David Wright as the New Face of Baseball

Legendary Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter announced yesterday that he will retire after the 2014 season. The announcement wasn't unexpected, yet it still sent shockwaves through the baseball community. Jeter has been the unofficial face of the MLB for many years. Plenty of people who barely know of the sport will recognize the shortstop's name or even bring-it-up themselves. Jeter's exit will leave New York and the World with the need a new ambassador to baseball, and I believe David Wright is qualified. 

credit: The Star-Ledger

The first thing any baseball ambassador will need is the skills to play the game. At 31 years old, Wright is already a 7-time MLB All-Star, has won multiple Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards, and holds the Mets career records for hits, total bases, doubles, RBIs, and (by a long-shot) runs created. Should you wonder about his speed, rest assured--he is also a member of the 30-30 club (Baseball Reference). Those who question Wright's overall baseball prowess should look at his career statistics and see how well-rounded a player he is. 

Character is also (as it should be) a factor in the conversation, and Wright definitely passes this section of the test. The Mets Captain is known for his bright and giving personality. Not only does he have his own charitable foundation, but he has attended multiple charity events and even turned his on-field performance into philanthropy (Sports Illustrated). 

Another endearing quality of David's is one particularly valued in New York--his loyalty. It's this trait specifically which often draws comparisons between him and Jeter. The third basemen recently signed a contract before his looming free agency good until 2021 (right after fans were torn apart by the exit of Jose Reyes). The final year of that contract would be Wright's 18th with the club--also the length of his entire career. He recently said the following:

"From the very beginning, I wanted to help this franchise turn around, I want to be one of the building blocks in helping us get back to the playoffs. Has it been an easy road? Of course not. We've taken some lumps and have had some rough seasons. But at the end of the day, I'm exactly where I wanted to be."

credit: Getty Images

Being in the world view, however, requires poise and David's performance in the World Baseball Classic of last year solidified his ability to lead and steal headlines. His ridiculous end-of-tournament statistics were a batting average of .438, on-base percentage of .526 and slugging percentage of .750--the latter two giving him an OPS of 1.276. In addition, he had 10 RBIs compared to the tournament MVP's 6. The all-around incredible performance briefly earned him the nickname "Captain America".

Though obviously there's no real process for choosing an MLB "ambassador", if the unofficial title goes to anyone else I'll be very upset. Hopefully this coming season, the Mets' revamped squad can win some games and get Wright the attention and stardom he deserves.

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Baseball is Back!

Follow us on Twitter: @TheMetsBeat 

I can finally say those words: "baseball is back." After many cold and uninteresting months the world's best sport is back-in-town (or wherever your team decides to take refuge from mother nature). Pretty soon the snow will melt, the mitts will come off the shelves and fingers will once-again grace those wonderful red seams.

Spring Training has begun with teams holding practices for players and invitees in the sunny states of Florida and Arizona. Mets pitchers and catchers will be officially required to report on February 15th but most of them are already there. As for the position players--who aren't required to report until the 20th--many players including Josh Satin, Ike Davis and David Wright have already arrived. Though there are still 2 1/2 months until the season will really begin, the fact that there are baseballs being thrown by professional players wearing professional team gear has got me excited.

I believe that die-hard baseball fans experience their own form of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Web MD describes the disorder as "a type of depression that affects a person at the same time each year. If you get depressed in the winter but feel much better in spring and summer, you may have SAD." First of all, it sounds like the acronym for this disorder was created by a five-year-old, but second, I think we baseball fans can learn something here.

I think that a particular "strand" of SAD exists out there and it should be called "BSAD" or "Baseball Seasonal Affective Disorder". Regardless of treatment options, (suggestions: Mets Classics re-runs on SNY or lashing out at other fans on Twitter) the struggle is real but it will soon be gone. Have faith, fans--baseball is back!

10 Reasons to be Excited about the Mets Future

1. Two words: Curtis Granderson. 

   

   credit: AP

2. The top catching prospect in the MLB is our own Travis d'Arnaud (MLB.com). (Plus, Kevin Plawecki was apparently close to also cracking the MLB.com's top 10). 

   

   d'Arnaud (credit: USA TODAY)

3. 18-year-old Dominic Smith has been ranked the number two first base prospect in all of the MLB.  

   

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4. When Matt Harvey returns from injury next year he will still only be 25. 

   

   credit: USA TODAY

5. 23-year-old pitcher Zack Wheeler is expected to have a very bright future. 

   

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6. The Mets number one prospect is 21-year-old, lefty pitcher Noah Syndergaard, whom the club has invited to spring training this year. As put by MLB.com the hurler has a "future as a frontline starter." 
   
7. The Mets' starting pitching depth has greatly expanded. Guys like Bartolo Colon, Jenrry Mejia, and the aforementioned Wheeler and Syndergaard (along with rising prospect Rafael Montero) will help keep rotation spots competitive this season.  

   

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8. Fireballer Bobby Parnell is healthy and ready to be our closer again--here's to hoping he stays that way. 

   

   credit: USA TODAY

9. Captain David Wright is still only 31. 

   

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10. Mets fans will always be classier than Yankees fans as Harvey can tell you first-hand: (NJ.com).

    @MattHarvey33 You have what? NINETEEN career wins? Why on Earth do you think you can act like you're in the Hall of Fame?
    — Nick DeBabylon (@NickDeBabylon) January 13, 2014

Davis and Santana Injury Updates

Ike Davis

As many may have forgotten at this point, Ike collided with David Wright when both players went for the same infield pop-up on May 10^th of last year in Colorado. Doctors originally told Davis that his ankle would be healed by the time he was eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list. In those two weeks the presumed sprained ankle had been in a boot, however it turned out to have cartilage damage. Inevitably, Ike’s conditioned worsened--enough to currently leave speculation as to whether he’ll make it through spring training.

Ike has said that he feels great and is completely ready to go, but some aren’t satisfied. Adam Rubin of ESPN deemed Ike’s treatment one more medical gaffe in a long string dating back at least the Mets days of Billy Wagner and Brian Schneider.

Johan Santana

By far the largest player on the Mets’ payroll (due for $24 million this year), the ace missed all of last season recovering from left shoulder surgery. Johan is already in Port St. Lucie, the spring training home of the Mets, and has been throwing successfully. Pitchers and catchers aren’t due to report for spring training until February 13^th, but Santana has been testing his shoulder strength and working it back to full pitching form.

He's been long tossing and is preparing to being pitching very soon; Terry Collins (Mets manager) will soon join him and assess his progress. Johan insists he’s ready, but similar to Davis, many question his ability to have a fully healthy spring.

For both players only time will tell of their readiness. Of the two Davis is definitely in better condition, but both clearly have their obstacles to overcome this spring. 

Wright Rumors

This past Saturday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post said that a Mets official had told him the team would entertain trade offers for David Wright. He quotes an un-named team official as saying “We will listen on Wright for sure” and “We know we are not going to win it all in 2012. We have to hope the Phillies get old and we are in position to take advantage of that in 2013-14, and we have to figure out ways to speed the process to get there.”

As a diehard Mets fan these statements are almost disturbing to hear. Wright and Jose Reyes have been the two star faces of the franchise since their Major League beginnings. “Reyes” and “Wright” jerseys have consistently been the hottest sellers due to the players’ success, youth, work ethics, and their being homegrown by the Mets from the farm system all the way to “the show”.

Mets fans have no need to worry about Wright just yet however, as the team would need to see a big offer to even consider unloading the star third-baseman. As a National League executive, who has spoken with Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, said, the Mets would need to be “bowled over” by an offer in order to seriously ponder a Wright trade.

In terms of possible suitors for Wright, two teams have come up in conversation: the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (say that 5 times fast) and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Angels look like the most serious possibility in terms of a deal due to their plethora of young outfielders. The rumor of a possible deal with the Phillies, however, is quite humorous. The Phillies have apparently expressed some interest in Wright before, but the Mets would never trade him to their bitter rivals. Plus, the Phillies do not have much to offer for David at the moment.

One of the only downsides to Wright has been his decrease in power since his Shea Stadium days. Many have blamed his homerun drought on the dimensions of city field, and they definitely have a point. Wright and the entire Mets team did much better offensively and posted a better record this year in away games. They posted an away record of (43-38), and a Citi Field record of (34-47). Wright’s individual stats also showed an alarming difference at home—he batted .238 during home games, and .268 outside of Citi Field.

  

For once, the Mets made the right move and nipped the issue in the bud: the club recently announced shorter dimensions for Citi Field, effective at the beginning of this coming season.

These changes will benefit the entire team, not just Wright. Alderson expressed his thoughts after the announcement: "It used to be, let's say, that pitchers would just pitch outside at this ballpark -- stay away, stay away, stay away," he said. "Now, that may not be as good a strategy as it was before. So a lot of things could change. The pitching strategy could change. The attitude of the hitters and their approach could change. And so, as a result, a lot of this static information that we evaluated isn't necessarily going to predict the outcome."

The bottom line is that the Mets successfully turned discouraging rumors into good news about the team—a great fan base-saving technique and an overall step in the “Wright” direction.