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Biography |
David Allen Wright is a Major League Baseball third baseman
for the New York Mets.
David Wright was born in Norfolk, Virginia and attended
Hickory High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. He was a
three-time All-State selection and, as a senior, he was
named the Gatorade Virginia Baseball Player of the Year and
the Virginia All-State Player of the Year. He finished his
high school career with a .438 batting average, 13 home
runs, and 50 RBI. Although Wright had signed a letter of
intent before his senior year to play baseball at Georgia
Tech after high school, he opted to enter the amateur draft
when it became apparent he could be selected in the first
round.
Wright was chosen by the Mets in the 2001 amateur draft as
the 38th overall pick. His selection was in a special
supplemental round after the first round as compensation for
the Mets' loss of Mike Hampton to free agency. Wright was
the Mets' second selection in the draft following current
teammate Aaron Heilman.
Wright progressed steadily in his first three years of minor
league play, winning the Sterling award for best player on
the class A St. Lucie Mets in 2003. In 2004, he quickly rose
from AA to AAA to the major leagues. On July 21, 2004, he
made his major league debut starting at third base against
the Montreal Expos. Since then, Wright has been the Mets
regular starting third baseman.
Wright has expressed his admiration for the skills of third
baseman Scott Rolen.[1] Like Rolen, Wright has been an
exceptional hitter in his early career. During his first
major league season, he had a .293 batting average, 14 home
runs and 40 RBI in 263 at bats in 69 games.
In 2005, his first full season in the majors, the
22-year-old Wright played in 160 games and batted .306 with
27 home runs, 99 runs, 102 RBI, 42 doubles, and 17 stolen
bases, leading the team in average, runs, on-base
percentage, slugging percentage, RBI, doubles, and finishing
second in home runs to Cliff Floyd (34). Wright was also in
the top ten in the National League for average, hits, total
bases, RBI, extra base hits, and runs. Wright's diving,
bare-handed catch in the August 9 loss to San Diego was
voted the "This Year in Baseball Play of the Year."
Wright is noted for his unaffected politeness and
outstanding work ethic. He has developed a reputation for
arriving very early to the park for games and being
uncommonly accommodating with fans and reporters.
In 2005, Wright began his own charitable organization, the
David Wright Foundation. Its mission is to increase
awareness about multiple sclerosis and to raise money for
multiple sclerosis organizations and projects. The
Foundation hosted its first annual gala at the New York
Stock Exchange Members' Club on December 16, 2005, donating
the proceeds to two multiple sclerosis centers.
In 2006, Wright was named National League co-Player of the
Week for June 12-18 along with teammate Jose Reyes. It was
Wright's second Player of the Week award. He was also named
National League Player of the Month for June, becoming the
first Met since Howard Johnson in 1991 to capture the award.
For the month, Wright batted .327 with 10 home runs and 29
RBI.
Wright was voted in to his first MLB All-Star Game as the
starting third baseman for the NL. During the 2006 season,
Wright collected 74 RBI before the All-Star Break, breaking
the Mets record previously held by Mike Piazza, who had 72
RBI in 2000. Wright also participated in the 2006 Home Run
Derby, reaching the final round but finishing second to Ryan
Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit 22 home runs in
the contest including 16 in the first round, the third
highest total in any one round in the history of the Home
Run Derby. The following night, he hit a home run in his
first All-Star Game at-bat off American League starting
pitcher Kenny Rogers.
Wright ranks among the club's top three hitters in all
offensive categories for the 2006 Mets, who are the top
run-scoring team in the National League. Fans at Shea
Stadium have routinely greeted Wright's performances with
chants of "M-V-P, M-V-P." According to teammate Tom Glavine,
"He's probably been our most clutch hitter over the first
half of the season and he's certainly thrown his hat into
the MVP talks. |
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