The “W”right Call

BY Mike Rifkin

There’s something special about homegrown players. They create and form a bond with the fanbase and it creates something really special.  Since their inception in 1962, the Mets have had a lot of homegrown talent leave for greener pastures including trading legends such as Tom Seaver.  But there was one Mets player in the history of the franchise who saw it all : Doom, Gloom and Glory. And that player was David Wright and it was announced over the weekend that the Mets will retire Wright’s number five in a ceremony in July. 

Wright, the 38th overall pick in 2001 is the Mets franchise leader in multiple offensive categories including hits, RBI’S, Doubles, and walks. Wright is also top 10 in games played, batting average, On Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, Triples, and homers. Wright won two Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers and was a seven time All Star. 

Like I said in the intro, Wright saw it all in his career. In 2006 the Mets had their best regular season in a long time and Wright was at the forefront of that finishing fourth in MVP Voting with 30 homers, 107 RBI, 34 stolen bases along with a slash line of .325/.416/.546. The Mets got to game seven of the NLCS and fell short of the ultimate goal. As a fan you had good thoughts going into 2007 and well we know how 07 and 2008 ended. 

In 2012 the Mets brass had a decision to make retain either David Wright or Jose Reyes. Wright wound up signing a seven year 122 million dollar contract to remain a Met. Wright’s decision paid off in a big way in 2015. Wright had a few iconic moments in 2015. His return in Philadelphia where he homers, his first at bat, the fist pump after scoring a run on Labor day during the sweep of the Nats to give the Mets the division, and of course homering in game three of the World Series. Unfortunately Wright’s back issues never really got better and he was forced to retire. 

David Wright was on a Hall Of Fame trajectory before the injuries piled up. But while David won’t get the recognition in Cooperstown, he’ll get it in Queens and that’s what he deserves more. Because David Wright was the light in a dark time in Mets history (from 07-12). Every fan base has their guy, and David Wright was the Mets guy.