The Captain returns to Mets camp to mentor new 3B Bichette

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Always a fan of Spring Training, David Wright arrived at Mets camp Sunday with extra purpose.

The former Mets All-Star third baseman will be working with the Mets' new third baseman, Bo Bichette.

“I was excited and surprised when Bo reached out and asked if I was coming down and if I had a few minutes for him,” Wright said. "So I'm not sure what direction that's going to go into, whether it's third base or about New York, or whatever the question set is, but I'm excited to meet and spend some time with him.”

One of the Mets' biggest offseason acquisitions, Bichette is learning to play third base this spring. Over the next couple days he'll gather pointers from the two-time Gold Glove winner.

“The importance of having guys like that -- he was elite at the position -- and the fact that he's here, around, and anything that he can share to Bo is going to go a long way,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I think just building that relationship is going to be super important. And just the fact that he's able to pick his brain face to face instead of over a phone call, David is going to have an opportunity to watch him take ground balls and then just provide some feedback immediately.”

Bichette is one of three new veteran Mets infielders this spring. Free agent signee Jorge Polanco is learning to play first base. Trade acquisition Marcus Semien mans second.

Wright was eager to see how the new players were meshing with their new teammates in the clubhouse.

“It seems there's just energy and enthusiasm in the locker room,” Wright said. “And yeah, I like being a small part of that.”

Wright served as the Mets' captain for his final six years, a recognition he called the “highest honor.”

He believes the strong mix of veterans in the clubhouse may have contributed to owner Steve Cohen's February assertion that the team will never name a captain while he owns the team.

“When you have a handful or a group of leaders in there, that is just as good, if not better, than having a single leader,” Wright said. “To me, times change. It makes sense when you have the veteran group that they have in here, especially with some of these young guys, where that group can get together with these young guys, these top prospects, and say, 'Hey, this is kind of how we're going to do it.'”

In 14 seasons, all with the Mets, Wright launched 242 homers while maintaining a .296 batting average. His 1,777 hits, 970 RBIs and 949 runs scored are all the most in franchise history.

The seven-time All-Star recently saw a significant jump in Hall of Fame votes, going from 8.1 percent to 14.8 percent in his third year on the ballot.

“I take it as the biggest compliment, getting a chance to survive the ballot, survive two ballots, survive three,” Wright said. “But you know, it really is kind of a pinch-me moment when I've survived the ballot. I mean, it's incredible. I never, ever, in my wildest dreams would imagine that I would get a chance to survive one ballot.”