David Wright Named Fourth Captain in New York Mets History

Well, it was only a matter of time until this became official, as Terry Collins just named David Wright the captain of the New York Mets. The third baseman becomes the fourth captain in team history, as he joins Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, and John Franco as the only other players to earn this honor

Feb 21, 2013; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) poses for a picture during photo day at Tradition Field. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

When talking about being officially labeled as the team’s leader, Wright had this to say:

"“This is probably one of the proudest days of my career so far. To be viewed in this light – by ownership, by Sandy and the front office, the coaching staff, and most importantly by the players – means a great deal to me. I’m honored and proud to be on the short list of guys of who have been captain in our history. It’s a dream come true, to say the least, and something I am very, very proud of.”"

With regard to whether or not he’ll be putting a “C” on his jersey, Wright said his uniform will remain the way it currently is, sans “C”. This is the right move, and it’s no surprise that David chose this option. Fred Wilpon said earlier in camp that Wright is the Mets’ version of Derek Jeter, and while that incredible compliment was deflected by the third baseman, there is some truth to it.

We’ve known that David Wright is the captain and clear leader of this team for quite some time now, so this official announcement is no surprise, but it’s great to see upper level management actually make good on their promise of allowing this to happen if there was a need for it to be done.

At the end of the day, will this change anything? Probably not. However, we’ve become so used to the Mets either getting rid of or bad mouthing their star players (Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, and most recently, Johan Santana), so it’s refreshing to see Wright get everything he deserves while being treated like a star should.

Being a fan is so much fun during occasions such as these, because you almost feel as though you’ve earned the honor as well. I, like most Mets fans, have been following David Wright since he made his Big League debut in 2004, and to see what he’s accomplished to this point in his career and watch him turn into the superstar he was projected to be is incredibly gratifying.

Congratulations, David! You deserve every bit of the recognition.

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