Here’s an idea for the Mets: retire the numbers of The Captains.
Clearly. no Mets player can wear 5 again.
However, the Mets have had a Hall of Fame Rule for retired numbers. David Wright will not make the Hall of Fame.
Thus, I propose the Mets retire the numbers of all the Captains.
There are only 4, and none would be a ridiculous retirement…
8 is already not being given out (good). Let’s make it official.
Anyone who saw Keith play for the Mets knows the value he brought.
The most debatable might be John Franco. But John WAS the Captain. He played 14 seasons for the Mets. He’s been a good citizen, a team ambassador, and is a good representative of the franchise. Let’s do it.
There are no new captains, at least for a while.
So let’s add 5, 8, 17, and 45 to 14, 31, 41 and 42.
The Mets will soon be 60 years old (that went fast) – seven retired numbers (plus Jackie) isn’t absurd.
I think this is a great solution. It also closed the door on the very complicated rabbit hole of – retire 16, how do you retire 16 but not 18, what about Kooz, what about Mookie etc.
This way the rule is Hall of Fame or Team Captain. At this time I don’t see any Mets making the Hall any time soon, and there’s no obvious Next Captain….so 7 (plus Jackie) retired numbers in 60 years. Very reasonable, very sensible.
As for timing….
Let’s let the 1969 team have this summer to themselves.
I’d like to do something for the 2000 team in 2020, but I can’t imagine retiring Franco before Wright, Hernandez or Carter. That would create chaos.
So let’s honor the 2000s in 2020.
Then in 2021 – Gary and Keith together.
2022 – John Franco and David Wright
2023 – the 50th Anniversary of the 1973 Team (although I’m not sure how many healthy 1973’s we’ll have in 2023. That’s a post for another day.)
The Mets could even announce this plan in advance so people calm the heck down about the sequence.
There you have it Mets.
