Wright Captain Worthy

By Kevin Collazo
Posted Wednesday, July 25, 2007

The home-run derby curse is officially over. David Wright has come full circle and beyond to provide the Mets with exactly what they need. Clutch hits, power, stolen bases, and gold glove caliber defense.

It's safe to say that his heroics during this trip have given the Mets a boost of the most important kind. Confidence can work wonders for your team. Even in some of the games they lost, in which Wright had given the team another chance by tying them up, David provided the team with the understanding that no lead is safe from this team. They are far too talented to let game slip away, and all they need is to believe. The slogan definitely fits.

It's truly impressive to see someone so young provide so much. He's performing like a younger Carlos Beltran this season, but by the end of the year, he should have put up better power numbers. The stolen bases are what impresses me the most. 22 stolen bases out of 24 attempts. That is six more than Beltran, and two more than he had all of last season. David Wright just seems to understand every aspect of the game, and still strives to improve daily. With his work ethic, it's no wonder he puts up the numbers he does.

I find myself asking, what type of player will he become? Only to come up with one answer. He plays like a more consistent hitting Howard Johnson in his prime. How ironic is that? The coach who he credits the most for his performance, is also the coach monitoring him at the big leagues, and is the one whom he emulates. Ironic indeed.

I had been looking for an answer to another question. Do the Mets really need a captain? It's a question to which I can't answer yes or no. Both Wright and Beltran display the necessary qualities. The entire team shows something each game. Wright does almost everything....well...right. On a rare occasion, he will lose his cool, but that is also important. If you don't get fired up after constant struggle, some players might take that as less regard for improvement. We all know that isn't Wright at all. So yes, he is definitely worthy of the title, but for now, I'll say no to them needing one. The team is more of a cohesive unit than most major league ball clubs. They know their limits. They know their strengths and weaknesses. They know each other's abilities, tendencies, and even each other's thoughts. That kind of a team doesn't rely on a captain. They just win together.