Remember when David Wright opened Grapefruit League play with an 0-for-13 mark? Well, after Tuesday’s two-hit performance, Wright now has a .347/.382/.633 line in 49 ABs this Spring. I think it’s safe to say that he’s ready for the regular season.
In his last 36 ABs, Wright has 17 hits, for a .472 average
After hitting below .300 last year for the first time since his rookie year in 2004, It’s nice to see Wright with a sparkling .347 average. While his walks are down in this very small sample, he’s still amassed four of them and is not far off his pace of the past few years.
The slugging is obviously the highlight of the Spring for Wright, with 5 2B and 3 HR included in his 17 hits. But perhaps the most encouraging sign is the contact Wright has made. He has struck out just 10 times in 49 ABs, for a 20.4 K%, which would be a big deal if he could maintain that during the regular season.
Wright had a K% below 20 in his first five seasons. In 2009 it jumped from 18.8 to 26.2 percent, meaning he was striking out at a greater rate than one out of every four at-bats. Last year, it climbed even further, as Wright finished with a 27.4 K%.
He kept the .300 streak alive in 2009 thanks to a .394 BABIP, which is unsustainable, even for a good hitter like Wright. When his BABIP fell to .335 last year, Wright’s average sunk to .283 for the season. Wright has a career .343 BABIP and if he’s not constantly striking out, he should be able to hit for a good average.
From 2006-08, Wright finished in the top 10 in MVP voting all three years and probably would have won the award in 2007 if the Mets did not falter at the end of the season. Last year we saw Wright get back his HR swing. If he can get back to his pre-2009 K%, Wright should once again be one of the top players in the league.