5 Must-Know David Wright Facts

There have been endless elite third basemen throughout Major League Baseball's existence, with legendary names like Mike Schmidt, Wade Boggs, and George Brett all holding down the hot corner for the entirety of their careers. The high-achieving legacy of past players at the position has led to some modern third basemen going overlooked, a fate that has befallen former New York Mets slugger David Wright.

Despite a truly spectacular career, Wright consistently goes unnoticed in talks surrounding elite third basemen. This article will highlight that spectacular career by recognizing Wright's biggest achievements on the diamond.

It is rare to see players stay loyal to a single team in the modern era of sports, allowing Wright to stick out as an exception to that rule during his time in the Big Apple. He spent the entirety of his 14-year career with the Mets, sticking with the team through deep playoff runs and seasons spent near the bottom of the league. Remarkably, the Mets never finished last in the National League East throughout Wright's entire career.

That was, at least in part, due to Wright's quiet leadership on and off the field. Toward the back end of his career in 2013, he was named captain of the Mets, making him only the fourth player in New York history to earn that honor. While the majority of Wright's contributions came on the field of play, his intangibles and leadership ability made him the all-time great that he is.

The archetype of a third baseman for much of MLB history has been a power-hitting, lineup-anchoring batter who focused on power more than anything else. Wright managed to fulfill that archetype while stuffing the stat sheet in a variety of other ways.

He slugged 242 home runs while hitting .296 through 14 seasons, showing a rare ability to get on base reliably while presenting a potent power threat. As a cherry on top, Wright managed to leg out 196 stolen bases in his years in orange and blue, a remarkable number for a guy who had as much power as Wright did.

The career stats outlined above were bound to earn Wright a handful of trips to the All-Star games during his years in the league. His first All-Star appearance came in 2006 when Wright was only 23 years old, and his last came at age 30. In between, the third baseman made the Midsummer Classic five additional times. Those seven selections have Wright tied for second in New York franchise history with outfielder Darryl Strawberry, trailing only legendary pitcher Tom Seaver. 

It should come as no surprise that Wright leads the Mets in a number of important all-time stats, well after his retirement. The third baseman is still New York's leader in runs, hits, doubles, RBIs, and walks, while ranking third in franchise home runs behind only Strawberry and first baseman Pete Alonso.

A number that will appeal more to fans of analytics is Wright's all-time Wins Above Replacement, or WAR. Wright's career WAR comes in at 49.1, the best of any Mets position player ever, and his offensive WAR ended at 51.9, more than 10 full points above the next-closest Met, solidifying his dominance in the batter's box.

An athlete losing years of his career to injury is nothing new. Unfortunately, Wright fell victim to a series of injuries in the last few years of his time with the Mets, derailing what almost surely would have turned into a Hall of Fame career. In 2015, when he was only 32, Wright was playing at a high level, putting up a .289 batting average in 38 games before his season was cut short due to a significant back issue.

A stress fracture Wright endured in 2011 eventually degenerated into a debilitating issue known as spinal stenosis, which ended his 2015 campaign. His ill fortune continued in 2016 with a herniated disc, and again in 2017, thanks to a shoulder injury that did not allow Wright on the field once. While he was technically active in 2018, ongoing spinal issues saw him miss all but three games, barely allowing Wright to get a much-deserved ovation from the home fans.

In total, injuries essentially took four years of Wright's career. Prior to 2015, he was still producing at an All-Star level, and likely would have continued to do so if he remained healthy. There is no telling how Wright's career would have shaken out if missed time was not a factor, but a Hall of Fame bid would certainly be in the cards.

Even with injuries, Wright put together an all-time great baseball career. Aside from elite production on the field, he earned the respect of his teammates, peers, and, perhaps most impressively, of New York fans thanks to his excellent play and locker room leadership. While Wright may never be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he will always be one of the best to put on a Mets uniform.