Mets Season Preview: Who’s the most integral Met?

Our 2015 Mets Season Preview kicks off with which player each Rising Apple writer believes will be the most integral to the team’s success.

Let’s get it going…

Danny Abriano, Editor:

As you’ll see when you click through the rest of the article, the following is about to become a theme. It’s David Wright who will be most integral to the success of the Mets in 2015.

Zack Wheeler has gone down, but the Mets still have plenty of depth in the rotation. There are some questions in the bullpen (an area that’s usually in flux for every team) but it was bolstered by a pair of trades on Monday. Wilmer Flores may be able to handle shortstop defensively, he may not be. If the latter proves true, he’ll be replaced. The Mets are also dealing with an injury to Daniel Murphy, but have a number of players who can fill in at second base if needed and provide value that approaches what Murphy will provide. A player the Mets cannot replace, though, is David Wright.

Last season, while dealing with loose ligaments in his shoulder that rendered his power non-existent during the second half of the season, Wright was a shell of himself. After playing through the injury – something Wright does far too often – he finally shut it down in late September, rehabbed the injury, and came to Spring Training refreshed and supposedly healthy.

So far this Spring, Wright is hitting the ball with authority and it appears that the power that disappeared last season after his shoulder injury worsened (he had zero home runs after the All-Star break) is back.

Wright is not only the Captain of the team, he’s the glue that holds the lineup together. He’s the most well-rounded hitter in the lineup, hitting for average, reaching base at a near .400 clip, and mashing 20 + homers per year when he’s himself. The Mets desperately need Wright to be himself in 2015 if they hope to contend. So far, the returns are good.

Next: Mike Lecolant's pick for most integral Met