PORT ST. LUCIE — Watch closely this spring and you’ll see that David Wright has changed. I’m not talking about the bulked-up Wright — that’s obvious. I’m talking about the more emotional Wright.
He’s no longer trying to play Mr. Perfect all the time, which is a good thing. He’s not afraid to let his emotions show, like when he struck out Monday afternoon in the seventh inning against the Cardinals. He threw down his bat in anger, a few minutes later storming into the clubhouse.
Wright knew that at-bat was coming. Not the strikeout, but this: He knew at some point this spring an opposing pitcher would fire a pitch around his head to see how he reacted.
The Cardinals’ Eduardo Sanchez did just that, and followed with a couple of breaking balls that also started around Wright’s head. Twice, Wright flinched.
Tony La Russa’s Cardinals play hardball even in spring training.
Wright eventually struck out on a fastball, over-swinging while trying to kill the ball. But that’s all OK. It’s all part of the process. Later Wright would say he was just mad at himself for striking out — that’s why his anger bubbled to the surface.
To a degree, I believe that’s true, but I also think Wright was steamed because he wanted immediate payback for sending the head-high fastball his way.
We all remember when Wright took that terrible fastball to the helmet from the Giants’ Matt Cain on Aug. 15. It was the most frightening moment of the Mets’ season. To Wright’s credit, he was soon back in action. It was important to get back in the box as quickly as possible. The day he was beaned, he was batting .324. When he came back Sept. 1, he hit .239 the rest of the way.
Major League players can be a cruel bunch and you know Wright will be tested just as he was tested on Monday by the Cardinals. Wright will be knocked down. Then they will throw curveballs that start shoulder high, just to see if he flinches.
They want to take him out of his game; they want him to over-think and over-swing just as he did Monday. Wright is going to have to take care of business the only way that counts in baseball.
When they knock him down, he is going to have to square up the baseball. Do that a few times and pitchers will be forced to make an adjustment. It’s the way of the baseball jungle.
“Sometimes the worst thing that can happen is you feel a little too good up there and start doing a little too much instead of just doing what you are capable of doing,” Wright said of that final at-bat Monday. “I’m not going to let them throw fastballs by me.”
When you fall from 33 to 10 home runs, you draw a line in the sand.
Wright has been swinging well this spring. Scouts have seen it, opposing pitchers have seen it, but he cannot try to do too much, especially when the Mets don’t have Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran, which takes away protection.
Wright proved to himself last year that he was over the beaning.
“You wanted to get some at-bats last year just to know that you are going to get back in the box and just have that confidence,” he explained. “It was good to see some pitches and put that behind you, and I’ve felt good so far this spring, so I was glad I was able to get out there the last couple weeks of the season.”
But he is going to have to prove it to the league again.
The Mets had the day off yesterday and Wright went golfing. He’s having some fun away from the game this spring. It was a good day to relax and forget about baseball.
He is well aware, though, of the challenges ahead and how he must respond.