It’s not always easy to find things to write about this time of year other than hot stove talk and trade/free agent rumors. So I decided to look at some of the final stats from 2009. You know, those dismal numbers that contributed to one of the worst seasons the Mets have had in years. And while we all know too well about the power outage that had Daniel Murphy lead the team with 12 home runs, it’s worth noting that David Wright led the Mets in runs batted in for 2009. He had 72 of them.
That’s a good number if we’re talking about the 1975 Mets. But this is 2009, and 100-plus RBI seasons are much more common now. In 2008, Wright himself drove in 124 runs, while Carlos Delgado had 115 and Carlos Beltran 112. In 2007, Beltran had 112 and Wright 107. 2006? Wright 116, Beltran 116, Delgado 114. All of that makes 2009 just look ridiculous, and here is what I’m talking about. Behind Wright’s 72 RBI, you have Daniel Murphy with 63 and Fernando Tatis with 48. Carlos Beltran also drove in 48 in just 81 games, so you could argue that he would have hit the century mark. Well even if he did, Wright would have likely been second with his 72. And either way, the numbers are what they are, and they are pathetic. Here, we were all so worried about the Mets’ bullpen going into 2009, but who would have predicted such a horrid run production decline, injuries or not.
For the record, five teams drove in fewer runs than the Mets, but only the Pirates’ Andy LaRoche (64 RBI) had less driven in than Wright as a team leader. But that’s the Pirates, a team that hasn’t been competitive in almost 20 years. Wright leading the team with 72 is like Kobe Bryant leading the Lakers with a 15-point scoring average. It’s just baffling. You can argue the Citi Field dimensions holding in home runs, but you can’t make a good argument for the RBI other than the Mets just stunk it up in 2009.
Yeah, I know, we need to get healthy. That was a huge part of the production issue. But Wright did play in 144 games, and if Carlos Delgado is re-signed, he’s still going to be almost 40. We need some more productive bats in this lineup—to compete with the Phillies and everyone else.
I can smell all the Wright defenders coming out of the woodwork after they read this post. Let me take the steam out of their argument by further adding that the Mets had no problem getting on base and were one of the best teams in baseball in batting average and on-base percentage. They also led the league in stolen bases which means that they had that many more runners in scoring position. So even though Reyes was out most of the year, Wright had as many RBI opportunities as any other season. He failed to come through. Hopefully he’ll come back in 2010 and give us more than a very hollow .320 batting average.
Get on-base and hit for power and the RsBI will come. Driving in runs is not a separate, repeatable skill from just being a good offensive player. The 2009 Mets didn’t hit for power, therefore they lacked in RsBI. It’s pretty simple.
Wright seemed to be pressing all season long. The more he pressed the more he struck out. He used to be a guy who would work a count, wait until he got two strikes and then attack the ball. You rarely, if ever, saw that this past season.
His mechanics were screwed up but I think the first thing for him to do is fix what’s going on in his head. A great hitter doesn’t think when he’s in the batter’s box. You could actually see Wright thinking when he had two strikes and he would badly miss the low outside slider for strike three time and time again.
He’s a great player and young – he’ll be fine.
You should be a psychiatrist – apparently you can diagnose people through the TV set. Imagine what you could do if you actually spent time with a person and got to know them!
Yes, it got to the point with Wright that i attributed it definitely to an injury–not the beaning—but an oblique, a rib, something like that…because his plate mechanics seemed all screwed up. Also, face it, HE was the only bat in the lineup that could potentially wreak ANY havoc. That, alone, puts tons of pressure on a guy, and also makes it easy for pitchers to make the guy look foolish..in his desperation to produce.
Who know? Here’s to a great 2010 for David Wright and the Mets!
The bottom line is exactly what James K said, we need to hit for more power or add some power. We seem to have guys who can get on base, lets focus on adding someone to drive them in. A healthy Beltran will certainly help. And call me crazy but bringing Delgado back for one year on an incentive laden deal keeps sounding better and better to me.
Wright is completely overrated. He’s at the level of a LaRoche, a compliment player, not someone you build a franchise around. A-Rod, Pujols, Fielder, maybe even Beltran – those are franchise guys.
The level of LaRoche, are you kidding me?
LaRoche a career .274 hitter
Wright a career. 309 hitter
LaRoche has never driven in 100 runs
Wright has done it 4 years in a row including 124 in 08
They have close to the same amount of AB (DW has about 8 more) and LaRoche has more then 40 more K’s.
LaRoche – .343 OBP, .491 SLG, .834 OPS
Wright – .389 OBP, .528 SLB, .907 OPS
LaRoche – 4 career Stolen Bases
Wright – 119 career Stolen Bases
Yeah – Wright is a player like LaRoche – sure, yeah, ok…..
Are you out of your freaking mind????
Thanks Kay for presenting the facts.