Keith Hernandez is finally getting his number retired by the Mets. The fans are excited, players of past and present are excited, and Keith himself is excited. It’s very well deserved.
But this raises the question, who’s number should the Mets retire next? Should it be someone who has also been long overdue to get their spot in the Mets HOF like Gary Carter? Should it be The Captain, David Wright? Or is there someone else that should come before either one of them… like Doc Gooden? Here’s what our writers had to say.
Matt Musico
The easy answer here is to retire David Wright’s number next, but the Mets have a bit of a backlog when it comes to former players that need to get this honor bestowed on them. With that in mind, I’m going with Gary Carter’s #8.
In reading all the reactions to Keith getting his number retired, I noticed one thing — similar things could be said about what Carter meant to this organization. Hernandez brought legitimacy to the franchise after a bunch of hard years in Flushing. When Carter arrived in time for the 1985 season, his presence helped bring things up another notch.
He brought this fire and intensity to every single pitch that was the heart and soul of the ’86 championship club. I absolutely loved how even his home run trots and high fives were as intense as possible. It’s long overdue that he’s honored, and now that Hernandez is getting his due, Carter should be next.
Patrick Glynn
David Wright is certainly next up on this list. He’ll likely have a ceremony in 2023. Unlike most people who will be on this list, no one’s worn No. 5 since, and no one ever will.
That being said, let’s go to the next rung of players: the legends whose histories weren’t totally embraced by former ownership. Steve Cohen seems making honoring franchise history a primary pillar of his ownership. That started with Jerry Koosman and continues with Keith. That could continue with my next choice, Dwight Gooden.
Part of getting your number retired is it’s yours (italicized). That’s true of No. 16 for Doc, who wore it for 10 years while becoming the second-best pitcher (to-date) in franchise history. He’s seemed to generally been kept at arms length over the last two decades (occasionally for good reason). But if part of Cohen’s tenure means fully embracing the past, that also includes making sure no one wears Doc’s number ever again.
It’s pretty apparent the Wilpons plan was to not retire a number unless the player was a surefire MLB Hall of Famer. If that were the case, we may have waited another 15-20 years (save for Wright, given his injury circumstances) for another jersey retirement. You don’t wait for one of your best players to be embraced at the national level before giving them their just due at home.
Mets history isn’t perfect, and neither are many of its best players. Doc is, was, and always will be a Met first and foremost, and he’ll always be one of the best pitchers to play for a franchise that’s become known for pitching. Embrace it.
Alex Horowitz
No disrespect to other Mets legends such as Gary Carter or Doc Gooden, but the next number to join the list of Mets retired numbers should be someone who only hung up the cleats within the past several years – The captain, number five, David Wright. For over a decade, Wright WAS the New York Mets. He was as synonymous with this organization as any other player in Major League Baseball. While his best years at the plate occurred in the mid-late 2000’s, I’ll remember number five mostly for his heroics in the 2015 season. Battling injuries all year, homering in his first game off the IL, and being a leader for the Mets as they made one heck of a run to the Fall Classic.
Wins and losses and numbers aside, David Wright represented everything good about the Mets, the borough of Queens, and the city of New York. I’m looking forward to the day – hopefully in 2023 – when Citi Field is packed with 41,000+ fans there to honor their captain.
Sal Manzo
I’m definitely going to be redundant is saying that David Wright’s #5 should be the next number retired by the Mets, with #8, #16, and #18 to follow soon after. But for the sake of argument, I think another name (well number) that should be considered is #15, Carlos Beltran.
I’m not saying that should happen in the near future, but eventually the former star center fielder should get some sort of welcome back to the organization, and considering he’s one of best players to ever wear to play for the team, retiring his number is not only deserved but would be a good “olive branch” gesture by the Mets.
Nate Mendelson
If the Mets want to connect their history through generations then the clear answer for jersey retirement is Ed Kranepool. Kranepool, now 77, deserves a chance for remembrance. He’s an original Met, making his debut in 1962 as a 17-year old from the Bronx. He’d then spend the next 18 years of his life in a Mets uniform, retiring after the 1979 season. Kranepool’s top honor is leading the Mets in all time games played at 1,853, nearly 300 more than the next closest Met.
In the Mets record books he remains in the top five for hits, total bases, doubles, and runs batted in. Kranepool has struggled with his health in recent years, receiving a kidney transplant in 2019. There is plenty of time to celebrate the likes of David Wright and Carlos Beltran. Last year the Mets finally honored his miracle Met teammate Jerry Koosman with him present. Don’t pass over the past. Celebrate the Mets while they’re still here.
Rich Sparago
I have a different take on the next retired number. I think we have to go back farther into Mets’ history, and retire number 4, the first number worn by Rusty Staub (I’d be fine with retiring number 10 from his second tour with the Mets too). Rusty was the first Met to post 100 RBIs in a single season. He played the 1973 World Series with a badly injured shoulder, and STILL hit .423 with a home run. Overall Staub was a Met for nine seasons, and in a different era, slashed .276/.358/.431 with 75 home runs. He was a pinch hitter extraordinaire from 1981-1985.
What he did on the field is half of his story. Rusty has an entire history of charitable work in the New York area, including leading efforts to make life better for children of fallen police and fire public servants. Maybe his numbers don’t equal those of some other candidates, but generational context must be considered. I’m all for retiring David Wright’s number 5, Gary Carter‘s number 8, and Carlos Beltran’s number 15. But let’s not forget about Rusty Staub. He should be next, as the Mets embark on their mission to better embrace their past.
Marshall Field
Metsmerized, of course, is the name of our blog. It comes from the word mesmerized which in the 60-odd years the Mets have been in existence, has been achieved on the field only a handful of times. Obviously the two championships and some thrilling division series come to mind, but for an entire season of sustained brilliance, I can’t think of anything more, well mesmerizing, than Dwight Gooden’s 1985 season. Each time he pitched, it was must watch TV as he displayed, at age 20, a command and maturity rarely seen in MLB. He went on to win the pitcher’s triple crown with 24 wins, a 1.53 ERA and 268 strike outs to go along with his 16 complete games. The Cy Young award he won that season was a given.
The year before, in 1984, he won the Rookie of the Year distinction and became the youngest player to ever appear in an All-Star game. He had other good seasons as well with the Mets, but nothing quite like these mid 80s years. Doc would pitch for four other teams and end up with just short of 200 wins. I realize that a few seasons do not a retired number make it most cases, but in this case, I believe Gooden brought an electricity to Flushing not seen in these parts until Jacob deGrom. The fact that he had some personal demons later in his life does not erase the good he did while mesmerizing the National League with near unhittable stuff. David Wright will get his due, and well-deserved. Dr. K should also get his moment as though it wasn’t as prolonged as others…it sure was mesmerizing while it lasted.
Michelle Ioannou
I’m not going to lie to you, I really can’t decide. I’ve sat here and wrote about how it should be Wright, only to delete that and write about how it should be Carter, only to delete that and write how it should be Wright. Both deserve to have their numbers retired, that’s something we can all agree on. Even though I was born post 1986 World Series, I can 100% see, and even make, the argument that Carter should be next. But then there’s Wright, and there’s just something so poetic about his number getting retired in 2023, the five-year anniversary of his last game. They should both be next.
