Open up MLB.com and click on batting statistics; one will see that David Wright is the National League leader in batting average with a .344 mark. Seeing such an average, one expects a gaudy power display and RBI numbers, a la Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay, who has 16 homers and 60 RBI in mid-June.
So why are fans and pundits so hard on the Mets third baseman, David Wright? He is the face of the franchise, a consistent .300 hitter, and one of the clubhouse leaders of the team. Study his Bill Parcells-like animated sermon with Mike Pelfrey on Tuesday and you'll know why. Yet, Mr. Wright hasn't been so right himself this season.
Wright has only four home runs, 39 RBI and 69 strikeouts thus far this year. If that continues, he will be on a pace for 11 home runs, 85 RBI, and 130 plus strikeouts by season's end, which are not exactly MVP statistics. Nor is it what you demand from a player who bats fourth in a depleted lineup.
In his defense, some say that Wright's struggles coincide with the loss of Carlos Delgado. Fact is, when Delgado was healthy, Wright was not producing much at all. He had only one multi-RBI game in all of April with one home run for the entire month. Keep in mind, Wright usually hits behind Delgado, so if given the choice, an opposing pitcher would rather pitch to Wright than Delgado.
Some will say, the fault lies in the new ballpark where balls go to die in right and right-center, a power alley that Wright enjoyed much in old Shea Stadium. Don't tell that to Chase Utley, who smacked two home runs toward that very corner when the Phillies were there, nor to Raul Ibanez, whose three-run home run to the deepest part of Citi field won another game for the Phillies.
No, the problem with Wright is pretty simple; he doesn't hit the ball when it matters most. In a town where a player named Derek Jeter became the most feared hitter in baseball during late innings because of his history of delivering big RBI doubles and game-winning home runs at the most important moments for his team, David is no Goliath when it really counts for the Mets.
A big swing and a big miss. A pop out to third, a lazy fly ball to right. Bases left loaded, runners left on first and third. Innings eventually ending with the Mets losing. None of it matters.
This season, Wright is hitting .244 with runners in scoring position and two out. The numbers get worse the higher the stakes. Wright is two for 11 (.182) when the bases are loaded with four strikeouts.
However, when the pressure is off, Wright hits .339 when the bases are empty and hits .348 with three homers and 38 RBI when there is a runner on base, most of which occur when there is a man on first base but not in scoring position.
This is nothing new for Wright. Last season, he was putrid in clutch situations down the stretch, even though Met fans defended him because of his high batting average. If an SAT test score, which tests nothing but someone's ability to guess, is a strong indicator for a prospective student's college success, than I should get off Wright's back.
In the real world, success is about results when it matters most, and Wright is not cum laude in that department.
In 2008, Wright hit .243 with runners in scoring position and .247 with only two homers and 32 RBI with runners in scoring position with two out. He also hit a lame .235 with zero homers and 13 RBI when the bases were loaded. In the final week of the 2008 season, when the Mets spit it up again against the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins, Wright didn't deliver a single home run in the final six games and had only four RBIs in that time span as well.
In the final two weeks of 2007, which saw the Mets blow a seven-game lead with 17 to play, Wright registered two home runs with 11 RBIs in that period. Not exactly Dr. Clutch, nor a guy you would want on your on-line fantasy team, unless you enjoy losing points in the standings.
It appears that Wright seems to be thinking too much when he goes to the plate in crucial situations. He starts swinging for the left field fence, or even tries his best Mike Piazza impersonation by attempting to golf the ball over the right center field wall.
Instead of making contact, Wright swings right through the pitches like a desperate college student trying his best to impress the hot blondes and brunettes sitting in the front row. Like the commercial used to say, "Chicks dig the long ball." Perhaps Wright should stop thinking that mantra when he strides to plate.
Baseball is as much mental as it is physical. Players like Utley, Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, and former Rockie Matt Holliday made names for themselves because of their clutch hitting in August, September and October when it counts.
If Wright wants to leave the A-Rod club of choke jobs, and truly become an elite player, then he will have to get over whatever mental blocks he has at big moments. He needs to get a big hit against the Yankees, Phillies, Braves, or Cardinals that wins games in the bottom of the ninth, like he did in 2006 when he was a rising star in this league.
When that happens, the criticism will stop ... forever.
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