The best Mets player to wear number 5

It's very likely that we will never see another New York Mets player ever wear number 5. David Wright took number 5 when he was first called up in 2004 and had the best career a position player has had as a Met, and it would've been even better, potentially Hall of Fame worthy, if injuries didn't exist.

Tom Seaver is known as The Franchise, and rightfully so. Wright is as close as you can get to that kind of stature, which says a lot about the player and leader he was.

He was a first-round pick in the 2001 MLB draft, taken 38th overall. He was instantly a highly touted prospect and when he was called up he had major expectations to come and contribute. He did that and then some.

The best player who has worn number 5 is David Wright

He slashed .296/.376/.491 with 242 home runs and 970 RBI. He's the franchise leader in hits, RBI, total bases, and pretty much every other relevant offensive category other than home runs, a number which he was just ten home runs shy of tying. Had the injuries not occurred, Wright surely would've passed Darryl Strawberry and make the gaps between him and second place in every category that much wider.

Wright was a seven-time all-star, won two Gold Gloves, and two Silver Slugger Awards. He had a four year stretch from 2005-2008 which saw him slash .311/.394/.534, averaging 29 home runs and 112 RBI per season. He made three all-star teams, won both of his Gold Gloves, both of his Silver Sluggers, and finished top 10 in MVP voting three times. His 142 WRC+ in that span was sixth in the National League as he proved himself to be one of the best players in baseball.

Wright was a clutch player as well. He has the second most walk-off RBI in Mets history with nine. While the Mets collapsed in 2007 and 2008, Wright stepped up his play in the September's of those seasons, posting OPS numbers of 1.034 and .993 in those September's respectively. He also had numerous big hits in the postseason including the first World Series home run in the history of Citi Field in his first at-bat. That seemed fitting for the player who hit the first Mets regular-season home run at Citi Field as well.

The fourth Mets captain and my favorite player ever will one day have his number 5 among the other greats who have worn orange and blue.