Church Finally Got What He Always Wanted

Anthony DiComo at Mets.com writes about Ryan Church and how his patience and Schneider's ear has paid off for him in the result of playing every day:

About not playing every day:

"He always got frustrated," Schneider said. "So I'd come and I'd sit there and let him vent. I just let the guy talk and I listened, and told him to stay positive."

On now playing every day:

One quarter of the way into this season, Church continues to lead the Mets in nearly every offensive category worth leading. His .307 average leads all regulars by no small margin, and his nine home runs are tops on the team. He's shown a knack for slugging, a proclivity for reaching base and a propensity for scoring once he gets there.

He's erased skepticism from a public that wasn't entirely ready to give up on Milledge, a then-22-year-old prospect who commanded higher expectations than Church ever did. And he's dissolved talk that he might not be fit to be a full-time player. Scrutinized all spring for an apparent inability to hit left-handed pitching, Church spent the season's first seven weeks constructing a .327 average and .551 slugging percentage against left-handers.