After No. 5 Retired, Mets Great David Wright Names Who Could Be Next Captains

With David Wright having his iconic No. 5 retired by the New York Mets, the former third baseman said there are two players that he feels should be considered as captains for the team. 

"I love Brandon Nimmo," Wright told reporters on Saturday ahead of the team's game against the Cincinnati Reds. "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."

Next Mets captains? Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo were two players David Wright said could be good candidates. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Wright reflected on the honor bestowed onto him by the only club he ever played for, nearly 21 years after his big league debut. 

"I went straight from the airport to the ballpark and I couldn’t wait to see what number I was going to be," Wright said at a press conference Saturday. "That spring I was 72, and I would have been perfectly happy with 72. "But later on I found out that Charlie Samuels, the old equipment guy, gave me 5 because of Brooks Robinson and George Brett."

Wright, who debuted against the Montreal Expos on July 21, 2004, appeared to be on track to join Robinson and Brett as a Hall of Fame third baseman when he hit .301 with 222 homers, 876 RBIs and an .888 OPS through his first 10 seasons.

But Wright played just 211 more games while battling chronic back, shoulder and neck injuries as well as a diagnosis of spinal stenosis. He went more than two years between big league appearances before