New York Mets: Analyzing the Booing of Third Baseman David Wright

The booing of New York Mets third baseman David Wright is unfortunately becoming a common occurrence at Citi Field.

Here is a small portion from the NY Daily News’ Filip Bondy:

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"It was just another long night for David Wright, who is being swallowed whole again by cavernous Citi Field, by the mediocrity that passes for baseball there, and by the aggravated fans who semi-populate the place.

Wright was struck on the wrist by a pitch in the first inning. He flubbed a tough backhand grounder for an error in the third.

He ended his soggy day 1-for-2 at the plate, with an RBI single. When he struck out in the sixth, he was jeered by a vocal, impertinent minority in Flushing.

This isn’t new anymore. The knuckleheads in the stands have started booing Wright with alarming regularity. Less than a 10th of the way into a fresh season, Met fans are razzing their best position player because they need a target, any target and because Omar Minaya is never included among the pregame lineup announcements."

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Thoughts: Look, fans boo. That’s just what they do, especially when their team isn’t doing very well. Almost every big name throughout the history of the sport has been booed when they or their team wasn’t doing well and this Mets team isn’t doing very well.

Should their ire be directed at Wright? Probably not, but he hasn’t homered in a week and over that time span he’s hitting .167 with a .620 OPS and  has produced just one run, one extra-base hit and one RBI, while striking out at an alarming rate.

It is unfortunate that most fans aren’t recognizing that Wright is busting his ass out there. Despite his low average he still has a .412 OBP, meaning he isn’t getting himself out.

He’s also made up for a lack of extra-base hits by swiping four bags last week. My point is, yes he’s struggling, but it’s not for a lack of effort and instead of fans booing him, they should appreciate that he is one of the bright spots on an otherwise dismal team.

Unfortunately, like Bondy said, general manager Omar Minaya is not in the lineup and doesn’t come up to bat a few times per night.

Maybe the Mets, in a move to alleviate the pressure on Wright, should randomly cut to shots of Minaya throughout the game so that the boo-birds can direct their anger at the real person who has let them down.

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