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

Jun 17, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) hits a solo home run off of St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher

(not pictured) during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Laura Pollack, Staff Writer:

While the majority of the offseason discussion has revolved around Mets pitching, David Wright remains the most integral player on the 2015 roster. The Mets need a healthy Wright in the lineup if they want to have any shot at joining the pennant race.

He may be coming off his second least-productive season — with a .269 BA, 63 RBIs, and just 8 homers — but this spring we’ve seen nothing but a healthy third baseman take the field. Both his power and fielding have been reminiscent of years past, and thankfully nothing like the Wright we saw last year before a shoulder injury sidelined him for good.

Sure, spring training stats don’t mean much, but his early success and good health should be enough to get every Mets fan excited. Aside form Michael Cuddyer, who is coming off his own injury-plagued season, we know what the lineup looks like without Wright. It has a bunch of young guys who all have a ton of potential, but it also has yet to produce enough runs to keep the team above .500.

His return will not only add more runs, but it will take some of the pressure off everyone in the lineup. His power and leadership skills were missed last fall, and they will now be what leads the team to success in 2015.

Next: Sam Maxwell's pick for most integral Met