David Wright will likely be honored Saturday at Citi Subject by having his No. 5 retired by the Mets.
However twice Friday, individuals who knew Wright effectively stated if issues had labored out only a bit in a different way, it wouldn’t be simply the Mets celebrating Wright.
“David is one of the greatest players,” Billy Wagner stated throughout a Zoom name prematurely of his induction into the Baseball Corridor of Fame subsequent weekend.
“If he’s not hurt, he’s probably gonna have a chance to be in the Hall of Fame,” stated the previous Mets nearer, who spent components of 4 seasons in Queens with Wright. “A great leader, a great person, a great teammate. I’m so excited because he deserves this. I think he is the face and captain of the Mets. We’ve had a lot of people go through the Mets like [Tom] Seaver [and others], and he’s just right there with the greats.”
A couple of hours later, one in all Wright’s outdated managers, Terry Collins, shared an identical sentiment whereas praising the third baseman.
“He meant a lot to the organization,” Collins stated previous to the Mets dealing with the Reds at Citi Subject, the place Collins and loads of others will likely be available to cheer Wright.
“He’s absolutely humbled by what’s gonna happen [Saturday],” the supervisor stated. “And I talked to him and told him, ‘If you don’t get hurt, we’re gonna be talking about what’s gonna happen [later] in July [at the Hall of Fame].’ But he was just happy to do what he could do as long as he could do it.”
For Wright, that meant enjoying 14 years for the Mets earlier than the again and neck woes that plagued the latter a part of his profession ultimately led to his retirement in 2018.
His impression started when Wright was drafted by the Mets with their first choose in 2001, continued via his MLB debut in 2004 and the staff’s most up-to-date World Sequence look in 2015.
Wright missed greater than 4 months of the 2015 season, identified with spinal stenosis, earlier than he returned to the lineup in late August, with the Mets holding a wholesome lead within the NL East.
Collins recalled Wright telling him he didn’t count on to hit in the course of the lineup when he got here again or disturb the best way they have been performing.
“He always put the team first,” Collins stated. “That’s why we named him captain.”
However as an alternative of listening to Wright’s lineup recommendation in his return in Philadelphia on Aug. 24, 2015, Collins penciled Wright within the cleanup spot, and he responded in model to guide off the highest of the second inning.
“What does he do?” Collins stated. “He hits a homer his first time up. … He came back and did that and then hit that World Series home run [against Kansas City].”
And his presence nonetheless is felt now, with Francisco Lindor noting how particular it was to be given the identical locker Wright had at Citi Subject.
Lindor additionally politely declined to debate intimately the opportunity of being named the Mets’ first captain since Wright in deference to Saturday’s festivities.
“It’s always great to be mentioned with him, but this weekend is about David Wright,” Lindor stated. “He deserves all the love. Whatever happens with [the captaincy], happens. But nothing can take away from David Wright.”
