NEW YORK — Mets legend David Wright was the embodiment of a team captain. Not only was he, arguably, the best player on his team, but he also commanded his teammates’ respect by leading by example and playing through pain throughout his career.
That’s why, ahead of the 2013 season, then-Mets manager Terry Collins named him the team’s fourth-ever captain.
Ahead of his number retirement and induction into the Mets’ Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday, Wright was asked who he feels embodies the qualities of a captain.
He settled on two players: left-fielder Brandon Nimmo and shortstop Francisco Lindor.
“I love Brandon Nimmo,” Wright told reporters. “I tell my son all the time, ‘That’s how you should play the game.’
“And I love Francisco Lindor. I’ve gotten to know him over the last couple of years. I recently found out that he played hurt at the end of the season with a hand injury, and nobody knew about it. He never said anything because he wanted to be out there grinding it out with his guys.”
A first-round draft pick, Nimmo has played his entire professional baseball career with the Mets. In the early part of his career, Wright served as something of a mentor.
Nimmo is known for his unfettered hustle. He doesn’t waste a single opportunity, even running down the first baseline after drawing a walk.
Like Lindor, Nimmo also played hurt last postseason. Between games, you would see him limping in the clubhouse, dealing with plantar fasciitis.
Nimmo is batting .262/.367/.441 with 128 home runs in 10 seasons with the Mets.
Lindor rose to the occasion after the team hit rock bottom last season, calling a team meeting that some believe was responsible for the amazing second-half run the Mets want on.
In the end, he finished the season as the NL MVP runner-up, behind Dodgers phenom Shohei Ohtani.
In five seasons with the Mets, Lindor is batting .259/.335/.459 with 129 RBI. He became the Mets’ fourth member of the 30 home run, 30 stolen base club in 2023.
Nimmo and Lindor embody many of what Wright believes are the essential qualities of a captain.
“I think that the leaders that I followed when I was younger were more of the leaders by example,” Wright said. “They weren’t the loudest or the most boisterous. But they were the ones who worked the hardest. That if something needed to be said, they’d do it more privately. And then when they did speak up, people listened because they weren’t accustomed to them speaking up.”
The Mets have not indicated that they’ll be naming the franchise’s fifth captain. If they ever do, Nimmo or Lindor would be excellent choices.
