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David Wright was off to a rough start in April. The New York Mets captain was passive at the plate and late on many pitches. Wright is getting into a rhythm as of late, but his overall performance has been underwhelming.

Wright inked an eight-year, $138 million deal in 2012 and is earning $20 million per year from 2014 to 2018 with $2.5 million deferred annually without interest. He is 31 years old, and while he is the face of the franchise and the pride of Mets fans, the highest paid player in team history is not living up to his contract on the field. 

Curtis Granderson and Chris Young have been disappointing and have already been lambasted as busts by some fans. Wright has been a bastion of consistency throughout his career, but he has received his fair share of criticism early this season. Although Wright is not stuck in a slump as deep as Granderson or Young’s, he is taking up about as much payroll as them combined in 2014 and also must be held accountable. 

Wright had a more promising start last year, as reflected by his statistics on ESPN.com. He posted a .283/.384/.476 slash line with seven home runs and 30 runs batted in through the first two months of the 2013 season. He drew 29 walks and struck out 40 times with 11 stolen bases and seven doubles and four triples.

From March 31 to the end of May this season, his offensive line was .294/.339/.396 with four homers and 30 runs batted in. Wright drew just 15 walks and struck out 56 times with only three stolen bases, 12 doubles and no triples.

Wright is getting on base less frequently in 2014 than he did in 2013, and his power is down despite the higher strikeout rate. His career on-base percentage is .380 with a slugging percentage of .502.

He remains sturdy at the hot corner, making diving plays and saving runs, but some of his throws have been inaccurate. Wright already has six errors, even though he finished the 2013 season with nine.

After hitting a home run on Opening Day (March 31), Wright did not launch any long balls in April and posted a meager .245/.301/.275 slash line with only three extra base hits. FanGraphs Baseball’s 2014 ZiPS Projections predicted that Wright will post a .276/.358/.467 slash line, all below his career averages, this season. At this pace those projections, perhaps aside from the low batting average, would be something to hope for. 

One reason to believe that Wright will bounce back is that he made notable improvements in May. Wright was a different player last month with a .320/.360/.461 offensive line, three homers and nine doubles. His batting average, OBP and slugging percentage in May 2014 are relatively close to the first two months of his 2013 season.

According to ESPN’s Hot Zones, Wright has been red hot on down and in pitches, but he is cold or frigid just about everywhere else. He has been chasing outside and missing badly on pitches high in the strike zone, particularly fastballs high and in. Sliders away are also problematic for the third baseman.

Wright is off to a 3-for-8 start to June with two walks and a two-run double on June 2 against the Philadelphia Phillies in Citizens Bank Park. The long shot to center field nearly cleared the fence.

With four months left in 2014, Wright has plenty of time to redeem himself. His first two months were underwhelming as a whole, but it is too early to write him off.

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Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder had a down year with the Detroit Tigers in 2013. Regardless, he was still one of the most productive first basemen in baseball. Many players would settle for a .279/25/106 slash line, .362 on-base percentage and .457 slugging.

If batting average, home runs, runs batted in, OBP and SLG are a fantasy baseball team’s five major offensive categories, Fielder is a solid choice at first base.

Some might be hesitant to draft Fielder due to his underwhelming (by his standards) 2013. He hit .313/30/108 with a monster .412 OBP and .528 SLG the year prior.

According to ESPN Fantasy Baseball, Fielder will post a .300/35/113 slash line this season. The projection considers 2013 to be a bump in the road rather than the beginning of a decline.

Fielder will play half of his games at the hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX. He raked in Miller Park throughout his six full seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2006 to 2011, including a 50-home run season in 2007. Expect Fielder’s power numbers to improve dramatically in Texas.

He has a career .286 batting average, .389 OBP and .527 SLG. Even if he under performs, he is still a productive first baseman. 

Spring training does not count towards the regular season, but he flexed on February 27 with a long home run.

There was also nothing cheap about Fielder’s last homer in a Tigers uniform on September 22, 2013.

Or this three-run jack on July 24, 2013.

Fielder can be relied upon to play a full season. Since 2006, he has never played less than 157 games per year.

With Shin-Soo Choo and Elvis Andrus hitting in front of him, Fielder is almost guaranteed to drive in at least 100 runs. Choo is coming off a .423 OBP season with the Cincinnati Reds and Andrus has a career .339 OBP. The Rangers will eat if they can set the table for Fielder.

Turning 30 this season, Fielder is highly capable of another monster year. Miguel Cabrera—undisputedly the best choice at first base and arguably overall—and Paul Goldschmidt are sure to be high picks. But don’t sleep on Fielder.

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The New York Mets are 2-3 in spring training after defeating the Houston Astros 6-2 on March 4. The record holds no bearing on the regular season and expectations are tepid, but fans are excited about the future rotation.

Hope is blossoming in Queens with Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler projected for full seasons in 2015. The phrase “next year” has long been commonplace for Mets fans, but many are optimistic for next season.

Wheeler pitched three scoreless innings against the Astros. He finished his stellar outing with three strikeouts, two hits and zero walks in 40 pitches.

He dialed up his fastball in the low-to-mid 90s. Wheeler also mixed in off-speed pitches, including a 76 MPH curveball to Jose Altuve in the first inning. His fastball is lethal. If Wheeler can improve his command and master his secondary pitches, particularly the sinking action of his changeup, he will be on the road to stardom.

Wheeler breezed through the first inning with just 10 pitches and weak contact. He had an eight-pitch battle against Jesus Guzman, whom he had a favorable count against before ultimately surrendering a double.

He experimented with a breaking ball outside of the strike zone against L.J. Hoes. Wheeler needs a versatile arsenal in the big leagues because he cannot survive solely on his electric fastball.

Syndergaard is a hot topic following his spring debut on March 3 against the Atlanta Braves. His highlights included a 98 MPH strikeout against Jason Heyward. However, with his performance today, Wheeler reminded fans that Harvey and Syndergaard are not the only pitchers to shout about.

Meanwhile, the Mets had a big first inning against the Astros. Eric Young led off with a walk, Chris Young followed with an RBI-double and Curtis Granderson cleared the bases with a two-run homer. This is one potential Opening Day starting outfield, as Juan Lagares also contends for a spot. 

Granderson ended the day with two no-doubt homeruns. Citi Field won’t evaporate his power if he continues to hit the cover off of the ball like that.

With more than five starters available in the future, Mets fans on Twitter are deliberating which pitchers the team should trade for a power bat, short stop or other need. The Mets bullpen and young hitting prospects have been nothing to rave about, but the rotation is shaping up beautifully.

The biggest return might come from dealing one of the three aces, Jon Niese, Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee or perhaps a mid-level prospect. Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom impressed in their spring training debuts. The debate is endless, especially given the front office’s financial woes.

The battle for first base between Ike Davis and Lucas Duda has also been a compelling story line. Neither of them, however, played against the Astros due to minor injuries.

The offense has been inconsistent, scoring four runs in the team’s first-game loss to the Washington Nationals on February 28 and six runs in a win against the Atlanta Braves on March 3. The Mets managed just one run in each game between those two contests—first against the Miami Marlins on March 1 and again versus the St. Louis Cardinals on March 2.

Follow me on Twitter @metsonmymind

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The New York Mets will host the split-squad Miami Marlins at Tradition Field Saturday at 1:10 p.m. ET.

Mets starter John Lannan faces Kevin Slowey of the Marlins. Lannan is one of several candidates for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation.

The Mets lost to the Washington Nationals 5-4 Friday, but starting infield and outfield candidates rose to the occasion. Pitching prospects Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom dazzled.

Ike Davis ended the day on a high note with a two-run blast in the fifth inning. Lucas Duda, who hit as the designated hitter, also impressed with a broken-bat ground-rule double. The battle for first base is heating up with extra-base hits.

Juan Lagares impressed with a single and a double. He needs to keep hitting if he wants to start in the outfield with Chris Young, who hit a single, and Curtis Granderson.

Last season, the Mets lost 11 of their 19 games against the Marlins, who finished in last place in the National League East. The Fish swept the Mets in 2013 after sweeping the New York Yankees. Mets relievers gave up four runs after the sixth inning Friday. The bullpen needs to keep the game competitive.

Here is the Mets starting lineup:

Chris Young, CF, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, RF, Andrew Brown, DH, Lucas Duda, 1B, Zach Lutz, 3B, Taylor Teagarden, C, Matt den Dekker, LF, Anthony Setatelli, 2B, Omar Quintanilla, SS

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