On Thursday, we went through some of David Wright‘s biggest moments on the offensive side, so today let’s look at the iconic moments from the two-time Gold Glover’s defense.
Wright certainly had his ups and downs when it came defensively during his career with the Mets but he won back-to-back gold gloves in 2007 and 2008. He should’ve won again in 2012 when he led the NL third basemen with 16 DRS (2nd in majors) but Chase Headley won despite having -3 DRS, but I digress.
The healthy Wright we all came to love was known defensively by his barehand plays on bunts/bleeders up the third baseline though these two plays really defined him as a defender:
Captain America Flies Into Stands
On June 18, 2005, Seattle Mariners’ designated hitter Raul Ibanez popped up a ball in the the bottom of the fourth inning off Pedro Martinez that seemed destined to land in the third baseline seats. Instead, the young Wright ran the ball down and jumped into the stands to catch the ball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0HAM85t5zE
No Glove Necessary
It took less than two months for Wright to top the unbelievable catch in Seattle, and he did so in impressive fashion. Brian Giles hit a weak pop up behind third base that Wright was able to track down and somehow catch with his bare right hand.
From all the barehanded plays and throws to first, to the crazy dives that looked seamless, you never had to worry about instability at third base.
Will the Mets ever have another third baseman like Wright? Probably not, but that’s just testament to how terrific he was.
What are some of your favorite Wright defensive gems?
