6
2011
Wright Passes Piazza To Become Mets All Time Leader In Game Winning RBI
An article by Craig Lerner
Last night during the Mets 7-1 win over the Phillies, David Wright delivered a two-run single to put the Mets ahead 2-0 in the third inning.
It was Wright’s 90th career game-winning RBI, passing Mike Piazza on the all time list and giving him the most in team history.
It was his second game-winning RBI of this season.
Wright also registered the 15th four-hit game of his career last night and his first since June 24, 2009 vs. St. Louis.
Wright is on the verge of toppling other team records this season.
- 70 more RBI to become the Mets’ all-time leader in RBI.
- 24 more runs to become the Mets’ all-time leader in runs scored.
- 40 hits away from No. 2 on Mets’ all-time leaders in hits, and only 270 hits away from No. 1.
About the Author: Craig Lerner
I'm a data analyst and researcher for a leading news agency who loves life and is hooked on the Mets. I love following the Amateur Draft and have a particular fondness for the Mets Minor Leagues who I follow each day. Give me a cold beer, a summer day, and a Mets game, and I'm good to go.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 30 | .583 | - |
| Phillies | 35 | 37 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Nationals | 34 | 36 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Mets | 27 | 40 | .403 | 12.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 48 | .314 | 19.0 |
Last updated: 06/19/2013
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Still not clutch
/Francesa drone
Imagine how many more GWRBI he would have if he wasn’t a “choker who peed on his leg in tight spots.”
Great job DW!
To the above commenters Wright HAS been a “choker who pees on his leg in tight spots”.
Yes I’m happy he’s gotten a couple important hits early in the season and he’s starting to resemble the old David Wright from 2005, 2006 regular season but it’s still been 4 games and like ANY player on this team – it’s STILL BEEN 4 games.
If Wright kept this up the whole year and in the unlikely event the Mets are in a pennant race in September then I want to see him, just like anybody else, step up and get big hits in big spots with the season on the line.
Mike Piazza would make a habit of it that’s the the above stats are so misleading so let’s not confuse the two.
So yes it’s good to see Wright get a single to drive in 2 runs in an important spot and i’m happy to see it but before you CLOWNS (like the first 2 posters) start bragging and pounding your chests about how stupid the unclutch claims are..just settle down.
Settle down and let’s see how it plays out the rest of the season before you start pounding your chests. Mets fans have a tendency to start pounding their chests too quickly.
A good start after 4 games does not erase the propensity for failing when the team needed him the most the last 4 years (not counting 2009 which i will give him a pass for and I think that’s very fair)
So just take a deep breath and relax. Hopefully he can pull an “A-Rod” and turn it around but the only way to know that is to see how it plays out.
I love how the guy who heaped praise on Cory Vaughn for a Spring training home run, saying thats something he’s never seen wright do is now elcturing us that its too early.
If I could show you proof Wright does perform well in “clutch” situations, will you put away this stupid delusion?
And why do you constantly ignore Wright dragging the team kicking and screaming to one game shy of the playoffs in 2008?
Why did you guys bait him in the first place?
Give respect, get respect. Bayonne calls everyone names, lies, twists, distorts, spins, takes thing out of context and has no credibility. The other day he in a discussion of GB’s vs. fly balls he claimed that GB’s can be bad when the infield is in, when the whole reason you bring the infield in is in the hope that you will get a GB. He also brought up the fact that GB’s on astro turf aren’t always a good thing and then tried to pretend he wasn’t aware that no NL teams have even had astro turf in the last 5 years.
He claims that Phillips “signed” Olerud when it was Mcilvaine who traded for him. He calls Des out continually for some semi retired work Manuel was planning to do, told Des if he kept bringing up Havens he was gonna start not liking Havens and that he “played all the way up to college ball” whatever that means. Connie Mack? American Legion? high school? Who knows.
Bayonne’s a chimp.
As discussed before i did not know who had artificial turf or even if it was around anymore. Now I know Tampa Bay and somebody else have it. I did not lie.
I lied about what I think can happen with the infield in and a groundball? Of course if you bring the infield in on artificial turf it can be dangerous and a groundball can quickly go through for a hit but that’s the chance you have to take depending on the situation.
Yes I thought Phillips signed Olerud, i was wrong but I was not lying. I think most people think that Phillips signed Olerud.
You’re right i have confronted Des with those exact things.
I think you’re nuts dude. Who else writes 25 paragraph manifestos every single day? LIke I said before you’re like the homeless guy in the City subways who sit alone muttering to themselves or anyone who listens. They mumble about the government and religious stuff and yes you realize they do know their facts somewhat..but it’s their ability to process the information that is what distinguishes them as mentally challenged.
That’s you and your daily mutterings about the Mets drafts.
Chimp, if you recall In the discussion of GB’s vs. fly balls (in regard to keeping Boyer vs. Acosta) I stated I preferred Acosta but also pointed out some benefits of us having a GB pitcher in the pen.
You pointed out that GB are not always a benefit for instance when you bring the infield in. when in fact the whole reason you bring the infield in is to GET a GB, knowing full well it may not be right at one of your infielders. If the reason you bring the infield in, and you are aware of what the possibilities are, then why would getting a GB be a a bad thing? That’s what your hoping for.
Then you pointed out that GB’s get through more quickly on astro turf, even though we don’t play any games on astro turf, as if that was a reason not to have a GB reliever in the pen.
Then you tried to pretend that you were unaware that there are no astro turf fields in the NL even though there haven’t been any in five years. Even though it’s obvious in watching a game due to the difference in the way the game plays, not to mention how the field looks with cutouts around the bases instead of the infield skin.
Most people do not believe that Phillips “signed” Olerud. Most Met fans are well aware that Mcilvaine traded for him.
Most people erronousley “credit” Phillips for trading Kazmir (it was Duquette), maybe that’s what you were thinking. Either way chimp, when I corrected you, you told me you would rather spit on me. Typical chimp move.
It is really the ramblings of a rabid chimp that continually blames Wright for failing in the clutch when it was the lack of a credible rotation, a horrendously reconfigured bullpen and the lack of the table setters that led to our collapses in 2007 and 2008.
Wright had 4 of his best months as a professional in Aug and Sept of 2007 and 2008. Only an agenda driven chimp would continously harp on a guy who did his job while giving a pass to those who didn’t.
You are a lying twisting spinning chimp.
“You’re right i have confronted Des with those exact things.”
Bayonne, your comments about Jerry Manuel and his return to California, as described by George Vecsey in the Oct. 3, 2010 story in the New York Times, is irrational. Because it’s consistent with what Manuel said three years earlier, you get a hissy fit and say that it’s been made up by me. If you really feel that way, I think you’re nuts.
PS: I think when you keep putting bigger chips on your shoulder, and getting more resentful, you’re not doing yourself a favor. You turn from a moderately well informed Mets fan, a get along person, into a vindictive, nasty person. You have the choice who you want to be. It’s up to you.
PPS: I said the guy of the future at 2B will be Reese Havens if his health holds up. Do you really think it’s going to be Tejada if Havens is healthy? I also said the on-field coaches and Terry will decide who plays 2B this year. Do you disagree with this? Murphy is not Tejada, no way, shape or form. Murphy can hit well, Tejada can field well. I’ve said this many times. Now just what are you disagreeing with me about?
To the CLOWN who constantly posts about Wright “not being clutch,” which he never has once backed up with anything other than his opinion, which is less than credible to say the least, I don’t feel that he has been either exceedingly clutch or not clutch. Just a little better than average in that area.
If there was any hitter on the team “not clutch” in 2007 it would have to be Reyes .205 BA in Sept 2007 w/5 SB and 4 CS. 2008 was .243. We’ve been through the traditional stats with Wright a number of times. The facts are that in August and September of 2007 and 2008 he had four of his best months as a professional.
The reality of those teams is that the starting rotation broke down, the backups couldn’t get past the 4th inning, the bull pen couldn’t hold a lead and Wagner, Schowenweiss, Heilman, Mota, Sosa, Sele and all the rest blew game after game. Wagner was as useful in those pennant races as he was in the NLCS.
The decision to remake the bullpen after 2006 was probably the right one by Omar but he just didn’t fill it out well. He also counted on El-Duque remaining healthy, Pedro coming back, Glavine holding up and an ill prepared Pelfrey and Humber as well as Sosa for depth.
2008 the pen blew 28 saves. They were clutch?
The idea that a 40 year old who had rarely remained healthy in his 20′s could be counted on in LF in 2007 was a real leap of faith, expecting that same now 41 year old to play LF in 2008 was just foolish. Half a season of Gomez and Milledge in LF and a year of a 35 year old Green in RF isn’t going to get too many teams into October.
To pin the blame for those collapses on one player is as foolish as signing Scott Schowenweiss, Oliver Perez or Luis Castillo to a multi year contract.
T Agee, the real answer is this: Wright’s a .305/.384/.516 hitter over his career. In high leverage, or “clutch” situations, he’s a career .319/.390/.530. Yes, it’s a little better. But very similar.
The point is, players can’t change who they are or increase their talent level at certain sutations. A .300 hitter is a .300 hitter is a .300 hitter is a .300 hitter. If Wright has struggled in “clutch” spots the last year or two, it’s because he probably over produced in the years prior and had to regress to the mean. It doesn’t mean he was a good or great clutch player in the past and it doesn’t mean he sucked recently. It means he’s a career .310/.385./.520 or so hitter and given enough plate appearances, all his situational splits will reflect that.
But wait, I saw in a game once he blew it late in the game with a RISP and he didn’t drive them in, I even mentioned it in the shout box. He is so unclutch I tell you, I saw it once, and said it outloud.
I also played the game.
What exactly is a “high leverage situation”? For example: if we are up by two runs in the top of 9th inning and David Wright hits a solo homerun, does that count in his stats for high leverage situations?
If it’s counting situations like that, then it tells us nothing about David Wright being clutch or unclutch. Because I wouldn’t call that a clutch hit.
“Those are just numbers” X. No I’m only kidding. The fact is when playing baseball, the harder you try, sometimes the worse you do. It’s not like other sports. Fact is it’s always been a team game, always will be. Considering how Wright, Delgado, Beltran and Alou hit at the end of 2007 we should have scored a lot more runs. We didn’t because there weren’t as many base runners as there should have been. .205 at the top of the order was a big reason why.
As a hitter your gonna fail in the clutch more often than your going to succeed which really makes the implosion of the bull pen much more the culprit than anything else as well as the age of the rotation with no adequate protection.
To lay the blame of 2007 and 2008 on someone who did hit is as stupid as giving up a #1 draft choice for a 40 year old outfielder or two #1 draft choices for a DH when you play in the NL.
Wright strikes out with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 out for the 2nd time already this season but am I going “See? See?”.
NO.
I’m only pointing it out now for the “Chest Pounders” to relax and not go crazy because of a 3rd inning single and a HR.
Let it play out and lets see as the season progresses – do we see the “New” Wright? Or the “Same ol’”Wright.
So far i’ve seen evidence of BOTH. Hopefully as the season progresses it’s the new one that prevails – but ease on the chest pounding.
Wrights K’s over the past two years are alarming high – no one will argue that.
The problem that people have is that you make him out to be an awful hitter, a stat padder and just make up lies about the guy. All his his come in June and July against bad teams.
You have the nerve to blame him for the crash of 07 when he had the best numbers of his careers because YOU don’t want to discuss numbers, you know what you saw. I guess you didn’t see the bullpen blowing games at an alarming rate while the greatest GM sat on his hands and did jack squat. No no. After putting the team in the position to win, the bullpen blows it, Wright didn’t save their arse in the 9th inning every time you pin the fault on Wright.
Yet went called out to show proof of what games the Mets could have won but didn’t because of Wright you have nothing but “I know what I saw”………
Then come out and bash the newest GM before the season even starts because YOU don’t like sabre-metrics………….which has been proven successful. It’s not your style so it sucks. Well lets go back to having a GM that does nothing and you can blame Wright on everything.
I’ll talk the same ol Wright any day, the guy that hits .300 and hits close to 30 hr’s, and over 100 rbi’s year after year. I and the majority of fans with at least half a brain are smart enough to know that all his numbers are not for nothing.
Nobody ever said Wright was an awful hitter. People say he isn’t a CLUTCH hitter, big difference there. There’s also guys who are bad hitters but are good in the clutch….
The problem with all these “clutch stats” is that they aren’t really CLUTCH STATS. They are flawed. According to Wright’s high leverage stats from last year, he had 125 AB’s with 7HR’s 46 RBI – There is no way possible that he had that many clutch hits, I don’t think it’s possible for ANYBODY to have that many. And if somebody did have that many, we would remember them wouldn’t we? Can you name me THREE CLUTCH hits he had last year? According to his high leverage stats he had 33 hits, so giving me three of his clutch hits should be pretty easy right?
That’s the problem, they use stats that don’t tell us anything about him being clutch or not, but they give a nice name like “high leverage situations” so nobody can argue with it.
So, because you personally don’t recall him getting what you consider a “clutch” hit, he isn’t clutch?
Why don’t you go look it up yourself? I told you to do it over an hour ago. If he had 33 clutch hits last year, when did he hit them? What game? Or is it that you know I’m right about this, so you don’t want answer any of my questions?
I think that’s it.
No, it’s more like I’d have better luck talking to a brick wall.
I like how you can just declare “high leverage situations” and flawed stat but your vague notion of clutch is perfectly acceptable, even though you have yet to define it.
I defined it two times already today in the shoutbox. t agee got what I said, and he gave some examples, he knew what I was talking about and I’m sure you do also.
Your just avioding the question because you can’t answer it.
You didn’t define it, you gave vague examples.
T agee played your game and still proved you wrong. I simply refuse to play your game. I don’t feel like running around and jumping through hoops so you can move the goal posts or flat out lie.
this guy donal is the latest sick puppy to infiltrate and pollute this site. To accuse a guy like Vinnie B of lying is a disgrace.
Vinnie asked him some clear cut questions, the moron can’t answer them as is the case most of the time..and he accuses one of the most intelligent posters on this site of lying.
These numbers guys not only lack any insight into the game they also lack insight into life itself. And the most infuriating thing about this idiot is he is “defiantly stupid”. Just reads things and thinks he knows the answers when it could not be any clearer that when you see this guy type he borders on Forest Gump territory.
But that’s the new breed here.
Vague examples? what are talking about? I told you to find how many times he drove in the tying or winning run late in the game. That’s vague? yeah, ok Donal.
And how did t agee prove me wrong? by giving 5 or 6 examples of David wright being a clutch? Of course he’s going to have a few clutch hits in his career, I knew that, and I actually gave some examples myself…..The guy has been playing for 8 seasons, played in two close division races, and one playoff apperence and that’s it? And one of his examples was a GS he hit in the 5th inning against the O’s in june, in a game we won 9-4.
If anything that proves that I’m right, he isn’t really clutch.
Look, David Wright’s a very good player, but I don’t think he’s clutch….Hopefully he will change this year. Let’s see.
10/2 Broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run jack in the 7th.
7/31 Hit a two-run double down by 2 in the 7th.
9/28 Hit a two-run jack down by 2 in the 6th.
8/17 Hit a solo job down by one in the 8th.
7/30 Hit a two run jack down by one in the 3rd.
9/21 Hit a solo home run down by one in the 8th.
7/30 Hit a three-run homer down by three in the 1st.
9/29 Hit a two-run homer down by one in the 4th.
8/21 Hit a three-run homer up by one in the 5th.
That’s just a few from late in the season. Should I add some more from before the end of July? Or will you drop this silly charade?
A lot of those are GOOD hits, not clutch hits. See that’s the problem we are having. You think when he has a GOOD game you think it’s clutch, when it’s really just a GOOD game. ON 8/21 he hit a three run HR down by one in the 5th inning – that’s GOOD, but is that clutch? I don’t think it is.
Oh and are you really counting a HR in the 3rd inning a clutch hit? I remember that game against the d-backs, when he hit 2 HR’s. Yes it was a very good game for Wright but It wasn’t a clutch game.
If your gonna count THAT as a clutch hit, we might as well count every one of his homeruns as “clutch”.
It was certainly clutch. They were down by one, he hit a two run home run to take the lead. You think clutch only comes in the late innings? So I guess his hit today was clutch to you? Two outs in the 8th inning. Forget it was 10-0 already. Tying games or taking leads doesn’t matter, it just has to be late in the game.
It has to be a HIGH PRESSURE at bat with the game or the season on the line. Being down 10-0 in the 8th innnig isn’t a high pressure situation at all – you should know this.
I can’t believe I have to explain this. ugh.
You’re talking yourself in circles. So the game can’t be on the line early in the game? Important plate appearances only come when? The 7th or later? 8th or later? Please, educate us.
So Wright’s single in the third the other day to give the Mets the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish wasn’t clutch? Sure, they won by six runs and it was the third inning, but if you think that hit wasn’t clutch, you’re out of your mind.
How about career Win probability added? This doesn’t address Vinny’s critera (c’mon Vinny SEASON on the line, that’s going too far) doesn’t guarantee it’s late inning but what it does do is measure success of a hitter in the context of what they did in game changing moments.
Any takers?
A high pressure AB can come at anytime in the game. Of course. It depends on the situation. Yes I would call driving in a run to take the lead on the road against your division rival a clutch hit. And the hit against the marlins in the 10th inning the other night was clutch too. Hopefully this year he countines to get clutch hits like that, and help us het to the postseason.
But I wouldn’t call an AB in the 1st inning down 3-0 against the d-backs who probably had the worst bullpen that year, a high pressure AB.
Going too far? So in late Sept of 07 and 08 the season wasn’t on the line? they weren’t VERY HIGH pressure AB’s?
Did anyone catch Ron Darling’s rhetorical question after Ruiz single to drive in Francisco with no one out, a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th, 6th game of the season?
“How good is Ruiz in the clutch?”
Vinny that comprises 2 months of an eight year career.
huh? Nobody can define it? I just did! I told you that it’s a extremely high pressure AB with the game or the season on the line. If you notice I didn’t say “game AND season on the line.” I said “game OR season on the line.” Big difference there.
That’s what I like to call “XtreemIcon doesn’t know how to read.”
No, you told me what you THOUGHT it was. You gave your OPINION. Get the difference?
Ok cool. I gave you my opinion, and you gave me YOUR opinion.
Your “opinion” is full of half-truths, generalities, guessing and suppositions. My “opinion” is factually based with support, proof and fundamental knowledge of baseball.
Since I went a rattled off eight or nine clutch hits Wright had last year in only the span of two months, why don’t you be a dear and do a little research and find someone, anyone, just one person respected in the game who can be quoted as defining “clutch” and grace us with that person’s definition. Not just the quote, also the link to it.
your opinion is NOT factually based with support, proof and fundamental knowledge of baseball. You don’t have ANY proof at all – Those weren’t clutch hits, maybe you, or some other people have a different opinion about what it is, and that’s fine. but in my opinion I think a clutch AB is a very high pressure AB usually late in the game – you have NOT given me ANY proof how he did in that type of situation.
The double he hit off Rivera was a clutch hit, the go ahead HR off Codero was a clutch HR, and the hit the other night against the Marlins was too – that’s the kind of hits I’m talking about. Your talking about HR’s he hit when the season was pretty much over, and hits very early in games agaisnt some of the worst teams in the league – there’s nothing clutch about that.
So, “clutch” has no definition, it’s just what you say it is.
Do you understand why that makes you a hypocrite?
If your watching a game, your gonna know when it’s a high pressure AB. And if they get a hit under that situation then it’s a clutch hit. A high pressure situation will most likely come late in the game. Ok?
An AB in the 1st inning against Arizona isn’t a high pressure AB. But an AB against one of the best closer’s of all time, and you have the winning run on base, THAT’S a high pressure AB. Do you realize how different those two situations are?
Yes, high leverage situations do tend to be later in the game.
But you still haven’t defined “clutch”. You are just declaring various random scenerios “clutch” and then accusing of us just labeling something when in fact there are specific parameters that a situation must meet before being labeled as high leverage.
I think I defined it like 100 times already. So I know if i’m gonna try again, whatever I say isn’t going to be good enough for you, so why don’y YOU define it for me?
According to ExtreemIcon, the AB in the first inning against Arizona was a “high leaverage situation.” But so would be the AB against Rivera in 06. That’s very flawed because the AB against Rivera was in a MUCH bigger spot than the one against Arizona. So why do they count as the same? Aren’t some high leverage situations HIGHER leverage siuations than others?
“I think I defined it like 100 times already”
Nope, you give vague examples.
“So I know if i’m gonna try again, whatever I say isn’t going to be good enough for you, so why don’y YOU define it for me?”
Because you just dismiss it. Why waste my time?
“According to ExtreemIcon, the AB in the first inning against Arizona was a “high leaverage situation.” But so would be the AB against Rivera in 06. That’s very flawed because the AB against Rivera was in a MUCH bigger spot than the one against Arizona. ”
Why? What is the scale?
” So why do they count as the same? Aren’t some high leverage situations HIGHER leverage siuations than others?”
Oh, ya, there is a scale. The problem for you is, its more complicated than “clutch or not”
I’m wasting my time here, I told you so many times already what it is, and what I was looking for, and you told me nothing. You just avioded my questions because you can’t answer them.
After having this discussion, think it’s obvious that wright isn’t a clutch hitter. Since you all think he’s a clutch hitter, I asked all of you to give me the clutch hits in his career, and you didn’t answer, Xtree, gave me hits he got when the season was pretty much over, and hits very early in games against bad teams – that was NOT what I was looking for.
And t agee gave 5 or 6 examples of him being clutch, but the problem with that was he’s been playing for 8 years, two close playoff races, and one playoff apperence and that’s all he’s got? 5 or 6 in 8 years? That doesn’t sound very clutch to me.
That’s right, Vinny. When the evidence contrasts your preconceived notion, the evidence is wrong. Warp the facts to fit your outcome.
That’ll get you far.
Only t agee gave me what I was looking for, but he only gave a few of them, i think if were are going to call a player who’s been around as long he has, and played in as many big games as wright, clutch, we need more than a few hits.
Extreem gave me what I already knew. I knew Wright could get hits early in games against bad teams.
And you? you all you proved is that Wright didn’t have many clutch hits, because all your doing is avoiding my questions!
The problem with that is, you’re under the strange assumption you’re 100% right. T Agee gave you what YOU were looking for. That doesn’t make your definition right. You’ve yet to find me one single solitary person in baseball who agrees with your definition.
So, you don’t even know how many of these “clutch” opportunities he’s had? You just assume he’s had a lot?
And you still don’t see why your postition is untenable?
I can name four clutch hits form the mets catchers last year.
Barajas hit a go-ahead HR in the 9th inning,off Cordero. And hit a walk off HR. Blanco hit a walkoff HR the next day, and Thole hit a walkoff HR too.
If they were able to hit FOUR, in a SEASON, Wright should be able to have more than 5 or 6 in his CAREER. He’s been playing for 8 seasons, so he’s had plenty of opprotunites.
Stop worrying about my “defintion” of clutch. You know what, just forget the word clutch for now….This is about how many BIG hits he has in his career. Like Driving in the winning run, or the tying run late in the game, walkoff hits, ect – THAT’S what I want to know, how he hits in those situations, and I don’t think he hits well in those spots. And none of you have proven that he does hit good in those spots.
So, you’re just not reading what everyone else is saying?
Good? If those are merely good, then you have no idea what clutch is. Every single one of those hits either tied the game or gave them the lead. All late in the season and most late in the game.
Late in the season? We had had no chance of making the playoffs late in the season. The season was pretty much over then.
I think you have no idea what clutch is. A Clutch AB is an exteremly high pressure AB, with the game or the season on the line. Most of your examples the season is already over, and in some the game just started really. down 3-0 in the 1st against the d-backs, who had an awful bullpen last year, isn’t a lot of pressure at all.
A clutch at bat is an at bat that has a huge determining effect on the game. Has nothing to do with “pressure.” You can feel pressure for anything, at any time. Pressure has nothing to with whether it’s an important part of the game or not.
If your just going by who had the most impact on the game, of course Wright will have a lot of impact because he’s a very good player. But that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about how he does in the high pressure AB’s with the game on the line.
Your talking about how much determining effect he has on the game, and i’m sure he has a lot, but in my opinion he’s not a clutch player. And you have shown nothing so far to to prove that he’s a clutch player, you have just shown that he’s a very good player. Most those hits came when the season was already over, or very early in games against bad teams. Nothing clutch about that.
He’s off to a good start this year in the clutch, so hopefully that will continue.
Alright. I don’t know much about the stat but I found it interesting but like I said I didn’t think it would fit your criteria.
I don’t have a dog in this fight. I never said he was or wasn’t clutch but I am sick of hearing him blamed when no one else every is for 2007 and 2008 especially when he did hit well in Aug and Sept of those years.
One thing I would point out though is that he has less chances due to us having so many holes in the lineup and so many 1-2-3- innings from the bottom of the order costs him AB’s.
If you moved any hitter into Boston’s lineup they would have more clutch hits simply due to opportunity, conversely if you moved many hitters into ours, they would have less opportunities during the last couple of years at least.
Aaaaaaaaaand scene!
Folks, that little skit is what I like to call “There is No Such Thing as Clutch.” No one can define it. The “close and late” stat? Pure garbage. It’s a “close and late” plate appearance if you’re down by five in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and come up with the bases loaded. You can hit the ball a million miles, still not win or even tie the game, and it counts as “clutch.” However, Vinny seems to think that clutch hits only take place when……what was his quote? “…with the game or the season on the line.”
And that’s obviously not true. We all know clutch hits can come at all times. I mean, Wright gets killed for leaving Murphy at third base, but we all know both the game AND the season wasn’t on the line there. When Wright struck out, was the game over? No, that was only the first out. And there was another inning left! And correct me if I’m wrong, but that wasn’t game 162, was it? I mean, if the Mets had won some games after that game, could they have still made the playoffs?
So according to Vinny, we can no longer blame Wright for that one, because it wasn’t a “clutch” situation.
Or, we can do the logical and smart thing. We can keep stats on plate appearances of which the outcome has a huge impact on deciding the game. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna call that PA against the Cubs a high leverage situation, and I’m also gonna call the two-run single Tuesday high leverage, as well, even though it was the third inning. It was a huge hit. Similarly, when the Mets are in a real early hole, like say 3-0 in the first inning, and Wright homers the Mets right back into the game, I’m gonna go ahead and call that a big hit in a big spot.
It’s just the right thing to do.
Just think of it like this:
A clutch AB is going to be a very high pressure AB. Being down 3-0 in the first against Arizona isn’t really a high pressure situation. A high pressure situaion MOST of the time will be late in the game with the game on the line, and if it’s late in the season and your still in it, the season will be on the line too. Sure there are some high pressure AB’s early in the game. Like the other night against PHI. But the majority of high pressure AB’s will be late in the game.
It’s unbelievable how precise I have to be with the words I chose, because if I’m not, it will get turned into something else. Like what your saying about the AB against the Cubs. OF COURSE it was a clutch AB. Everyone knows that. Your making it sound like I’m saying it’s only a clutch AB if it’s the last game of the season, which is not what I meant, and you know that too.
If it’s a hit in high pressure situation, which would most of the time be late in the game, then it’s a clutch hit. Got it? And a lot of those hits you gave me were not hit in high pressure situaions.
And I also never said they lost ONLY because of Wright. That’s not true, I know the bullpen was awful but when the bullpen gave up runs the Mets STILL had opportunities to overcome it and that’s where guys like Wright & Reyes failed in the clutch because we still had opportunities. Wright was especially awful in big spots in September of 2008. He went into the month with about 120 RBIs or so and I remember thinking, along with some other people that he could have had over 140 except that he left so many men on in important situations. Maybe he did hit .300 in September of that year but he still left many men on base in times that would have changed the game so I know exactly what I saw. I don’t need to see the actual numbers written down. That’s how i roll.
Reyes was more of the culprit in 2007 for hitting horrible when we needed him the most and not hustling but Wright was there also leaving runners on in big spots as well.
I know the bullpen was awful but the topic is Wright. The bullpen was awful but we still had chances too. It was a team collapse but there were also central figures in those 2 collapses and outside the bullpen the central figures were Wright & Reyes. Reyes more so in 2007 and Wright much more is to blame in 2008. I don’t mention Beltran and Delgado because those were guy who were getting big hits in big spots for us, they were not responsible for the collapses of 07 & 08.
What big hits did Beltran and Delgado get in September, you honest believe they drove in every single man that was on base late in games?
What/how many games in September 08 did Wright leave guys on base late in the game, after the bullpen blew it?
I’m sure it happened, but no player, ever, is going to get it done 100% of the time.
I would like to know how you remember Delgado and Beltran got it done, but Wright didn’t.
No kidding no player will be clutch 100% of the time. Did I say or insinuate that Beltran and Delgado drove in every single guy on base late in games? Is that what you think I said?
Don’t be stupid because nobody here believes that any player can come through in big spots 100% all the time so don’t make it sound like that’s what i’m saying because it’s not and I know you know it’s not.
How many discussions over the years in here have we had about Carlos Delgado being a guy who chokes in big spots? Probably none. Why? Because you get a reputation that’s why.
If you expect me to go back and look at exact games back in the 2007 & 2008 seasons and point out every time Wright choked or Delgado or Beltran had a big hit in an important spot than forget it. You do it, i’m no.. I watched all those games just like you did and I know what I come away with. Just because you watched the same games i did with a different interpretation doesn’t mean i’m going to go back and pick out certain instances.
I’m sure Delgado & Beltran have left men on big spots in their Mets careers but not even close at the rate Wright has or even Reyes had. Outside of the tough changeup Beltran struck out on and despite the arguments for or against his hustle, attitude, etc. I would say Carlos Beltran is a guy I would like to have up in a big spot, same with Delgado when he was here. Have you ever seen posts here about Beltran’s lack of clutchness?
Some people just get nervous and think too much when they have to bat in a high pressure situation, usually late in the game. Off the top of my head last year I can remember walk off hits from Josh Thole, Ruben Tejada, Ike Davis…maybe Angel Pagan, in fact Angel Pagan was very clutch for us last year. Even Luis Castillo had a walk off single. Now don’t come back with a snarky remark like “So you think Castillo is more clutch than Wright” I’m not saying that. My point is lots of guys have walk off hits, some have a special knack for it regardless of talent level but it’s amazing the lack of big impact hits guys like Wright and even Reyes have had in their Mets careers, especially when we were fighting for a pennant. Usually the big hits and big moments were attained by other guys like LoDuca, Ramon Castro, Cliff Floyd and yes Beltran and Delgado. Reyes and especially Wright have had very little impact in that area and it’s remarkable considering the amount of offense these guys are involved in.
You have absolutey no facts just what was “said” in the past and what you remember.
Wright was NOT clutch in 10, 09 was a lost cause for the whole team, but you are WRONG when you say he hasn’t been clutch since 06. You refuse to look at numbers and refuse to prove otherwise.
You are going on what you “think” go with that. You are wrong, but if it helps you sleep at night go ahead.
The fact that you even mentioned LoDuca is comical. The guy that people say had “grit” was nothing more then a roid rage temper tantrum. He got his butt thrown out of TOO many games when we were in a penent race but you forget that because he was “firey” NO he was an immature jerk that was thrown out of games when we needed him most.
Your memory is quite selective.
Well said Jerry. I mean to blame one guy, and only one guy, for the collapse in either year is a joke. Everyone knows that anything can happen in a baseball game but if you had your choice would you have chosen in game 162 must win situation to start a lineup featuring Ramon Castro, Ramon Martinez, Nick Evans and Ryan Church? I mean Church, Schneider and Castillo were the big off season acquisitions and two of them couldn’t be trusted in a winner take all game. I know FL pitched a LHP but still c’mon.
Would you choose Ollie? Well he had come up big before, but still.
How about the following relievers? Smith, Stokes, Schowenweiss, Ayala, Feliciano and Parnell?
How about Murphy and Cancel as your pinch hitters? How about 4 hits in the entire game?
Schowenweiss and Ayala in the 8th inning. Please.
How about 44 blown leads in the whole season? 9 walk off losses? A 6-16 record in games tied in the 7th inning?
A .323 BA with 14 2B, 13 HR’s, 41 R, 41 RBI, 24 BB’s in August and September of 2008 and it’s all his fault.
If Schneider, Church and Castillo combined had done that we go to the playoffs in a cake walk.
If we had a bullpen that didn’t include Schowenweiss and Ayala we clinch before the Marlins series even starts.
Wright is a very good player who, at times, tries to do too much in crucial situations. One of the big reasons is because anyone good in front of him or behind him (Reyes, Delgado, Beltran, Bay) has been injured in recent years.
If the rest of the team is healthy and doing their job we will se incredible things from David. If not – he will press.
Exactly. He went from being one of the guys to being, at times, the only guy, and because of the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th hitters going 1-2-3 twice a game he gets less AB’s than most 3,4,5, hitters do.
David Wright already has 7 strikeouts in 5 games, that would put him ahead of last years pace of 161 strikeouts. The 7 K’s are more than Reyes, Pagan and Davis combined!
I forgot to include the main reason I wanted to comment. You forgot to include another David Wright milestone. He is 154 strikeouts away from being the all-time Strikeout King.
Wright’s K’s are out of control. That pitch he swung at against Hamels in the first inning almost bounced before it got to the plate and was well outside as well.
Once someone figures out where the holes in your swing or approach are, then everyone knows because they all watch the same film.
He’s only been hit 5 times in the last 2+ years but gets brushed back and vacates the outside third of the plate and I never see him out in front where he hits a line drive into the stands along 3rd base. For that matter I never see him hit a line drive into the RF stands. All of his foul balls are straight back all the time. The good wood AND the just late/just early contact isn’t there. He’s late, its off the handle or he can’t get to it.