David Wright's big offseason getaway: Staying at a Howard Johnson
Photo credit: Kathy Kmonicek | David Wright will work with Mets hitting coach Howard Johnson at his home this winter to try and restore his lost power from 2009.
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David Wright
With David Wright coming off a shockingly subpar season in which he hit only 10 home runs and struck out 140 times, hitting coach Howard Johnson is sure to be busy come spring training. Maybe that's why he's getting a jumpstart on the job.
Next month Johnson will host Wright - along with Jeff Francoeur and Daniel Murphy - at his Florida house for four or five days for what he described as an "informal" hitting clinic. The goal, he said, is to begin the process of looking ahead to 2010, which everyone knows will be an important year for Wright. "He's got a lot to prove next year," Johnson said, "and I know he's looking forward to it."
Speaking Thursday night before being honored at the Gil Hodges Legacy fundraising dinner in Carle Place benefiting the Farmingdale-based "Winning Beyond Winning" charity, Johnson said he has already been in contact with several Mets players, checking in by phone on their offseason progress. But obviously no Met is more important than Wright, who is tight with Johnson.
"You have to look at him as a whole and say is this what we're going to see from a kid who is 26 years old with his track record?" Johnson said. "I don't think so."
He added: "I think the biggest thing for him now is that some time has passed. You need to get away from the game . . . This year was a down year for him. That's going to happen. It happens to everybody. It's part of the game. And then you have to bounce back from that."
That process unofficially begins at Johnson's house next month, during this offseason hitting clinic/sleepover at the hitting coach's house. "I try to think out of the box," he said. "It's meant to be a relaxing atmosphere. Just kind of little bit more than a phone call. This way we can be in a group."
In addition to doing some hitting work under the Florida sun, Johnson said they'll also spend some time talking about what happened last year, how they can improve - individually and as a team - and finally map out a plan that takes them into spring training.
Johnson, meanwhile, was back on Long Island at the Chateau Briand as the headliner for a dinner that raises money for children's life skills programs in the area, the charity's founder and president Tom Sabellico said. He said the charity also aids former professional athletes in need. About 30 former players were in attendance for last night's $200-a-plate dinner, including 1969 Mets players Bud Harrelson, Ed Charles, Cleon Jones and Ron Swoboda.
