This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo¡¯s Mets Beat newsletter, written this week by Bill Ladson. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

After David Wright received word that the Mets would retire his uniform No. 5 and induct him into the team¡¯s Hall of Fame on July 19 at Citi Field, the first congratulatory text came from Keith Hernandez, another Mets legend who received the same honors.

Hernandez said Wright deserves his big moment because the latter represented more than what he did on the field, which was plenty. He hit 242 home runs, drove in 970 runs and compiled 49.2 Wins Above Replacement over a 14-year career in New York.

¡°He is a standup guy. He had a good upbringing, and it reflects on him as an individual,¡± Hernandez said. ¡°Not only was he really the leader of the ballclubs that he was a part of, he set an example on and off the field. His charitable work goes without saying. He is just really a stalwart guy.¡±

Former closer Billy Wagner played parts of four seasons with Wright from 2006-09. Wright was named the captain of the Mets in 2013, but according to Wagner, Wright was the leader of the team as far back as ¡®06.

¡°He was the guy that answered all the questions. He was our captain. He was the captain from when I arrived in New York until today,¡± Wagner said. ¡°He was very young, but he just held himself in a very mature manner. He was the one that answered all the tough questions. If David wasn¡¯t injured, we are talking about him as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. A guy like David comes to an organization every once in a while ¨C being homegrown. I think it¡¯s special.¡±

Daniel Murphy had a seven-year run with the Mets from 2008-15 and learned how to become a big leaguer by watching Wright.

¡°Beyond the on-the-field play, David taught me how to be a selfless teammate and care about the person next to me,¡± Murphy said. ¡°David is only two years older than me. I look up to David. He was this veteran, and he absolutely was. I go, ¡®I could have played high school against this guy and he already took over the league.¡¯ I looked at him in awe at what he was able to do, and I tried to steal from him.¡±