David Wright: Four Factors Impacting His Hitting This Year

There appear to be four factors impacting David Wright's hitting: his "pressing," Citi Field, getting beaned, and his uppercut swing.

The first thing that I think needs to be considered is the impact of losing both Beltran and Delgado on Wright (and Reyes.)

We all keep expecting to see the 2006 Mets offense out there eating up teams in the first inning.  This is a mistake on our part.  It is not the same offense without two of its most powerful hitters, Beltran and Delgado.  Bay was supposed to replace Delgado's power, but so far he hasn't.

To understand the impact of losing these hitters on a lineup, imagine if the Yankees lost A-Rod and Teixeira for a year and didn't replace their power.  Imagine the pressure it places on Cano and Jeter to make up for the lost production.  They will begin to "press," and "pressing" means bad hitting and lower production.

Second, David Wright moved into a new stadium last year that attacks all power hitting, but his especially with its deep right center field.  It's a much harder home run for David at Citi Field.  No more cheers.  He's not going to be the hero as often, unless he changes his approach looking to drive the ball in the gaps.  So right there, he's lost power and had to change his approach.  Not good.

Third, this year, pitchers seem to be taking advantage of last year's beaning, pitching him high and inside, and then low and away where a hole seems to have opened up in his swing.  Until he makes the proper adjustments, this is another hurdle he's facing.

Last, I get the feeling that he liked hitting home runs in '06, '07, and '08 because he's developed a huge uppercut.  This is Keith Hernandez's big issue with Wright's swing, and I can see why it's interfering with his production.  My only question is did he always have this huge uppercut swing?

Should we trade him?  I'm a Mets fan.  I know how easy it is to get swept away in disbelief with this team or the performance of it's players, but David Wright is a phenomenally athletic and talented hitter.  Soon enough Beltran will return, Bay will hit for power, and Wright will make the adjustments he needs to make to get back to being the All Star that he truly is.

We are some of the most passionate baseball fans on earth.  Let's give this guy a break for a little while.  Give him the time he needs to figure it out, without getting on his case.  Considering the years he's already given us, I think he deserves this.

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