The New York Mets appear to be a team focused on the future. However, it’s third baseman David Wright — not the Mets’ surplus of promising young talent — who will influence the direction in which the team heads for years to come.
Wright (who turned 30 two weeks ago) has already accomplished more than anyone before him in a Mets uniform. His decision to accept an eight-year contract extension, keeping him in the Mets’ colors for the foreseeable future, was likely one of the most loyal things an athlete has done in recent sports history.
The Mets have been one of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) more embarrassing stories. Drastically affected by the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme and poor management, the team has failed to make the playoffs in six consecutive seasons. The franchise lacks dependable talent and attendance has dropped every year since 2008.
Fortunately, with Wright’s presence a certainty for some time to come, this franchise player’s leadership and talent will be available to carry the team through what could be some muddy waters.
Few players have been more valuable to their team than Wright. In nine seasons with New York, he is a two-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman with 204 home runs, 818 runs batted in and a career batting average of .301. His WAR rating (Wins Above Replacement) — which gauges a player’s total contributions to their team — of 6.7 was tied for the eighth-best in the league last season.
Despite minimal success during his tenure with the Mets, Wright has remained positive. His optimism alone has likely kept together a clubhouse that would have otherwise gone down in flames considering the disappointment it has faced in recent years. He is a symbol of hope as well as an example of what young players in the minor league system could become if their development is handled properly.
New York fans will need to cling to this hope for some time. There’s no telling when the team will be successful again and no guarantee that it will happen during Wright’s eight-year contract. The third baseman is confident though and has faith in the direction of his ball club.
“I didn’t sign to come back here for kind of a short-term-type, win-now-or-never-win-type approach,” Wright told ESPNNewYork.com in December. “I’m going to be here for eight more years. And, this is my opinion: I would rather build and get that solid foundation where you get to the point where we can contend every year and have that solid base.”
Louis Musto is a contributor to the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.