David Wright's Quiet Season

2011 is a season that David Wright would like to forget. He only played in 102 games, and posted disappointing stats across the board. This year is a whole new story. While his power isn't as prominent as it was from 2006-2008, it's still at his career average. Next year is a contract year for Wright, and the Mets would be wise to consider a contract extension sooner rather than later.

Last season David Wright's season wasn't as bad as you would think, but compared to his standards it wasn't great. His 11 BB% and 21 K% were around his average, although his K% was slightly high. His .172 ISO was above league average, but compared to his past seasons it wasn't great. His slash line was also below his career average: .254/.345/.427, but his 118 wRC+ tells us that he was still a positive contributor offensively. He also was a victim of BABIP. He managed to have a .302 BABIP, compared to his career .344 BABIP. All in all he had a 1.9 WAR, essentially making him a league average player.

After 35 games in 2012 it's a complete 180 though. He's seen a spike in his BB%, walking 18% of the time, and striking out only 14% of the time. His power has also returned, he currently has a ISO of  .210. His slash line is really impressive he's hitting .411, getting on-base at a clip of .513, and has a slugging average of .621. His wRC+ is also a robust 203, but that's a number that's likely to decrease. He's gotten help from his .470 BABIP, but even if his BABIP regresses he should continue to produce excellent numbers. He's not known for his defense, but so far he's looked much better than in the past.

In all of baseball Wright ranks number two in WAR with 3 WAR, only behind Josh Hamilton's 3.5 WAR. He ranks third in wRC+, and ranks first in OBP. Essentially he's been one of the best players in all of baseball. He'll be looking for a hefty payday if he can keep producing and being a key member of the Mets.

Ryan Zimmerman signed a 6 year-$100 million dollar extension, but Wright might have to accept slightly less. He's 30 years old but should still have a few solid seasons in him. $16 million dollars a year is probably a fair amount, but 5 years-$84 million might be where Wright could be looking at. The Mets would be wise to sign him sooner rather than later, because as he gets closer to free agency he will most likely become reluctant when it comes to discussing a new contract.