I remember David Wright’s debut like it was yesterday. I went down to Shea Stadium with a few friends and saw his home debut, and it was the first time the Mets had an offensive prospect they believed in in quite some time.
The Virginia native didn’t waste time making an impact, hitting .293 with a .332 OBP in his first abbreviated season in 2004 with 14 homers in just 283 at-bats. With Jose Reyes and David Wright young and hungry, this team had a left side of the infield that would be here for the next 10 years…or so we thought.
Things constantly improved for Wright, hitting 27, 26, 30 and 33 homers over the next our seasons. Combine that with 102, 116, 107 and 124 RBI totals, he was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career to join current Hall of Famer Tom Seaver and future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza with Mets’ caps.
After that dominant four-year stretch, which included one Division Championship, Wright would have just two more solid seasons between 2009-2016, much due to injury. Since 2010, Wright has appeared in 135 games just once (2012). Due to ongoing back and neck issues, he’s diminished in his abilities. That doesn’t displace what he’s done for the franchise. He’s been the Mets’ trusty captain and leader, despite his injuries and struggles. His swung has gotten long and his strikeouts have gone up. This has led people to question whether the time is right for the Captain to walk away with dignity.
My answer is yes…at the end of the season.
Financially, he’s set. He’s a great Met who will go into the Mets’ hall of fame one day. He needs to look at Michael Cuddyer as the example. When Cuddyer realized that time had passed him by he walked away. I don’t know about you, but watching David Wright’s career decompose in front of our eyes would be downright painful. He’s going to be remembered as a great Met no matter what, but unless he comes across new cutting edge medical options, his body is telling him that the baseball game he loves has passed him by.
Do you agree with my sentiments? Tell me in the comments section below.
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