NEW YORK -- The Mets are about to fete one of the greatest players in their history with the most prestigious honor a team can bestow.
They will retire David Wright’s No. 5 and induct him into the Mets Hall of Fame during a July 19 ceremony at Citi Field, the club announced Monday. Wright will become the 10th individual to have his number retired by the Mets and the second, along with Tom Seaver, to enter the team’s Hall of Fame on the same day.
The ceremony will take place before a 4:10 p.m. ET game against the Reds.
“Excited, humbled, honored are just some of the words to describe the thought of this summer’s Mets Hall of Fame induction and seeing No. 5 up at Citi Field next to some of the best players to ever play the game,” Wright said in a statement. “A big thank you to [owners] Steve and Alex Cohen and the entire Mets organization for this surreal honor.
“I can’t quite put into words the appreciation I have for the city of New York and Mets fans. For 15 years I felt like I had 40,000 friends and family members in the stands each night. It was an honor of a lifetime taking the field as your Captain and I truly feel like this honor is just as much yours as it is mine. Thank you for the continued support and I can’t wait to see you on July 19!”
The most accomplished position player in Mets history, Wright hit 242 home runs, drove home 970 runs and compiled 49.2 Wins Above Replacement over a 14-year career in New York. He established a Hall of Fame arc in his 20s before succumbing to the back, neck and shoulder injuries that ultimately ended his career. From 2015-17, Wright played in only 75 games. He returned in 2018 to appear in two final, emotional games -- the last of them before a sold-out crowd at Citi.
Despite the injuries, Wright holds franchise records for hits, doubles, walks, RBIs and runs scored, leading many of those categories by significant margins. He ranks second behind Darryl Strawberry in home runs. He’s also a seven-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glover at third base and was one of the most popular New York athletes of his generation, spending his entire career in Queens.
“David Wright personified class on and off the field,” said Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen. “David is the definition of a Met. He grew up going to Mets Triple-A games in his hometown of Norfolk, Va., and was drafted by the organization in 2001. His spectacular career included seven All-Star appearances, two Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards before he played an emotional final game in 2018.
“For a generation of Mets fans, he was their Tom Seaver, so it is a fitting tribute that only David and Tom have gone into the Mets Hall of Fame and had their number retired on the same day. He continues to contribute to the organization today serving as an ambassador. Congratulations on this tremendous honor, David.”
No Met has worn Wright’s No. 5 since he retired after the 2018 season. Beginning in July, it will hang above the left-field grandstand at Citi Field alongside the numbers of Casey Stengel, Gil Hodges, Seaver, Mike Piazza, Jerry Koosman, Keith Hernandez, Willie Mays, Dwight Gooden and Strawberry.
In addition to those, Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 is retired around baseball, and the Mets have placards honoring one of their founders, Bill Shea, as well as two broadcasters, Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy.
For decades, the Mets tended not to retire the numbers of players unless they were bound for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. That resulted in only Seaver and Piazza earning the distinction from 1974-2020.
Recently, however, the Mets loosened their guidelines to honor other prominent players. Koosman, Hernandez, Mays, Gooden and Strawberry have all had their numbers retired over the past four years, clearing a backlog to set the stage for Wright’s ceremony next summer.
Wright will also become the 35th member of the Mets Hall of Fame.
Unrelatedly, Wright is entering his second cycle on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. He appeared on 6.2% of ballots last year, clearing the 5% necessary to remain under consideration for entry into Cooperstown.