Dan Oshinsky
Aug 11, 2006

http://www.examiner.com/a-213545~Zimmerman_follows_the_Wright_path.html


WASHINGTON - Ryan Zimmerman knew he wasn't ready for the big leagues yet. It
was the fall of 2000 and Zimmerman was a high school junior playing for an
elite travel team in the Virginia Beach area called the Tidewater Mets.


He was good enough to play college baseball, but he knew he wasn't nearly as
talented as the lanky kid he was splitting time with at second base and
shortstop. Zimmerman knew B.J. Upton could go pro.

As for their polished third baseman, well, there wasn't anyone who
underestimated his potential. Everyone knew that David Wright was ready.

“He was better than everyone else,” Zimmerman said. “You could tell that
he was more advanced. He was a year older than us, but you knew that he was
going to be a good player.”

Wright — who was selected with the 38th pick in the 2001 MLB Draft —
hasn't shown any drop-off since those days on the Tidewater Mets. He's the
starting third baseman and face of the New York Mets, who come to RFK Stadium
tonight for a three-game series.

Earlier this week, Wright signed a six-year, $55 million extension with the
Mets. He's hitting .312 with 22 home runs and 85 RBI.

“The good thing about him is that even though he gets that much money, he's
not going to change who he is,” Zimmerman said. “He's still going to work
hard, and he takes nothing for granted.”

Zimmerman said he does not find it strange former teammates would become
starters at the same position in the major leagues, but marvels at how soon
it all happened.

“It's just weird because we all made it kind of fast,” he said.

Some have said Zimmerman's former platoon partner, Upton, was brought up too
fast. The second pick of the 2002 Draft, Upton started for the Devil Rays’
 Class AAA affiliate at age 19, making him the youngest everyday shortstop to
make it to that level since Alex Rodriguez. However, he's only played in
nine games for the Devil Rays this season.

There was certainly talent on the Tidewater Mets beyond Upton, Wright and
Zimmerman. With a certain nonchalance, Zimmerman mentions that “B.J.'s
little brother came to pinch run sometimes.” He's talking about Justin
Upton, who was just a 13-year-old shortstop at the time.

Justin Upton was selected first overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the
2005 MLB Draft. The Nationals picked Zimmerman fourth overall in the same
draft.