Although the Mets position players are not due to report to Port St. Lucie until February 24th, David Wright is already putting in work on the field and talking to the media. He sat down for about 25 minutes on Sunday with various members of the media to talk about his shoulder, his expectations for the season, playoff baseball and more.
Here are a few key points extracted from his interview with ESPN’s Adam Rubin:
- Wright commented on his shoulder, saying “It’s not something i’m worried about at all.” Wright missed significant time last season because of stretched out ligaments in his non-throwing shoulder that he suffered sliding head first into a base. He also noted that “I guess you really don’t know until you play games,” in reference to the strength of his shoulder at the present time.
- Wright admits that at age 32, it is unrealistic for him to play in all 162 games this season. He understands that his body needs rest sometimes and he will not fight Terry Collins on the issue when it comes to giving him some off-days.
- “Talk is cheap,” Wright said when it comes to speaking about October baseball, especially in February. “It’s about backing it up.”
- The captain noted that he may not have ever before been a part of a team with such a strong pitching staff. He also drew comparisons of the Mets current bullpen to that of the 2006 playoff team.
Avery’s Thoughts:
I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that there is more weight on David’s shoulders than ever before. Between the young flame throwers in the rotation, the dynamic role players in the pen, and a mix of young guys and veterans in the lineup, this is the best team David has been on in the last handful of years. There is a lot of expectation of this team making a potential playoff push, at least for a Wild Card. The team, the fans and the front office expect this team to be playing meaningful games in September.
In order for this to happen, Wright must be a new man from the one we saw on the field last year. Fans can blame the shoulder injury for the captain’s woeful season, but Wright won’t use that as an excuse. Wright batted .269/.324/.374 last year while batting eight home runs and driving in 63. That is just not the level of production that is going to carry this team to October baseball.
The pitching is there. Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Jacob DeGrom present one of the youngest and most dynamic front-three in all of baseball. The real question is whether the offensive will be able to support it. Bringing in Michael Cuddyer was really the only offensive-minded move Sandy Alderson made this summer and this points to one thing: the front office expects the offensive improvements to come from within. They expect Granderson to not have as slow a start as he did last year. They expect Lucas Duda to continue has power surge while increasing his production against left-handed pitching. While playing stellar defense, the Mets hope Juan Lagares can become a viable top of the lineup hitter that can swipe some bases. And Cuddyer, they hope will be the hitter that one the batting title in 2013.
However, it also starts and ends with Wright. I think it will be smart to give him his days off when he needs them, but he really needs to get into a grove early this season and stay healthy. Especially during the opening stretch of the season when the bulk of New York’s games will be divisional match ups.
All in all, I am excited about the potential of this season. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that this season feels different. There seems to be some magic building and some pieces are finally taking form. That being said, the Mets have a ways to go.
