David Wright, Third Base, 2004-2016, 2018
Much like putting Ted Williams and Yaz on a Red Sox Mount Rushmore even though neither ever won a title with the team, I’m putting David Wright on the Mets Mount Rushmore.
Wright is certainly no Williams nor Yastrzemski, but he’s just as important to Mets history. Wright never brought a pennant to Queens, but he did play in a Fall Classic for the Mets and came one win shy of competing in a second.
Like Seaver and Gooden, Wright let his presence be known early in his career with the Mets. After a 69-game rookie season where he batted .293, Wright would go on to hit over .300 in each of the next five seasons. In those five seasons, Wright would earn four All-Star selections, garner a number of MVP votes and win multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers. In total during his 13-year run with the Mets, Wright would earn seven All-Star appearances and continue to get those MVP votes.
What’s most important to Mets fans is that Wright played his entire career in the blue and orange pinstripes. Like Gooden and Seaver, Wright’s longevity with the franchise allowed him to rack up a number of team records. Here are a few of them…
1st in plate appearances (6.870)
1st in at bats (5,998)
1st in runs (949)
1st in hits (1,777)
1st in doubles (390)
1st in RBIs (970)
1st in walks (762)
1st in total bases (2,945)
1st in extra base hits (658)
1st in sacrifice flies (65)
Wright is second all-time in Mets history in games played (1,585) behind Ed Kranepool (1,853), second in home runs (242) to Darryl Strawberry’s 252 dingers, fourth in stolen bases (196) and tied with Mike Piazza in fourth for highest batting average (.296). The former first-round draft pick certainly proved he was worth the pick.