There may never be another David Wright

The David Wright era is ending today, as he’s set to spend his last days on the Mets’ active roster. Wright will play one final game today in front of his two young daughters and a sold-out Citi Field before the next chapter of his life begins.

The career Wright had is one which won’t be forgotten anytime soon. In fact, it won’t be forgotten at all—because that’s how special it was. Ever since he was called up in 2004, Wright has approached the game the right way, said all the right things to the media, and remained composed through the many rough times he endured as a member of the franchise.

David Wright’s time with the Mets means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some, myself included, Mets baseball is synonymous with David Wright. He is the reason they fell in love with both the Mets and the game of baseball. For others, he is the best player lifelong Mets fans have seen, and they’ve seen some pretty good ones over the years.

When looking back at Wright’s career, there’ll be a lot of wondering of what could’ve been if the injuries hadn’t kicked in. There’ll be talks of how he could’ve been a Hall of Famer and joined an elite group of third basemen in the Hall. And while injuries may have robbed Wright of a chance at that form of baseball immortality, he is still the most important player in the history of the Mets. He is one of a select few who will have been a “Met for life”, is at or near the top in almost every single offensive category in franchise history, and is only the fourth Met to be named captain.

Most importantly, Wright will be remembered as someone who truly gave everything he had to his to team. Upon hearing the news he had spinal stenosis, the thought of retirement did not even cross Wright’s mind. While many players would’ve ended their time in the big leagues, Wright made it his goal to make it back to the team and contribute in a meaningful way down the stretch. He did that and then some, as he produced some of the most memorable moments of the 2015 stretch run with some epic home runs and fist pumps.

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Wright was fulfilling a promise he made three years earlier when he signed a contract extension with the Mets and said “I’m going to give everything I have out there to bring a championship back to Queens.” For that, Mets fans are forever grateful. He truly bleeds orange and blue and did everything he possibly could to bring the Mets a World Series championship. The dedication and loyalty he had to one team is a rarity.

This is why Wright is the kind of player only a certain handful of sports franchises are lucky enough to get. Of course, there was his ability on the field, and he was one of the best in the game. But it was so much more because of who he was off the field. The smile he brought on a daily basis, his leadership, and loyalty to the franchise made the Captain just that special to the Mets.

Down the road, we may see more talented players take the field in Queens, but it will be hard to match combination of Wright’s ability, leadership, and class. Wright truly is one-of-a-kind, and that is something fans must never forget. Being able to watch the David Wright era for the last decade-and-a-half was a treat and is something that should always be appreciated because we won’t see anything quite like it ever again.