Wright (14.8%) continues upward trend in 3rd year on HOF ballot
NEW YORK -- David Wright’s bid for Cooperstown, while still suspect with seven years of eligibility left, is gaining enough traction to leave the door open on future ballots.
Wright received 14.8 percent of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote Tuesday in his third year of eligibility, earning a modest jump over last January’s total of 8.1 percent. For comparison, Wright is trending better than Billy Wagner did through three years on the ballot. In 2025, Wagner was inducted into Cooperstown in his 10th and final year of eligibility.
Wright’s support was part of a banner day for the Mets, who saw Carlos Beltrán earn induction into Cooperstown. The only other notable Met on the ballot, Daniel Murphy, did not receive enough support to remain on future ballots.
While Wright -- a Mets Hall of Famer who had his No. 5 retired at Citi Field last summer -- still has a long way to go if he hopes to end up in Cooperstown, the voting trends are somewhat promising for him. As the BBWAA electorate grows younger and more progressive, an increasing number of voters are valuing prime production over compiled counting stats.
Wright has plenty of the former on his resume, having finished Top 10 in National League MVP voting four times from 2006-12, while making seven All-Star teams in eight years and producing two of the best seasons in Mets history -- an 8.3 WAR campaign in 2007 and a 7.1 WAR season in 2012 -- during his prime. His production during those years compared favorably to that of Chase Utley, the Phillies’ second baseman who received 59.1 percent of the electorate in his third year on the ballot.
Yet Utley stands a far greater chance of future induction than Wright because he compiled 790 hits and 82 home runs over the final eight years of his career, after his prime ended. Wright never had the same opportunity due to the back, neck and shoulder injuries that limited him to just 77 games after age 32.
Still, Wright finished his career with 1,777 hits, 242 home runs and an .867 OPS. His 49.1 career WAR would rank ahead of several Hall of Fame third basemen, while the 39.6 WAR he compiled during his seven best seasons would rank just below the average among Hall of Famers at the position.