The LTJ Editorial: “David Is Always Doing The Wright Thing”

Make sure to take vitamins too, David!

The LTJ Editorial: “David is always doing the Wright thing”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

As a New York Mets fan, who doesn't love the impact Third Baseman David Wright has had on the team this past decade or so? Not only our team captain, Wright continues to be the face of the franchise being one of the bright spots on the team. He contributes as much on the field as he does off the field, always making sure to be another role model in the big apple everyone can look up to. However, one thing we all learn in life, especially in the sports world, is you can't control time. Eventually, you start to decline in skill, injuries start becoming more frequent, and next thing you know is you are fighting for longevity. Over the course of time, you need to start playing smarter, not harder. Entering his eleventh season, Wright has already had a few significant injuries that not only cost him playing time, but also put more wear on his body. The severe hamstring injury sticks out the most since it was a scary moment for all of us and definitely for him too. It was at that moment he probably realized, it's about time to work on something different for the future to prevent these injuries from creeping up on him again.

So far this offseason, Wright has decided to change his regimen when it comes to preparation for this upcoming MLB season. His main goal is to stay healthy and have a complete season without missing so much as a single game. Besides his usual diet and exercise, Wright is working on flexibility while focusing on durability with the usual wear and tear that comes with holding down third base. Being 31 years old does make you wonder just how fast time goes by. In a blink of an eye you turned from rookie to veteran and unfortunately, in Wright's case, he doesn't have much to show for it with the Mets. With only one playoff run in his career, it's easy to understand his frustration with how the team has done so far with him in the lineup. Bad organizational decisions really, but in the end, it starts from the top down. No, not just the Wilpons, it's about the people who make the personnel acquisitions for the team. You know, the main person responsible for upgrading, cultivating, and signing talent. I'm talking about General Manager Sandy Alderson.

If you think about it, Alderson has done a good job these past four years he has spent rebuilding the Mets. After the entire Omar Minaya debacle, he came in and went right to work on building a future winner from within. Yeah, it hasn't come to fruition yet, but the foundation is set and almost ready for takeoff. Currently, the Mets have the sixth best farm system in all of professional baseball, have gotten much more respect across the league, and have spent serious money in an offseason for once! That's right, the tight wallets of the Wilpons have been opened to reveal a golden aura. This light, brighter than a thousand suns, was the guiding force to bring in some fantastic upgrades to build around Wright. It's about time since well, Captain America can't do it all! Now with some pretty solid upgrades to our outfield, starting rotation, and top prospects waiting for the big call to the majors, the Mets are in a good position going into this season. Sounds like a broken record every year, however, the Mets should be competitive this season and hopefully be able to play some baseball in October.

Someone with the caliber of Wright should be enjoying postseason baseball to bring a championship to his team and city. With a better supporting cast this season, his longevity will be one of the big keys to success for the Mets this year. This new offseason regimen will benefit him for the long-term since Wright will most likely see his career begin with the Mets and end with them. Let's have #5 be in that starting lineup until 2020. The Mets will need him healthy more than anything for any hopes of making the postseason again since most of us want to forget about 2006 and actually remember another year instead.

The LTJ Editorial: “Have we truly seen the last of Johan Santana?”

“The LTJ Editorial”
Author: Luis Tirado Jr.
Date: 11-8-13
Twitter: @LTJ81
Website: http://www.TheNYExpress.com

“Have we truly seen the last of Johan Santana?”

All through my life, I've always enjoyed getting the sports jersey of my favorite players on the various teams I root for. Yeah, it's no secret, while I do cover both the New York Yankees and New York Mets, deep inside my heart, I love my Mets. Ever since 1986 when I saw the World Series trophy in the hands of guys like Strawberry, Hernandez, Gooden, etc when I was about 5 years old, I was hooked on this team. That image to this day is burned into my memory, it's the last time I ever saw any of my teams actually win a championship that I can remember. These past few years have been rough on a diehard Mets fan like me but we have our moments here and there. One amazing memory that is actually up there with that '86 championship to a degree, was the first ever no-hitter in Mets history. I'll never forget back on June 1^st, 2012 when for the first time in team history, the New York Mets FINALLY achieved a no-hitter. I watched every inning that game getting goosebumps with every successful out leading to the 9^th inning. Once it finally happened, I knew that the player who ended up bringing that elusive no-hitter to the Mets would be immortalized forever. Of course it went to one of my favorite players on the team, Starting Pitcher Johan Santana.

Some say the decision Manager Terry Collins made to keep Santana in that game potentially led to the shoulder issues that nagged him thereafter. He re-tore his shoulder capsule going into this past MLB season and ultimately needed season-ending surgery that technically stemmed from that perfect game. He missed the entire season and being at the age of 34 years old, everyone wondered if he would ever be the same again. A few weeks ago, the Mets had the decision to pick up his team option or decline it. The team ultimately made the decision to not bring him back. At the time of this editorial, he will be testing the free agency market. There is a possibility he will return to the Mets if no interesting offers are presented from other teams. There is also talk he might be presented with a new deal by the Mets that is incentive based since he is coming off surgery and a year away from MLB. It’s the first time in his career Santana will be a free agent so this is all new to him as well as Mets fans seeing his name there.

When you look at the big picture, many questions need to be answered. Can Santana be effective as a starter again next year? Since he's towards the last leg of his solid career, would there be a chance he would change pitching positions? Maybe converting to a Relief Pitcher or even a Closing Pitcher at this point of his career? Of course the big elephant in the room is would the Mets make some kind of offer to bring him back since we are down an ace? We all know Starting Pitcher Matt Harvey will be out for all of the 2014 MLB season due to Tommy John Surgery on his throwing shoulder so we have a spot open. Would it make sense to bring back an established ace to fill the void without Harvey?

Let's try to dissect all this for a moment.

In the long-term sense, bringing back Santana would be a mistake. For the short-term idea of things, perhaps a simple one-year deal as insurance would be ideal for the Mets. I still think though, this could truly have been the last time we've seen Santana wear a Mets uniform and I'll explain why. We all know the Owners of the Mets, the Wilpons, have made it quite clear they want to bring in some top notch talent to the team to make a quality season out of 2014. They want great pitching, solid defense, hard-hitting players, and gradually mix in their young amazing prospects into the majors. The Mets farm system is one of the best in baseball, especially with pitchers. The Wilpons want to make the organization and its fans know the “youth movement” is coming, no more memories of aging superstars eating away at the finances of the team. No more old players just standing around being unproductive or way past their prime. The key is to upgrade areas with established productive players through the free agency and build from within. Sadly, a player like Santana doesn't fit this criteria anymore when you think about it. He's coming off an entire year of no baseball activity and off of back to back major shoulder surgeries. It's more than likely he's seen his better days and for the Mets to bring him back would be a setback. It would seem like they're just bringing him back for namesake purposes and not for the benefit of the long-term big picture. Sure, there is that slight chance he will return and be decent but history shows that most players don't after these circumstances. They come back and easily require a few more years of re-learning the mechanics and techniques of what made them originally famous. It's not easy to say the least.

It's sad that Santana's final moments with the Mets ended this way. I don't see him returning to the team and he will end up playing somewhere else battling struggles to keep up with everything. I'll always be grateful for his contributions to the Mets as well as finally bringing that no-hitter to this franchise. I finally got to witness something other than a championship that will be remembered for generations to come. Santana pitched that in Citi Field too, you can't put a price on how awesome it all was.

The first Mets jersey I ever bought was back in 2008. When it comes to jerseys, I always take my time and think about who I want to represent. Sure, I could have easily got one of David Wright, Jose Reyes, or even Carlos Beltran since they were all awesome at the time. Something told me though, I had to get the jersey of a true warrior. Someone who exemplified greatness and extraordinary skill. A baseball player who fascinated me every single time I saw them play this sport I love so much.

I went with #57.