delgado or Reyes returning before August, so looks like the July 18th battle will be an easy win for the Braves.
embears88
Long Beach , NY
Total Comments (37)
Having 0 extra base hits in the last 29 innings and 0 runs in the last 22 is embarrassing. This team is tough to put up with. Before we know it they are gonna be 10 games out. PS I hate Jerry Manuel and Razor Shines.
embears88
Long Beach , NY
Total Comments (37)
So Delgado may return by August? Wasn't there some talk a month or so ago that he may not come back at all this year?
I have to laugh at your comment about the July 18th game; there is no such thing as an 'easy win' for the Braves, especially if our bullpen gets involved. LOL
ATLfan15
Total Comments (876)
This is true.....and it will probably happen to the Braves at least 4 times (if not more) when we play them at the end of the month. Then, we get to go to LA and play three in August. The Dodgers are THE team to beat in the NL, and maybe even MLB.
ATLfan15
Total Comments (876)
Beauty Fan, not real sure why they deleted your comment.....maybe because you used the word 'blown'? That censoring software is a little too picky.
ATLfan15
Total Comments (876)
I could take this same paragraph and apply it to the Braves.........arghhhh!
ATLfan15
Total Comments (876)
I agree superstar numbers to me as well
Career Avg .311
2005 .306 27 hrs 102 rbi 160 games played
2006 .311 26 hrs 116 rbi 153 games played
2007 .325 30 hrs 107 rbi 159 games payed
2008 .302 33 hrs 124 rbi 159 games played
Superstar numbers to me. Add in 2 gold gloves.
NYMETSFAN_QT
Total Comments (115)
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