A bit of a war of words was sparked in the comments section of yesterday’s “Be prepared for a David Wright cold streak” article.
A brief glimpse of quotes from the comments…
MCJ wrote:
He used to consistently drive the ball into the right field power alley and was a doubles and triples machine. He also used to be very stingy swinging at bad balls. I believe it all changed from the '07 All-Star HR hitting contest on. Think about it. He has not been the same since. He tries to be the video game David Wright instead of the real one. He now swings for the fences most of the time, opens up way too early trying to pull everything, and strikes out a TON more than he used to.
To which darknova responded:
I'd say that Wright, post-collapses, is no longer viable on a New York scale stage. He puts so much pressure on himself in front of the home fans that he starts trying to hit it out again whenever he plays at home.
To which NYM712 answered:
Was he effected a bit mentally by the past collapses? Probably. But no longer viable on a NY stage? I think that's a bit extreme. Yes his home numbers are off from the norm thus far this yr, but this season with this team there is tons of pressure to win a play well each game wherever it is - home or road.
And later:
Wright did the HR Derby in 2006, not 2007. And the year following the Derby... 2007... was his best year to date (should have won the MVP that yr). He is striking out at a much higher rate this particular season and that needs to stop, but his K/PA rate had actually gone down a bit every season prior to this one. So it is absolutely not true that the HR Derby ruined him. The HR Derby wouldn't have just suddenly started effecting his K rate 3 years later.
Alex tries to put it all to rest with this:
It really annoys me when people bring up the home run derby. Anyone who does, did not watch the Mets play in 2007. Wrights best year was in '07 which was AFTER the home run derby!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, let’s take a look at some numbers to see if anything really went wrong with Wright.
Wright participated in the Home Run Derby in 2006 at PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit 22 total home runs, with 16 coming in the first round alone.
Before the All-Star Break in 2006, Wright was hitting .316 with a .386 OBP and .575 slugging percentage. He had 20 home runs, drove in 74 RBIs and struck out 70 times. After the HR Derby and the ASB, Wright hit .306 for the rest of the year, a difference of 10 points. His OBP for the second half was .375, only 11 points off from the first-half. His slugging percentage dropped significantly, all the way to .469, a change of 106 points.
He managed only six home runs the rest of the year, driving in 42 runs.
But in 2007, the year after his Derby showing, Wright put up arguably his most impressive season to date.
In 2006, he struck out 113 times. 2007: 115. 2008: 118. He has struck out 54 times so far in 2009.
His slugging percentage, from ‘06 to ‘07 went up, from .531 to .546.
His OBP went up, from .381 to .416. He drew 28 more walks in 2007 than he did in 2006.
He struck out about the same and hit nearly the same amount of doubles. From ‘06 to ‘07, he hit more home runs and walked a lot more. His batting average rose 14 points and his OBP went up 35 points.
The numbers support it.
Yes, Wright went cold after the HR Derby in 2006, but he shook that all off for the next year, putting up his best year to date. Yes, he started slow in 2007, but he eventually went on a tear and brought his stats way up.
It’s no surprise he finished highest in MVP voting that year, coming in fourth.
Don’t attribute Wright’s numbers to what happened in 2006. He bounced back after the “poor” second half and has become the team’s most prolific hitter. He hasn’t hit under .300 since his rookie season, has driven in 100 runs every year since 2005. He’s hit 40+ doubles each year, with at least 25 home runs every season after 2004.
He struggled through the end of 2006, got off to a slow start in 2007, but turned it around and carried his team down the stretch that year. The stats show this.
Enough is enough. Stop bringing it up.