A Different Culture In Flushing: The Renaissance of David Wright

Born and raised in the former Mets minor league town of Norfolk, Virginia, David Wright and the Mets have always been a match made in heaven, better than any eHarmony relationship. The stage was set for a marriage between the franchise and The Franchise, as Wright grew up a Met fan and later drafted out of high school, neglecting to accept his scholarship offer to Georgia Tech.

David Wright set the tone for the future, for both him and the Mets, by signing an extension to stay in New York for possibly the remainder of his career. Wright wants to win for New York. I believe we are entering the renaissance of his career, a revival rather, of his power numbers and overall status as an elite player in the MLB.

David Wright's rebirth will change the overall culture of Mets baseball. The horrific days are over.  The future is bright, as the farm system is expecting a plentiful crop. It is a good time to be a Met fan. I, myself, have never been more excited for what is to come, between Ike Davis coming off a strong turnaround after a terrible start to last year's campaign. A young pitching duo of Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler resembling Koosman and Seaver, and most of all, newly acquired and soon to be major league catcher, Travis d'Arnaud. d'Arnaud has been tagged as the next Buster Posey, and has potential to be the best Mets offensive catcher since Piazza and the first complete one since the late Gary Carter. What I think is the best part of this team is that there is hype to live up to, nor is their someone destined to choke and fail after being designated to carry the team. (Don't mean to point fingers but the name rhymes with Mason Lay) Even though I am excited, there is no way the Mets will go to the playoffs, for this year, at least. There are just too many better teams in the division with too many better players in or entering their prime. Between the Braves Triple Threat in the outfield of Jason Heyward, B.J. Upton, and Justin Upton, the Phillies who are on the decline but will still win if they can stay healthy, and the Nationals having Bryce Harper, Ryan Zimmerman, and Stephen Strasburg, just to name a portion of their young, All Star bound core group of players. In any other division, the Mets could have been serious contenders, but they simply are not ready, nor equipped to outplay more experienced and talented teams. If anything, playing in this division will make them stronger and benefit them later on. The Mets will finish in 4th place in their division, with a respective record of around 86 wins, and I could not be more hopeful.

Wright is the game changer for the Mets. The media has been all around his power decline since moving into Citi Field, and an inability to play a complete year, as of late. But, what do you expect? It's a career, not every year will be amazing or have 160 games played. Last year, despite some injuries, Wright still managed a strong year, and I think if he can say on the field he will return to the offensive state he was in, in the 2006/2007 time frame. Now, he will finally have some decent protection in Davis if he continues the tear he was on in the second half last year. When d'Arnaud comes up, there will be even more offensive production around him. For Wright to be successful, he needs his team, and likewise, for the Mets to be successful, they need their star player. There has even been talk of a trade for Mark Trumbo from the Angels. Trumbo, who really doesn't have a place in Anaheim, could complete the picture for the Mets to get them back to October for the first time since 2006. Daniel Murphy would fit in perfectly with the AL team, with his strong bat but sub-par at best defense.

It is hard not to love David Wright. I am not sure if it is his dynamic bat, stellar fielding, or just the boyish love of the game and smile he brings to every game. No matter the lows his team experiences, he understands how blessed he is to get paid to play baseball, not to mention on his favorite team growing up. The saying, "Good things come to those who wait," will be the basis of the future of the Mets. David Wright will be rewarded for staying with the Mets and not abandoning them because it wasn't easy enough to win. The Mets have also waited, growing their own talent, as opposed to their crosstown rivals Yankees who have bought pennant after pennant. We are entering the renaissance of David Wright's career, and that is only the start to bringing the Mets back to being Amazin' and his quest for his first ring, and possibly Cooperstown.