Among third basemen through age 28, David Wright is seventh all-time in OPS+ with 134. That’s not seventh all-time among Mets third basemen—that’s seventh among all third basemen in M.L.B. history. The only six ahead of him are Eddie Mathews, Frank (Home Run) Baker, Wade Boggs, George Brett, Chipper Jones and Mike Schmidt. That’s five Hall of Famers and in Jones, a clear sixth. The man just behind Wright, Ron Santo, just got elected to the Hall of Fame as well.
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But let’s put his performance in context. Wright’s numbers have dipped in 2009-2011. His 139 OPS+ from 2004-2008 gave way to a 124 over the last three campaigns. But despite adjusting to a new home park, battling a broken back that caused him to slump through much of 2011, and even returning from a beaning late in the 2009 season, the below-his-own-standards Wright has been, by most other standards, solid.
His 2009-2011 were his age 26-28 seasons, generally the peak for most players. So that drop-off in offensive productivity lands Wright in the 20th spot all-time among M.L.B. third basemen. He hasn’t been inner-circle Hall of Fame good, but he’s still among the best couple of dozen hitters to ever play the position—in his down years.
via David Wright’s future should include the Hall of Fame, not the Colorado Rockies | Capital New York.
