It is surreal to think it was only 12 years ago that David Wright was walking into Mike Piazza‘s clubhouse. Now, with Piazza being retired, it’s his turn to walk into Wright’s clubhouse:
For the Twitter folks: David Wright welcomes Mike Piazza to #Mets camp on Sunday morning: pic.twitter.com/Yq9k7jLkxz
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinMedia) February 28, 2016
Back then, everyone on the team knew how good Wright was going to be. They saw him as their best chance of ever winning a World Series. Even many of the veteran players saw those unique qualities you look for in a promising prospect bursting with potential and they all took the young David Wright under their wing.
Piazza mentored Wright on how to handle New York and how he should listen to his body. In the following Spring Training, Carlos Beltran took a keen interest in Wright and he’d take him for extra workouts to show him the type of off-the-field work that is needed to succeed in the major leagues. Cliff Floyd also was one of Wright’s early mentors. Not only did he have Wright carry his luggage, he also showed him how to be a big leaguer. They would eventually become like brothers.
It’s now Wright’s turn to return the favor. Recalling the Noah Syndergaard lunch incident last Spring, the Mets captain appears ready, willing, and able to take on the role of leader and mentor. Now, it worked with Syndergaard because Thor was a player that wanted to get better, and he looked up to Wright.
There are still plenty of young Mets players who could learn a lot from Wright. Each of these players should be glued to Wright’s hip learning as much as they possibly can from him. Like Piazza, Beltran, and Floyd before him, Wright can teach these players how to handle New York, how to listen to your body, how to prepare for a season, and how to be a big leaguer. The one player who I think can most benefit right now from Wright’s wisdom is Michael Conforto. In many ways he reminds me of Wright when he first came up.
Conforto is in the same spot Wright once was. He’s on a team with great players. Success in the majors seemingly came easy to him in his first half season as a big leaguer. If the Mets do anything going forward, it’s going to be his bat that’s likely to be a big part of it. He’s also still young with a lot to learn.
Like we did with David Wright all those years ago, we all can see that greatness in Michael Conforto. You can almost see him being a future face of the franchise. Wright should be helping Conforto prepare himself not just for this season, but for his entire career. It would have mutual benefits for all. Helping Conforto could be the key to Wright getting that elusive World Series ring. Listening to Wright could be the key to Conforto having a long and successful Mets career. They need each other.
Who knows? Maybe 12 years from now, we will get to see Michael Conforto as the team’s leader, welcoming a retired David Wright into his clubhouse.
