The New York Mets officially announced on Monday that David Wright will be inducted into the team Hall of Fame, and his No. 5 will be retired prior to a 4:10 p.m. ET game on July 19 at Citi Field against the Cincinnati 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. “A big thank you to Steve and Alex Cohen and the entire Mets organization for this surreal honor.”
The 41-year-old played in 15 seasons with New York from 2004-2018. His career, which was on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory, was derailed by a debilitating back injury that limited him to just 79 games across a four-year stretch from 2015-2018.
Regardless, Wright is the most successful all-around offensive talent in franchise history and its most notable non-pitching homegrown talent. Selected by the club in the first round (38th overall) of the 2001 draft, Wright holds franchise records in WAR (49.2), hits (1,777), runs scored (949), total bases (2,945), doubles (390), RBI (970), and walks (762).
His .296 career batting average is tied for third in team history, and his 242 home runs rank second. He was also a seven-time All-Star and won a pair of Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers. All seven of those All-Star nods came in an eight-year span from 2006-2013. A four-year stretch from 2005-2008 saw him develop into one of the game’s very best third basemen, posting a .928 OPS while averaging 29 home runs and 112 RBI.
He was an integral part of the 2006 team that advanced to the NLCS, was named the franchise’s fourth-ever captain in 2013, and hit a memorable home run in Game 3 of the 2015 World Series — the first-ever Fall Classic game played at Citi Field.
“I can’t quite put into words the appreciation I have for the city of New York and Mets fans,” Wright said. “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.”
Wright will become the 10th figure in franchise history to have their jersey number retired, joining Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Jerry Koosman, Keith Hernandez, Willie Mays, Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Casey Stengel, and Gil Hodges.
“David Wright personified class on and off the field,” Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “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.”
