Why former Mets captain David Wright is excited by current direction of franchise

David Wright knows what it’s like to be a rookie trying to break in with a struggling Mets team. As a 21-year-old in 2004, Wright made his debut and hit .293 with 14 home runs in 69 games for a Mets team that went 71-91.

Two years later, the Mets came within one inning of the World Series.

So when the former Mets captain — who was at Citi Field on Thursday night as “host” of the rescheduled Battle of the Badges NYPD/FDNY charity baseball game — was asked about the current direction of the stripped-down Mets, he said he couldn’t have been more excited about the young players who are coming up the pipeline because he’s been there and done that.

“If I’m a young player, I'm champing at the bit right now to make a name for myself,” Wright said, “to prove that I'm the answer moving forward as opposed to (the Mets) having to go fill the need elsewhere this offseason.”

Wright didn’t mention any of the Mets new prospects by name. But he, just like any other fan of the club, is looking forward to seeing the players the Mets received in their deadline teardown deals try to make it here, at Citi Field, whether it’s at the end of this season or in 2024 and beyond.

“I think you ask any player and any former player that how this season went, I think disappointment would be the first word that comes to mind,” he said. “I think the players will tell you that too. But there's this big part of me that is excited for this tryout period, I guess I'll call it, where these young players can establish themselves, make a name for themselves, and be part of the solution moving forward.

“It’s tough to see as a fan when a team has the failures and the disappointment that they've had this year, but to pivot as quickly as they did and to get really good younger players in return, to build toward the future, in my opinion, that's how you get to that sustained winning levels. You build from within. You develop a core of young players that play together in the minor leagues, come up to the big leagues, and it's a different feeling putting that uniform on when you're drafted, developed, or when an organization trades a future Hall of Famer for you. It means a little bit more to put that uniform on and that's what excites me is that these guys are going to get opportunities to have an extended showcase.”

As Wright sat at the podium in the Mets interview room, he joked that the last time he was there “I was crying my eyes out,” referring to his too-early retirement because of back woes in 2018.

But Wright has actually been back to Citi Field multiple times since then. In fact, he was there a week ago for the Battle of the Badges, but it was postponed by rain on Aug. 10.

Wright, who lives in California, went home. But he returned, as Mets vice president of alumni relations Jay Horwitz put it, “because he felt an obligation.”

Said Wright, whose father was a police officer who retired as an assistant chief in Norfolk, Virginia: “It certainly wasn't easy (to return), but when I say that I'm going to do something, I do it. I really enjoyed getting to know a lot of the police officers and firefighters when I played here and lived here. So it's my little way of saying thank you to them and coming back to Citi Field selfishly brings back a lot of great memories.”

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.