Jerry Koosman will have his number retired at Citi Field this August. Jon Matlack, Ron Darling and Edgardo Alfonzo have recently been inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. So, who is next to live in Mets infamy?
Matt Musico
I’ll just say what we’re all thinking: it has to be David Wright. One of the (many) things that frustrated me about the Wilpon-Era Mets was they took just a little too long to get things done. Shocking, right? That doesn’t sound like them at all. The best example of that is the Tom Seaver statue we’re still waiting to see.
We all know Wright is going to eventually get his number retired and be inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame. He owns a laundry list of Mets records, was named one of the few captains in team history, and was one of the very few constants we as fans could turn to when everything else was going haywire in Flushing from 2009-14.
Oh, and let’s not forget — this man literally sacrificed his body to wear the orange and blue. Nobody will argue that he embodies everything you’d want in an ideal ballplayer. It’s definitely happening someday, so why wait? Just do it now so I can get the warm and tinglies when he steps out onto the field again.
Joe D.
Like tens of thousands of other Mets fans, I was completely devastated after M. Donald Grant did the unthinkable and traded away the greatest player ever to wear a Mets uniform — Tom Seaver. I never thought that the team I loved so much could break my heart the way it did. For a while I even stopped watching games because it was too painful a reminder of what we lost.
It wasn’t until a few years later that someone would restore my love of the team and give me something that had been long gone… hope. That hope came in the form of Nelson Doubleday Jr. the New owner of the Mets. After buying the team in 1980 for $21 million dollars, Mr. Doubleday proved how committed he was to winning by further investing another $20 million dollars over the next three years to rebuild the franchise.
His first major decision was hiring Frank Cashen as general manager and that was soon followed up with another signature move, selecting outfielder Darryl Strawberry with the first overall pick in the 1980 amateur draft.
Within three years, the Mets were soon legitimate contenders again, winning 90 games in 1984 and 98 games in 1985. And of course, it all culminated in a second World Series championship for the New York Mets in 1986. Unlike the meddlesome ways of the Wilpons, Nelson Doubleday had very nuanced approach to owning a team, you get good people to do a job and then you let them do it.
Pitcher and now broadcaster Ron Darling would often say: “When the dugout telephone rang, you never would imagine it’s Nelson Doubleday. It wasn’t, and it never could be. Not with that owner.”
Sadly, Nelson Doubleday passed away in 2015 after complications with pneumonia. He was 81. It would be nice to see Nelson join Joan Whitney Payson as the only two owners in the Mets Hall of Fame.
Brian Wright
It’s clear the Mets’ new regime is committed to clearing the backlog of deserving players, evidenced by the nods for Matlack, Darling, and Alfonzo. And while David Wright will get his honor in timely fashion, a third baseman who preceded him is atop the list of those overdue for induction.
Howard Johnson was a 30-homer, 30-steal performer three times (1987, ‘89, ‘91) and still is near the top of several all-time Mets categories: fourth in home runs, fourth in RBIs, third in stolen bases, and fifth in offensive bWAR. He returned to the organization after his player career to become the team’s hitting coach and was not retained by Sandy Alderson once Terry Collins was hired as manager, which may be an explanation — albeit a petty one — as to why HoJo had been snubbed up to this point.
Aside from players, it shouldn’t be too long before Howie Rose and Gary Cohen are Hall members as well.
Rich Sparago
I agree with Brian. Howard Johnson was a very good player, and should be on the short list of candidates for the Mets Hall of Fame. As Brian notes, HoJo was a three-time 30/30 player, and ranks highly in several of the Mets’ all-time offensive categories. Johnson was also a versatile player, who saw time at third base, shortstop, and the outfield.
To a degree, his achievements are often overlooked, because he did well on the post-championship team of 1987, the disappointing team of 1989 (post division championship), and the 1991 team that marked the beginning of a downward trend for the orange and blue. All in all, Howard Johnson was Avery talented player who performed well in Flushing and should be given strong consideration for enshrinement in the Mets Hall of Fame.
Marshall Field
A captain among captains, David Wright is the obvious choice here. It’s only matter of time before the number 5 is raised to the rafters (or at least the outfield) of Citi Field and I hope it’s done sooner rather than later. A modest man at heart as he declined to wear the letter ‘C’ on his uniform, he nevertheless embodied what it meant to be a leader. Often playing through pain, he sacrificed much to don the Mets uniform, and his perpetual smile and total commitment made him a player and a man that many would try to copy. Few succeeded.
Wright was a seven-time All-Star, two time Gold Glove recipient and two-time Silver Slugger. He is a member of the elite 30-30 club and holds a bevy of Mets records which include career runs batted in (RBIs), doubles, total bases, runs scored, walks, sacrifice flies, times on base, extra base hits, strikeouts, double plays, and hits. In 2013, he was rightly named the fourth captain of the New York Mets. I was lucky enough to see his entire career and may I say it was a privilege. Along with Ron Hodges and Ed Kranepool, David spent his entire career with the Mets, a fact that endeared him to many. He bled orange and blue.
A talent that comes along very rarely, David Wright deserves to be inducted in the Mets Hall of Fame and be given the accolades deserving of a franchise-type player. I hope Mr. Cohen sees to this quickly. Now that attendance restrictions are largely lifted, a full house can pay homage to our captain, David Wright.
