David Wright: Steal Attempts and Triples Are Now His Game

CitiField is not a hitters park—no cheap home runs at all, and David Wright has been running instead of slugging even though two of his three home runs were hit at CitiField.

Entering last night's game, Wright had only 10 career triples. With his triple last night, his total is now 13.

With his caught stealing last night, he now has five stolen bases and six caught stealings.  This is not a good percentage, but it does show that he is trying to put himself in the best possible scoring position. 

The hip injury to Carlos Delgado is discouraging at best, but it is important that the Mets be more agressive and smart on the bases to get the small ball runs.

Wright only had 12 stolen bases all last season, mainly due to nagging foot and leg injuries which he admitted to last winter. To date, he is not showing any signs of injury slowing down this year.

His strikeout numbers are alarming, but when he does get on base (at least once a game on average), you can be sure he will be on the move, whether he is safe or out, his aggression is evident.

David Wright has always been a decent gap hitter, as his excellent number in doubles (191 career, on average about 40 per year) clearly shows, but triples is uncharted territory for him and this is reason for concern.

Wright is extremely durable—no question—but you do have to be a little nervous, because with the 11 stolen base attempts and extra base hits (doubles and triples), he could easily suffer injuries that would put him out of commission or make him greatly compromised.

Jerry Manuel has said that he wants to rest both Wright and Jose Reyes and keep them fresh, and, while the season is only five weeks old, they both do need their rest to keep them from getting injured or burned out.

With the west coast trip starting tomorrow in San Francisco, the opportunity for resting the speedsters will present itself.

Even though neither Wright nor Reyes would ask for the game off, Jerry Manuel would be wise to let them rest their legs and upper bodies that seem to be taking a beating on the basepaths.