What can the Mets expect from David Wright in 2016?

David Wright reflected on the 2015 season and looked forward to 2016 as he cleaned out his locker Monday at Citi Field.

“As much as it stings, a couple of days from now, a couple of weeks from now, we’ll be able to sit back, take a deep breath, and just think about how cool this was, and how much fun we had and how proud we should be of what we accomplished this year,” Wright said (Nov. 3).

Wright said he hopes to make sure he reports to camp healthy after battling lumbar spinal stenosis, which forced him to miss four months of the 2015 season.

“I’m hoping that with some more rest, some more doctor consultations and some tests run we can come up with a game plan this offseason so when we start spring training it’s even better than it is is now,” Wright said. “That’s my goal and I’m hopeful that can be the case.”

Matthew Cerrone
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | About Me

Wright is a major, major wild card. He is going to make Sandy Alderson‘s job very difficult this off season, as the organization works to improve upon 2015. Wright is due to earn $20 million next season, as part of a contract that guarantees him $87 million over the next five seasons. However, does he have the ability to produce to the level of that salary? It was questionable that he could do it when he signed the contract extension a few years ago, but it’s even more in question now that he has a major back issue.

I no longer see Wright as a big power threat, and it would be wise for Alderson to move forward with the same outlook. Instead, I’d put Wright down for roughly 15-20 home runs, and that assumes he is mostly healthy and playing 140-150 games a season. I think he’s also a .280 hitter, as opposed to someone routinely batting over .300. He’s still going to draw walks. But, the difference will be his contact rate and how hard he’s hitting the ball. Wright gets hits when he puts the ball in play. If he’s hitting the ball well, he’ll still get doubles in the gap. If he isn’t, he could see more singles and line outs. This, plus how often he strikes out, will likely decide the type of season he produces in 2016.

Wright can still be a 3-4 WAR player, which is great, and would be almost worth his salary. But, if Alderson is looking for a home run hitter, someone to clear the bases, a crown jewel in his lineup, I don’t think Wright is his guy.

---

Comment

from Metsblog http://ift.tt/1l637oY