It may only be spring training, but David Wright is starting to look like his old self again. In Sunday’s game against the Yankees, Wright launched an opposite field home run off of CC Sabathia.
Then on Tuesday, Wright went 1-for-3 and blasted a towering two-run homer off Collin McHugh, his third of the spring. His average now stands at .303 with a .565 slugging and .916 OPS.
A thing of beauty. #SpringTraining http://t.co/2qJxrP5Nbr pic.twitter.com/xNKgjDbLPt
— New York Mets (@Mets) March 24, 2015
Wright played through a shoulder injury last season, which significantly limited his power. The Mets shut him down in September, and he spent the off season recovering.
Terry Collins calls a potential power resurgence from Wright “huge” (ESPN New York).
“The question has been: Has he got his power back?” Collins said. “Well, he’s hit a home run over the batter’s eye [against Roark]. And that ball he hit to right field [against Sabathia] was hit good. And that’s where his power is, so I think the strength’s back. The shoulder is fine.”
According to Collins, another great sign that Wright’s injury is healed is a diving stop he made on a ground ball off the bat of Mark Teixeira
“If his shoulder is bothering him, he wouldn’t have dived for that ball,” Collins said. “It just shows us David Wright is back. And that’s why I say, if he comes back and does what he always does, you’ve got to like our team.”
Wright was asked if he could have hit a home run to right field last year with his shoulder injury.
“I don’t know,” Wright said. “That’s tough to even try to compare. It’s just difficult. Physically, I’m obviously feeling better. I think mechanically I feel better.”
“I think one of my strengths is hitting the ball the other way,” Wright said. “It’s good that you get a pitch that you can hit the other way and you hit it hard the other way, especially against an elite starting pitcher.”
Thoughts: Aside from Harvey’s return to the mound, this might be the most encouraging report this spring. When Wright was in his prime, it was his ability to drive the ball to right field that made him such a dangerous hitter.
The fact that he is displaying this type of power again is fantastic news, and it shows that he is capable of having a strong bounce back season. Add to that his play at the hot corner, particularly his strong throwing, and the Mets captain is showing no ill-effects from the shoulder issue that clouded his future this offseason.
