Updated on 3/21
Terry Collins just announced that the Mets have named David Wright the captain of the New York Mets.
Wright becomes the fourth captain in team history, joining Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, and John Franco.
“This is probably one of the proudest days of my career so far,” Wright said.
“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 captains of this franchise. It’s a dream come true, to say the least, and something I am very, very proud of.”
Wright will not wear the “C” on his jersey, unlike the captains before him.
Interestingly enough, yesterday I think I told Clayton (was it you Clayton?) that this news was going to break today.
Original Post 3/13
From Bakersfield, California to Bayonne, New Jersey, Mets third baseman David Wright has become an overnight sensation as he continues to shine for Team USA in the World baseball Classic. Step aside Justin Bieber.
From trending nationally on Twitter to being the hot baseball topic on sports talk shows from coast to coast, Wright has gone from face of the Mets franchise to the face of Team USA and his fans now number in the millions.
Meanwhile, back in Port St. Lucie, the buzz about Wright goes beyond his exploits in the WBC and questions regarding his captaincy still continue. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, caught up with Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, who is happy for Wright and said It’s nice that they’re calling him Captain America.
When asked if Wright would be named the Mets’ team captain before Opening Day, Wilpon responded by saying he could not talk about it, but Rubin believes it sounded like something could be happening soon. If it does happen, Wright would become the fourth captain in team history, joining Keith Hernandez (1987-89), Gary Carter (1988-89) and John Franco (2001-04).
Of course, the big story of the Spring is David Wright’s dominating performance in the WBC for Team USA. He leads the team with a .438 batting average, .750 slugging percentage and a 1.276 OPS. Wright’s 10 RBIs are also the most in the WBC.
This great graphic of Wright as Captain America was designed and posted by @theroar_24 on Twitter and has been making the rounds all over the Mets blogosphere. I love it!
Team USA will battle against the powerhouse Dominican Republic at Marlins Park on Thursday night at 7:00 PM in what is certain to be an epic clash. The winner will move onto the semi-final round at San Francisco’s AT&T Park.
Former Met and reigning NL Cy Young R.A. Dickey will be on the mound for Team USA and will face-off against Samuel Deduno for the DR.
GO TEAM USA!
