The Wright Stuff

We often hear about players having “it.” Derek Jeter has “it”, Tom Brady has “it”, and Michael Jordan had “it.” No it’s not their athletic ability, but their unbelievable ability to lift their teams. It is unfortunate that there are so few of these players in sports, but it makes this writer thankful and more appreciative of the few that are there. Even if I am a die hard Jets and Mets fans and the sheer praising of Brady and Jeter is taking everything I can do not to throw up on my computer. I guess you have to give credit where credit is due.

The Mets have been looking for someone from their farm system to come up and lead this organization to a new level. The fans’ and the organization’s hearts have been broken by the likes of Bill Pulsipher, Greg Jeffries, Jason Isringhausen, and many others who were supposed to be “the guy,” but never panned out. Thankfully for the Mets, “the guy” has come in the form of David Wright.
In 2004 Wright had been tearing up the minor leagues. By July when Wright was called up to the majors, according to ESPN he had a .341 batting average. Good enough for 9th best in the Minor Leagues. Mets fans were begging on the radio shows for the Mets to bring up this 22 year old.

Once Wright was brought up it became clear why the organization and the Mets fan base were so high on the youngster. Playing in only 69 games in 2004, Wright hit 14 homeruns, 40 RBI, and had a .293 batting average. In a city that has often scared youngsters so much that their talent was useless, Wright showed that he has everything it takes to succeed at the Major League level.

In Wright’s first full season in 2005, he proved that he was going to be the face of the franchise for many years to come. Although he had his troubles in the field through the first half, Wright drastically improved his play in the second half. Often Wright could be seen diving into the stands and even made a great over the shoulder barehanded catch that many considered was the play of the year.

At the plate the 23 year old had a great year in 2005. Wright had a .306 batting average, with 27 homeruns and 102 RBI. His 102 RBI were a team best.

This year Wright is off to a strong start hitting in all five of the Mets first five games. He already has two homeruns and nine RBI. Clearly he is starting where he left off last season. With Beltran off to a slow start Delgado and Wright have been carrying this Met team through the first five games.

For a 23 year old, many analysts have tried to figure out how Wright is so discipline at the plate. How come he is not a free swinger? Why doesn’t he chase those bad pitches? And there really is no explanation for this. He is mature beyond his years, that is the only explanation I can think of. It is just amazing to both fans and experts how grown up and mature Wright is for a 23 year old.

Wright reminds us all of Piazza when he joined the Mets. Everyone was excited because you knew this guy could take a team to another level. Wright and Piazza are/were very similar. Both knew that being able to hit for power and average is great, but being able to hit to all fields for power is an asset that not too many players have. To me it separates the good hitters from the great ones.

In critical situations Wright seems unfazed. It doesn’t matter if it is Roger Clemens or the worst pitcher in baseball is throwing to him, his approach is the same. Even when he falls behind in the count you know somehow he is going to battle back and swing the count in his favor. Whether it is fouling off balls or waiting for his pitch, he always seems like he knows exactly what he is doing.

Wright clearly has all the tools on the field as well as the intangibles you can’t teach. Very few athletes have these intangibles and we all wish that more had them. It’s a gift and players like Jeter and Brady embraced that gift. That’s why they always come up in big time situations in big time games.

Like I said not every team has the player who has “it.” Wright is the type of player that you want up there with the game on the line. He is the type of player who is always going to say and do the right thing. More importantly, he is going to be the guy in that clubhouse who will carry the team when they are down.

Maybe this is all a bit premature. Maybe Wright is just not their yet and it is a bit unfair to thrust this all upon him. Even if that is the case the Mets organization and fans can bet that Wright will get their one day. He just has all the Wright stuff.