David Wright Stays On Hall Of Fame Ballot
If you are Ichiro Suzuki, C.C. Sabathia, and Billy Wagner, Tuesday’s Hall of Fame results were the culmination of your baseball career. Your election into Cooperstown is a dream come true. For those three players, July will be special. Others, such as Carlos Beltran, have to hope next year is the year. Then there are players such as David Wright, who was hoping to stay on the ballot in year two of his eligibility. Lucky enough for the Mets captain, he did. Wright secured 8.1% of the vote (32 out of 394 votes) to stay on the ballot and keep his Hall of Fame hopes alive.
In Wright’s first year of eligibility, he received 6.2% of the vote. This year is a 2% increase from a year ago. Anything below 5% would’ve dropped him from the ballot altogether. With two years of above 5%, Wright’s further voting candidacy will be examined as the years go on.
Wright’s Case
In his prime, Wright was one of the best at his position. From 2005-2012, Wright compiled 190 home runs, 778 RBIs, 1,349 hits, and slashed .301/.384/.505. During that stretch, Wright made the All-Star team six times, won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger twice, and was an MVP candidate, especially in 2007, when he finished fourth in the voting. These eight seasons displayed Wright’s path to a potential trip to Cooperstown. It probably would’ve been automatic. His injuries from 2013 to 2018 halted his career.
That stretch of eight years were some of the best from a player during that period. It’s something for voters to look at as his eligibility continues heading into next year. Wright going up a bit is a nice sign, but it still will be a tough road for the Mets captain to eventually land in Cooperstown. For now, the Mets will retire Wright’s number this season, and he’ll be enshrined into the Mets Hall of Fame on the same day.
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