The View From The Rear View Mirror - Wright, Strawberry

The View From The Rear View Mirror - David Wright, Darryl Strawberry
By Michael Jawitz, AKA: Grubby Glove

David Wright. In the history of New York Mets, third base has been an ongoing challenge. There have been good ones, including Howard Johnson, Wayne Garrett, Ed Charles, Hubie Brooks, Ray Knight, Robin Ventura, Edgardo Alfonzo and Bob Aspromonte. None, however, has taken over the position and stabilized it the way that David Wright has.

Wright was signed out of high school in 2001 and played ball that summer for Kingsport of the Appalachian League, hitting .300. From there it was on to Capital City (2002), St. Lucie (2003), and in 2004, stays in Binghamton and Norfolk. That same season he was brought up to the big club, debuting for the Metropolitans on July 21st against the Montreal Expos.

Mets fans were immediately taken with the young gentleman who seemed to do a great many things on the ball field very well. He played good defense, hit for a high average, showed good power, stole bases and took walks. The only chink in his armor was a tendency to strike out. My take on him at that time was that if the team held baseball-skills only decathlons or pentathlons for its players, he would win. 

He quickly became a go-to guy in the clubhouse when members of the media came looking for an interview or a key quotation. Next came five straight selections as an All-Star, two Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards. Although he never won, he received a lot of votes in the MVP balloting for several years. Many people thought he was the face of the franchise. The future looked bright for the Mets star.

Then came 2009, and with it, two occurrences that effected Wright's play. First, the Mets moved into Citi Field, where home runs go to die. Wright's home run power was quickly erased. Fans saw him begin to makes changes in his approach at the plate, no doubt in response to the new yard's expansive dimensions and high fences. A model of consistency was suddenly flailing. He began striking out at the highest rate of his career. Something was clearly wrong. Then, on August 16th, while batting against the Giants Matt Cain, Wright was struck in the helmet by a blistering fastball. He suffered a concussion, and missed two weeks of play. When he returned, he didn't appear to be the same.

Even though his strike outs went up in 2010, his hitting returned to form, with 29 home runs, 103 RBI's and a .283 batting average. The 2011 season was an injury-filled affair that highlighted some big questions about the Mets star. I saw two games at Citi Field that season. In one of them, Wright crushed two pitches that would have been home runs in any other major league park. At Citi, however, they each bounced off the high wall and fell harmlessly for doubles. I saw him standing at second base and each time his body language reminded me of a balloon whose air was being slowly let out.

We see Wright appears here on his 2008 Topps card. I chose it because he is smiling, and his career is sailing smoothly at this point. The card is simple, with just the team name, the player's name, the "Topps" logo and a facsimile autograph on its front. The card has symmetry to it. The circles at its top are in orange and blue, which certainly resonated with Mets fans.

Who is David Wright now? Is he the dependable player who put up all-star numbers with consistency? Is he the infielder who graces third-base with stellar play, or the one who undermines its efficacy? With Citi Field's dimensions reduced and its walls lowered in the off-season, will 2012 be the year he gets his power stroke back for good? These are some of the compelling questions that are being raised about him at now. Time will tell.

                                           

Darryl Strawberry. I remember the first time I saw Darryl play. It was during a twilight-double header at the Big Shea on June 22, 1983. The first game had Tom Seaver pitching against the Cardinals Bob Forsch. In the bottom of the first, the Mets got a couple of guys on. That’s when he came up to the plate.

I leaned over to the fellow next to me, and said, “Dad, they say this kid has good power.” With that I stood up and yelled in the direction of home plate, “hit the sucker out!” On the very next pitch, Strawberry unleashed a monster home run to deep right field. From that moment on, I always thought of Darryl Strawberry as a good listener.

He was so well known for his power that many people who never saw him play are unaware of another aspect of his game, his speed. He stole an average of 24 bases a season while playing for the Metropolitans, with a high of 36 in 1987. That was his best overall year statistically, with 32 doubles, 5 triples, 39 home runs and a slash line of .398/.538/.981. 

I always wanted the eight-time all star to stay in New York, but the Los Angeles native signed with the Dodgers, playing for them from 1991 through 1993. Those last two years featured limited playing time and lowered production. A partial year in 1994 playing for the San Francisco Giants was no better. During these years substance issues and a debilitating back injury sapped his performance, and in all likelihood, his spirit.

There seemed to be a return to form when Strawberry signed with the New York Yankees in 1995. This was clearly evident the following season when on August 6th he hit three home runs in a game at Yankee Stadium against the Chicago White Sox. Strawberry was a key contributor to the 1998 World Series Champion Yankees, who are considered by many to be among the best baseball teams of all time.      

He appears here on his 1985 Topps card. I love how his image stands out from the blurred fans in the stands. His strength is plainly evident, especially in his right forearm and left bicep. He's young, just in his third season, and appears long, lean and powerful. It must have been a very good time to be a New York Met, and I hope it was a good time for him.

It sure was a good time for us, right Mets fans?