Victory lap for the King Of I Told You So. We now retire “David Wright is never ever going anywhere” until 2020 or unless it would look good on a T-shirt.
David is The Brand.
This means a lot beyond 2020.
We fans will have our first lifelong Met with a number of the fence.
My son will become a man and his favorite player will still be in blue and orange* (pending this blog losing its ability to nag marketing).
Jeff Wilpon will have someone to grow old with at club events well past the era of Seaver and well past the expiration of Bobby Bonilla’s contract.
So one last time I tell all my friends on twitter that David Wright is never ever going anywhere.
METS SIGN DAVID WRIGHT THROUGH 2020
FLUSHING, N.Y., December 4, 2012 – The New York Mets today announced that they have agreed to terms with David Wright on a new contract through 2020. Wright will be in Nashville, Tenn. at Baseball’s Winter Meetings for an 11:00 a.m. (CST) press conference tomorrow which will be carried live on SNY and Mets.com.
“I’d like to thank Fred Wilpon, Saul Katz and Jeff Wilpon for their commitment to me since I was drafted,” said Wright. “I’ve grown up in this organization and made life-long friendships with teammates, uniform personnel and front office staff. I’m grateful for the opportunity to finish what I’ve started and help bring the Mets and our fans a World Series title.”
Wright, who will turn 30 on December 20, became the Mets all-time leader in hits, runs scored, walks and RBI in 2012. He was already the club leader in doubles, total bases and game-winning RBI.
“We’re thrilled for the organization and our fans that David will be a Met for many years to come,” said Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. “As great a player as David’s been with us on the field – one of the greatest and most popular Mets ever – he’s been equally outstanding in the community.”
Wright was named to his sixth All-Star team in 2012. He is a two-time Louisville Silver Slugger Award winner (2007-2008) and has won two Rawlings Gold Gloves (2007-2008).
“We said signing David to a contract that would keep him in a Mets uniform was our top offseason priority,” said Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson. “Today is a historic day for the franchise and an important step in securing a winning future for this team and our fans.”
Over his nine-year career with the Mets, Wright owns a .301 batting average with 790 runs scored, 322 doubles, 19 triples, 204 home runs, 818 RBI and 166 stolen bases in 1,262 games. His 204 home runs rank third in team history behind Darryl Strawberry (252) and Mike Piazza (220).
“I think it’s a great statement that David wanted to stay with the organization that drafted him,” said Mets Manager Terry Collins. “David is the leader of this team in the clubhouse, on the field and in the community.”
Wright hit .306 (178-581) with 91 runs scored, 41 doubles, 21 home runs, 93 RBI and a .391 on-base percentage last season.
