Tom Brennan - DAVID WRIGHT WEEK
This is David Wright Week for the Mets.
Yes, Jake deGrom Week, too, as he finalizes his pursuit of a well-deserved Cy young award - but this will be a wonderful David Wright week.
Yes, Jake deGrom Week, too, as he finalizes his pursuit of a well-deserved Cy young award - but this will be a wonderful David Wright week.
As we look forward to this final week in the playing career of David Wright, it is hard for me to get past the bone-headed decision made by the Wilpons to build Citi Canyon starting with the 2009 season, which neutralized David and the other Mets' hitters with park dimensions that killed the normal reward for well-hit shots. Doubles and homers were turned into easy outs, in bunches.
In Wright's first 4 full years (2005-08), Wright was surely on a Hall of Fame pace - here are his averages for those 4 seasons:
159 games, 716 PAs, 597 ABs, 42 doubles, 29 HRs, 106 runs 112 RBIs, .311/.394/.533, 24 of 29 steals.
Statistics compiled playing at Shea Stadium, a park considered a pitcher's park.
In 2009, playing in the Cavern, he went to the plate 618 times and hit just 10 homers, drove in just 74. Neutered by the Wilpons' Cavern.
And especially neutered that 415 foot high wall in Wright's beloved right center power alley, 19 feet deeper than the already fairly deep 396 foot dimension in that section of the real estate in Shea Stadium.
In 2010, he adjusted and ended up closer to his Shea years' numbers with 36 doubles, 29 HR, and 103 RBIs. After a down season in 2011, he had 41 doubles, 21 homers, and 93 RBIs in his last good season.
Back problems were intruding. The beaning did not help.
Many attribute Wright's back as cutting short a budding Hall of Fame career.
But I blame the Wilpons.
Wright now sits with just 242 career homers, 970 career RBIs. That, and his .296 lifetime average, is very good, but not HOF-good..
Had the Wilpons been smart, realizing they had one of the most talented and marketable power hitters in the entire game, as well as its most charismatic, they would have built a hitters' park instead, designed for Wright, with let's say 380 in right center, not 415.
And built it with the current park dimensions in left field (not the impassible "Great Wall of Citi" that destroyed hitters when it was first built). And, had they also set CF at 400 rather than 408, a dimension that would have heavily favored Wright, who hit many a blast to dead center.
And built it with the current park dimensions in left field (not the impassible "Great Wall of Citi" that destroyed hitters when it was first built). And, had they also set CF at 400 rather than 408, a dimension that would have heavily favored Wright, who hit many a blast to dead center.
While the Mets hit a fine .274 at home in 2009, they were by far the lowest in home field homers at 49. So the 2009 team could hit - they just couldn't hit homers there.
I railed in articles from this website about the first fence shortening a few years later from the initial gargantuan dimensions, bellowing that fences were still too deep, and that fans dig homers and love scoring. Oddly, and perhaps a tad mischievously, Sandy Alderson, when he announced the second move in of the fences, said that a big part of the reason to do so was that fans dig homers and love scoring.
I believe Wright, not having the benefit of a hitters' park, and instead having to hit in Citi Cavern versions I, II, and III, lost 80-100 career homers, 10-15 points on his career average, 150-200 RBIs.
Am I too optimistic? Are those higher numbers too inflated?
I don't think so.
Would those increased numbers have gotten him to the Hall, regardless of his later back issues? I think so; Sandy Koufax had a shortened career due to injury and got in easily.
Not only would David have hit better, year in, year out, in a park with hitter-favoring dimensions, the whole line up would have hit better, too, leading to 20-40 more at bats per season for David.
David would have required no altering of his classic power approach to adjust to a large field - in a smaller field, he would have just kept pounding homers and doubles.
David would have required no altering of his classic power approach to adjust to a large field - in a smaller field, he would have just kept pounding homers and doubles.
If he averaged 42 doubles and 29 homers in his first 4 seasons playing at Shea, what would those numbers have been playing in a park akin to Philly's park? 45 and 38?
Sadly, David Wright could have been the Mets' first home grown offensive Hall of Famer, had the Wilpons been smart and not foolishly hyper-focused on recreating a Brooklyn Dodgers park with extremely unfavorable hitting dimensions.
We surely deserve our own home-grown offensive Hall of Famer after nearly 60 seasons. That could, and should, have been David Wright.
Articles do come to an end - my lament is over. So I will close with this:
I wish Wright a true memorable final week.
He surely deserves nothing less.
In true Mets fans' hearts, he IS a Hall of Famer.
12 comments:
I read chatter that the manager is thinking of using right only in a PH role.
If that turns out to be true, it would a tragic reminder that he just can't play the game anyone.
I want to see him play every inning of those games but I also don't want him to come off looking like an old fool.
He won't be playing tonight, seems the weather will be rain, rain, rain.
I'd like to see at least two starts. My guess, is that they won't want to do that, as that could jeopardize him playing a full game on Saturday.
For Pete's sake, he should be able to pinch hit each "good weather" game, at least, and play a full game Saturday.
I may be wrong... which I am often lately... but I believe the current plan is for him to pinch hit until he STARTS ON SUNDAY
They could do Sunday, but they better be darned sure he can play then.
He should play more - he will have plenty of time to rest.
Today's and tomorrow's weather is bad, complicating the outlook.
Fences-schmences... Wright never seemed the same o me after he ws beaned by Cain.
Hobie, the beaning was also a factor, agreed. But a classic Wright 400 foot shot to right center in Shea? Homer. In Citi? A fly out in front of the track. Big difference, and not a rare one.
Interesting take, Tom.......I haven't thought about the impact that Citi-Field had on our better players. Yes, I was aware of the suppressive nature of the stadium, but your point about DW's career stats is a valid one.
Imagine if the Mets played in a stadium more like the Yankees and/or Phillies?
I am a fundamentals type of fan, so I like good pitching, fielding and so forth. Usually, a bigger field will reward teams that excel in those areas, so maybe that was the plan? (or not, since we are talking about the Wilpons here)
Still sucks to see DW reduced to what he has become.
Mike -
This NEVER had the chance of being a Derek Jeter moment.
One way the Mets could do something to help with these players who are in their fans hearts and minds forever is to expand the role of a formal "Mets Hall of Fame" with an exhibit at the stadium with mementos and photos of guys like Wright, Mookie Wilson, Ed Kraneppool, Rusty Staub, etc. who will never get that recognition in Cooperstown but should get the equivalent accolades at the home ballpark.
Music to the Wilpons' ears, they could even charge admission to enter the Mets Hall of Fame in addition to the ticket revenue. :)
Reese, they could call it Wilponstown
Scary part is these guys are gonna chose our next GM. I thought they built Citifield big to see Jose get the triples record so in their brilliance who do they sign to a long term contract....you just can't make this stuff up.
Gary, the collective weight on the entire team of hitting in Citi Canyon was huge.
In one of his first few games, Francoeur hit two 410 foot line drives to the opposite field in right center and got his mind blown. Jayson Bay suddenly developed warning track power. I remember poor Ruben Tejada smoking two balls the best he could only to have them clang off the top of the Great Wall of Citi.
Power hitters looked at that and thought, "I don't want to play here."
Murphy led the team with 12 homers and people considered him a limited power decent hitter with a weak glove. In a park like Philly, maybe he'd have had a half dozen more homers and doubles....and a different, better assessment.
And, worst of all, it hurt Mets' all-time great hitter David Wright.
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