No he is not the David Wright he used to be, but he has been a pretty good contributor out of the two spot this year in the lineup. The captain was 2-for-3 on Saturday night with three walks, successfully reaching base in all five plate appearances in the 6-3 win over the Padres.
He launched a homer in the ninth inning, his fourth of the season, giving the Mets some much needed cushion on the way to their 18th victory of the season.
His batting average is below his career norm, standing at only .258. Wright is a .297 lifetime hitter. His OBP though stands at a very respectable .405. His OPS has not been too shabby as well, being at .877, the third best mark on the team behind Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto.
Wright currently also sits with a formidable wRC+ of 142, his best since 2013 when he was at 157. Battling spinal stenosis for the first time through a full season has made him a different player, but he has still shown his ability to contribute.
“I haven’t been swinging it the way that I would like to,” Wright said. “But the thing that, I guess, excites me — the thing that I feel good about — is I am getting on base for the guys who swing the bats really well behind me. You want to get hits. You want to drive runs in. But when that’s not happening, you try to do other things to help the team win. And, for me, that’s getting on base, scoring some runs. It’s part of hitting at the top of the order.” (ESPN)
Wright, 33, has fit in nicely to the number two spot in the lineup. He has shown the ability to keep the line moving and get on base when needed, as well as drive in runs when the opportunity presents itself. Wright got the series finale against San Diego off, as has become the norm for day games after night games.
(Updated 5/9)
