Looking at David Wright’s numbers, he hasn’t been terrible to begin the year, but I think the Mets’ use of him is not what’s best for the team.
Wright has been batting second in a lineup that features a lot of all-or-nothing type hitters, including Wright, Duda, Cespedes and others. Wright has often looked overmatched on a good fastball, and his bat speed is nothing compared to the days of old. Blame it on spinal stenosis, Matt Cain or whatever else, but the Captain is not the same player he used to be.
Curtis Granderson is a good leadoff hitter, but Wright is often a rally killer. He’s never been clutch, and he’s never been a big proponent of doing the little things right. For example, if Grandy leads off an inning with a double, Wright’s job at the worst should be to hit a ground ball to the right side so the Mets could score a run on an out with Conforto and Cespedes at the dish.
Look, he’s obviously not going to go 0-for-6 every night like he did in the series finale against those tough Phillies pitchers, but I think a more appropriate spot for him is down in the order, maybe in the six or seven hole. I think Asdrubal Cabrera should move up, although I gave Neil Walker some thought as well. The fact that they’re switch hitters makes it a good fit, and neither guy strikes out a ton.
I’d go with Cabrera though, because Walker could be good in the RBI spot he’s in. So here’s the lineup I’d move forward with if I am Terry Collins.
- Granderson
- Cabrera
- Conforto
- Cespedes
- Duda
- Walker
- Wright
- d’Arnaud
- Pitcher
We all know this is not happening, because it would be disrespectful to essentially tell the Captain that he’s lost a step, so we’ll likely have to hope for a walk every time David Wright steps in the batter’s box.
Time will tell.
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