The “Slumping” David Wright

David Wright is in something that can be called a slump. After seemingly getting multiple hits in every game in which he has played, Wright has not gotten a hit in his last four games. He is 0-13 and has seen his batting average drop from a lofty .405 to a despicable .373.

Now, Wright was never going to hit .400 for the entire season. He probably won’t hit .350, either. A .325 average at most is more likely, so a slump was bound to happen. It might be a bit of a stretch to call this a slump; an “adjustment” is more appropriate.  But there are ominous signs that this adjustment could last a while.

Wright has always had a swing in which he turns his wrists over. It generates incredible power when he hits a ball on the button. But it can also lead to him topping balls, resulting in harmless ground balls. Wright has hit a few of those the past few days.

Actually, he has hit a lot of those this season. Fortunately, they were finding holes and trickling into the outfield for hits. He wasn’t so lucky this holiday weekend.

Wright has always been a streaky hitter so this shouldn’t surprise anyone. But he has clearly changed his approach this season, going back to the basics that made him such a dangerous hitter during his first few years in the majors. Those changes resulted in the .400 average; hopefully it will result in this downturn being a brief one.