David Wright No. 5 Uniform Retirement, Mets Hall of Fame Induction Officially Announced
The Wright announcement at the Wright time kicking off the new year
There won’t be any overwriting about David Wright. At least from me. Most sources seem to have done so in It’d be one thing to add to it and publish a Note about an update but a formal follow-up article feels the most…right. The New York Mets have announced that Wright, the third baseman who spent his entire career with the team, ending in 2018 after being drafted in 2001, is set to be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame with his #5 retired during a July 19 ceremony at Citi Field before a 4:10 PM home game against the Cincinnati Reds.
With official announcements come official statements. Such as from team owners Steve and Alex Cohen, who said "David Wright personified class on and off the field. David is the definition of a Met. He grew up going to Mets Triple-A games in his hometown of Norfolk, VA and was drafted by the organization in 2001. His spectacular career included seven All-Star appearances, two Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger awards before he played an emotional final game in 2018. For a generation of Mets fans, he was their Tom Seaver, so it is a fitting tribute that only David and Tom have gone into the Mets Hall of Fame and had their number retired on the same day. He continues to contribute to the organization today serving as an ambassador. Congratulations on this tremendous honor, David."
Wright’s own statement reads "Excited, humbled, honored are just some of the words to describe the thought of this summer’s Mets Hall of Fame induction and seeing #5 up at Citi Field next to some of the best players to ever play the game. A big thank you to Steve and Alex Cohen and the entire Mets organization for this surreal honor. I can’t quite put into words the appreciation I have for the city of New York and Mets fans. For 15 years I felt like I had 40,000 friends and family members in the stands each night. It was an honor of a lifetime taking the field as your Captain and I truly feel like this honor is just as much yours as it is mine. Thank you for the continued support and I can’t wait to see you on July 19!”
Drafted using a supplemental pick obtained from the Colorado Rockies after pitcher Mike Hampton signed there, Wright is considered the most accomplished position player in Mets history, amassing 242 home runs, 970 runs batted in, and a 49.2 Wins Above Replacement over his career. His trajectory was considered National Baseball Hall of Fame-bound until back, neck and shoulder injuries, including spinal stenosis ended his career. Wright spent much of 2015-17 rehabbing, playing in only 75 games, missing most of 2016 and all of 2017. He was only activated for the final homestand of 2018 before his retirement, appearing in two games. He is a lifetime .296 hitter, seven-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner and franchise record holder for hits, doubles, walks, RBIs and runs scored, and second to Darryl Strawberry in homers. He also had a memorable home run in game 3 of the 2015 World Series, the team’s only trip there in his playing career.
Wright follows Darryl Strawberry and Doc Gooden, whose numbers were retired last season, Willie Mays, Keith Hernandez, Jerry Koosman, Mike Piazza, Gil Hodges, Casey Stengel and the league-wide Jackie Robinson. Being only 5 seasons since his retirement, no one had worn #5 and now no one ever will. The Mets Hall of Fame is considerably larger at this point (which makes sense in a “distributed uniforms only go as high as 99” way), with its most recent inductee class including lead TV and radio broadcasters Gary Cohen and Howie Rose (who were actually vice versa in mediums for about 7 years before intersecting on radio for 2+ seasons), and players Howard Johnson and Al Leiter.
Source: SNY