Saturday, May 26, 2012

If David Wright Is No. 1, Then Who's No. 2?

Even the most casual of Mets fans could probably tell you that David Wright's name is plastered all over the team's all-time leader board in various categories.  If he's not already the franchise leader in an offensive category (doubles, extra-base hits, total bases, times on base, RBI), he should be there by the end of the season (hits, runs scored).

Obviously, if Wright's name is all over the team's all-time record book, then it stands to reason that he is the current team leader in most, if not all, offensive categories.  But have you ever wondered which of the current Mets is second to Wright in those categories?  Well, that's what we're here for.

Get ready to be surprised, amazed, and in some rare cases, disgusted.  We're about to delve into the stat book to find out which current Mets are second to David Wright on the team in a plethora of the cumulative offensive categories.  We'll list the stat, David Wright's current number in that stat, and follow that up with which Met would be leading the team in that category if Wright were not on the current team.

But why stop there?  Let's add the players who are third through fifth in each category as well.  Fasten your seat belt.  It might be a bumpy ride.

David Wright is looking up here, but his teammates are looking up at him on the leader board.


Games Played:
David Wright - 1,148
Daniel Murphy - 359
Jason Bay - 233
Josh Thole - 230
Ike Davis - 227

At-Bats:
David Wright - 4,312
Daniel Murphy - 1,208
Jason Bay - 842
Ike Davis - 801
Josh Thole - 676

Hits:
David Wright - 1,308
Daniel Murphy - 354
Jason Bay - 211
Ike Davis - 202
Josh Thole - 187

Doubles:
David Wright - 297
Daniel Murphy - 88
Ike Davis - 45
Jason Bay - 41
Ruben Tejada - 37

Triples:
David Wright - 18
Daniel Murphy - 9
Jason Bay - 7
Lucas Duda - 3
Various - 2 (Mike Baxter, Ike Davis, Scott Hairston, Josh Thole)

Home Runs:
David Wright - 188
Ike Davis - 31
Jason Bay - 21
Daniel Murphy - 20
Lucas Duda - 19

The names on the backs of those uniforms look awfully familiar.  Have I seen them somewhere else?


Stolen Bases:
David Wright - 155
Jason Bay - 22
Daniel Murphy - 11
Ruben Tejada - 8
Justin Turner - 8

Runs Scored:
David Wright - 729
Daniel Murphy - 152
Jason Bay - 115
Ike Davis - 105
Ruben Tejada - 73

Runs Batted In:
David Wright - 753
Daniel Murphy - 146
Ike Davis - 115
Jason Bay - 109
Lucas Duda - 86

Bases on Balls:
David Wright - 565
Jason Bay - 106
Ike Davis - 100
Daniel Murphy - 95
Josh Thole - 75

Strikeouts:
David Wright - 924
Jason Bay - 217
Ike Davis - 213
Daniel Murphy - 164
Lucas Duda - 120

Overheard on the mound: "I wonder what it'll take for us to overtake David Wright on all these lists."


David Wright is everywhere on the Mets' leader board.  But as you can see, none of the current Mets are anywhere near him in any of the offensive categories.  In fact, some players with barely more than one year experience in the major leagues rank in the top five, but they aren't even visible in Wright's rear view mirror.

Without a doubt, David Wright is the face of the franchise.  But can you imagine what the team would look like without him?  Who would the face of the team be among hitters?  Daniel Murphy?  Ike Davis?  Jason (gulp!) Bay?

The Mets should make every effort to sign David Wright to a contract extension.  If not, the team might be a faceless bunch for years to come.

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