To quote John Greenleaf Whittier, “For all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: ‘It might have been!’”

This sums up the career of David Wright, the best third baseman --- if not overall player --- in the history of the New York Mets, who was forced to retire in 2018 at the age of 35 because of injuries. These disappointments account for a fair portion of THE CAPTAIN --- he was just the fourth member of the team to be given that honor --- which is almost a throwback to the player memoirs of the pre-BALL FOUR era.

Wright was raised in a household where he learned the values of hard work and respect for the game, which he maintained even after becoming a star. We have a clean-cut, respectful young man who wants nothing more than to do his best for his team and family.

"People can argue if he could have enjoyed a Hall of Fame career, but when it comes to the 'Good Guy Hall of Fame,' Wright is a shoe-in."

Is Wright just too good to be true? His story reminded me of a scene in the classic baseball movie The Pride of the Yankees. A newspaperman who is doubling as Lou Gehrig’s mentor and confidant is arguing with a cynical rival scribe about his charge’s qualities.

“He’s a boob with a batting eye,” says the skeptic. “He wakes up, brushes his teeth, hikes out to the ballpark, hits the ball, hikes back to the hotel room, reads the funny papers, gargles and goes to bed.” Gehrig’s defender replies that that’s the best kind of hero. The way THE CAPTAIN reads, there are a number of parallels. There are no gossipy tales, no scandals, no drugs, no cursing (I can’t recall even one “damn”).

I googled some of the events that Wright recalls in the book. One video stood out: A teenager, who was born with a deformity that necessitated the amputation of both legs, serves as a role model for young people in similar circumstances, offering encouragement and advice. He is also an ardent Mets fan and is invited to take a private tour of Citi Field. It just so happens that Wright, his favorite player, was waiting to surprise him with a personal meet-and-greet. That heartwarming moment doesn’t appear in THE CAPTAIN, because Wright is just that modest.

Another video captured the defensive play that led to Wright’s downward spiral due to several injuries, the most severe of which was the diagnosis of spinal stenosis. Years of rehab and workouts ultimately proved fruitless, and he made the difficult decision to leave the game he loved since he was a toddler.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Wright averaged 26 home runs, 99 runs batted in, 20 stolen bases and a .296/.376/.491 batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage over a 162-game season for his 13-year career, finishing in the top 10 in almost every offensive category for the Mets. Extrapolate those numbers and remember that he missed most of three seasons prior to his retirement, and his last productive year came as a 31-year-old in 2014 (and even that was off his high standards), and it does make an interesting argument regarding his qualifications for Cooperstown.

People can argue if he could have enjoyed a Hall of Fame career, but when it comes to the “Good Guy Hall of Fame,” Wright is a shoe-in.