PORT ST. LUCIE — Changing the culture of a downtrodden team is a full-time job. It takes the world’s most positive ballplayer.
That is what Curtis Granderson is trying to do for the Mets. Whether it’s giving a spirited high-five to Ike Davis after a round of batting practice, making himself a mainstay at the clubhouse dining tables to interact with teammates or doing extra work on the field, Granderson has signed on with a smile.
In another spring training in which much has gone wrong for the Mets, Granderson has done everything right. It’s not surprising the Mets’ outfield has been one of the biggest positives of the spring.
“He’s a great dude to be around,’’ Chris Young told The Post Friday of Granderson. “He’s a guy who can be comfortable in any situation. I’m a new guy, he’s a new guy, but it doesn’t seem like he’s a new guy. It seems like he has been here the entire time. He’s the guy you never hear anybody say anything bad about. He’s a positive guy all the time and the type of person you want to be around. We’ve been able to become friends in this short period of time. He’s made this a lot easier for me.’’
That’s what Granderson does best.
In college, he organized study groups for friends. Now he’s facing his biggest challenge, turning a baseball horror show into Disney World.
“This has been fun, exciting; change is always a good thing, the whole organization is trying to change the way they’ve been doing things,’’ Granderson told The Post. “It’s not like success is completely foreign to [the Mets]. This is a team that has had success and has had some great players on it. To get a chance to be a part of that and change things over, I’m very excited to be a part of that.”
With the Yankees, Granderson was another cog in the machine. With the Mets, he’s out front, leading the way.
None of this is an act — Granderson truly believes. David Wright is not alone anymore as a positive force.
“I look at it as the end-all, be-all, that’s why they acquired multiple people this year,’’ Granderson said of the changing of the guard and how he is trying to help Terry Collins on and off the field. “That’s why there is a lot of conversation about the young guys over here, it’s going to be a mixture of all those little things to come together to make it a big picture when all is said and done.
“This team is having fun, it’s energetic. Each day someone different is coming up with a big play, a big out, a big pitch, the versatility, the ability to move things around, which is great for T.C. He realizes, hey, if I need to do this or do that, he can do it and that’s huge.
“It’s been fun to watch the young pitchers, you got power, you got finesse, you got strike-throwers, you got guys who stay composed, it doesn’t matter who they run out there, everyone can go ahead and give you a solid outing.’’
Granderson, a left-handed power bat the Mets needed, signed a four-year, $60 million contract. He now has a locker next to Wright’s.
“It’s great to be side by side with David and witness his competitiveness,’’ Granderson said.
Granderson points to a recent team barbecue as progress the Mets are making.
“The fact that everyone stopped in to say hello, whether it be five minutes or five hours, just that little bit is a big thing that can go a long way,’’ he said of the event.
He did admit, “Some things were unexpected,’’ regarding life with the Mets, before quickly getting back on a positive track.
“But everything is going the way I envisioned it to go,” he said, “positive, exciting, energetic and moving forward.”
The world’s most positive baseball player will not be broken by the Mets.