Former New York Mets third baseman David Wright possesses some high praise for former teammate and newly-hired manager Carlos Beltrán.
In late October, the New York Mets concluded their search for a managerial successor to Mickey Callaway. They ultimately gave the job to Carlos Beltrán, who played centerfield for the ballclub from 2005-11.
Beltrán now has the tough job of taking a team that finished 86-76 last year into the playoffs for the first time since 2016. However, he has a lot of support behind him, including from former teammates. This week, legendary Mets third baseman David Wright had extreme praise for the newly-hired skipper.
“Probably one of the smartest baseball men that I have been around,” Wright said of Beltrán at the Winter Meetings in San Diego, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. “His baseball IQ is off the charts. And I think in the latter part of his career he almost became like a player-coach on the field, so I am excited about what he can share with the younger players, certainly because I think every player strives to be a Carlos Beltran type of player, a five-tool guy.”
Beltrán was teammates with Wright every year during his Mets tenure. They additionally represented the National League in the All-Star Game with one another five separate times. They did so in the 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2013 campaigns. Both were a part of the 2006 Mets team that came up short in the National League Championship Series.
Wright retired from his playing days after the 2018 season. Beltrán did so after the 2017 campaign.
