Is It Too Late For Wright and Howard?

Player A:

Player B:

“A manager’s worse nightmare is to see a star fade.” This is what Mets manager Terry Collins told reporters Tuesday. If you haven’t figured out who the two players are above then you probably haven’t been watching baseball for the past decade. David Wright and Ryan Howard, though on opposite sides of the playing field, their careers are following a similar trajectory.

Both came up in the league in 2004 and immediately made an impact on their teams for years to come. Now, with the past in the rear, these two players find themselves in familiar territory in recent seasons.

Howard’s End

I don’t think there’s a team I dislike more then the Phillies but ironically, at this moment, they’re experiencing exactly what my beloved Mets are (discount winning). Their aging superstar, the face of the franchise, the cheese to their macaroni, is being benched. Howard is batting 153, with an OBP 214, and slugging of 340. All career lows for the former MVP. To put it mildly Howard is about as useless as Robert Deniro’s latest movies. I know he hasn’t been the same type of player since his Achilles injury but Honestly those numbers wouldn’t have passed for the Mets team that featured this lineup half way through the season last year.

(I should probably go to sleep and charge my phone)

The worst, wait… hilarious part about this is the fact that the Phillies have to pay this guy 25 million. It’s like the equivalent of giving Michael Bay money to direct his next project. Your product will be SHIT but people will pay to see it because you casted Megan Fox. P.S. He doesn’t even know what he does exactly. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R4rMy1iA268

P.S.S. I always love when teams pay for guys that are entering 28–32 age range and give them a ludicrous contract. Won’t name any teams specifically but they rhyme with spank me’s.

Allow me to get back on track. I don’t think any Philly fan could bash Mackanin’s decision to bench Howard. He’s basically a potato that can hit the occasional home run. I’m sure he’s a good mentor in the clubhouse for all these young players the Phillies are building around. At the very least he’s setting a good example of how not to hit. I wouldn’t be surprised if this were the last year for Howard then again I wouldn’t be surprised if it weren’t. Faded stars have a tendency to play longer then they should. However, if Howard were to retire I shall drink a celebratory beer and cross him off my Arya Stark list of players I wish to see no more. Pat Burrell, Chipper Jones, Ryan Howard. I’ll be waiting Rollins and Utley.

Oh Captain My Captain

If David was performing at a Ryan Howard level this year it’d be different but he isn’t. He’s hurt and it isn’t related to his spinal stenosis which leaves some tantalizing questions. Is this it for him? Is he finished? We know about David’s commitment to prepare before game time in order to prevent injury. We’ve seen flashes of vintage Wright this season but we’ve also seen the toll his injury has not only taken on his back but his body. Much like Howard he’s only a shell of the player we’ve grown accustomed to seeing.

Expectations

Let’s not be pessimistic for a second and let us assume David comes back from his latest neck injury in 6–8 weeks. What then? Is it reasonable for us to expect above average production. Not only batting but fielding as well, especially from a player who’s numbers have been regressing since 2012. I’m trying to be realistic and set my emotions aside. Of course I want David out there and no one is more deserving of a World Series but it’s unfair to him. Although if we fucking platoon Wilmer, Reynolds, Kelly, Campbell all year without a move I might go into anaphylactic shock (counting on you Sandy); I hope he can return and I believe he can because he’s that type of player, he’s the heart and soul of this team and without him (playing or not) I don’t think this team can finish what we started last year. “

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

I was bashing on the Phillies for giving Howard a dumb contract and now David’s is looming over the Mets. Signed through 2020 and owed 67 million, though the organization gets back 20 million because of insurance in the contract for playing time. It’s a dilemma and depending on if David keeps playing or not, could pose a problem.