Nick Morabito’s Major League Debut Takes a Unique Turn

When a promising player steps onto the major league stage, there’s usually a lot of excitement—and Nick Morabito’s recent debut is stirring interest for more than just his on-field performance.

Morabito, an outfield prospect with the Mets, got the call-up from Triple-A Syracuse, donning the number 8 for the match against the Nationals. This number isn’t just any number; it’s the one famously worn by Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, who made quite the mark in New York between 1985 and 1989. Interestingly, although the Mets have not officially retired No. 8, it’s been largely untouched since Carter’s time.

However, some fans and even team legends reacted negatively to Morabito’s assignment of this number, leading to confusion. Reports indicate that the Mets will instead assign him the number 7 for the game on Wednesday, as it was simply too late to change uniforms on Tuesday. So, Morabito will be playing left field with a different number.

The jersey number has only seen three other players following Carter: Dave Gallagher (1992-93), Carlos Baerga (1997-98), and Desi Relaford (2001). A former third base coach even wore it briefly in 2002.

Howie Rose, a notable figure in the Mets community, expressed that allowing a rookie to wear Carter’s number was a mistake before it was revealed that this would change. He noted that “most fans seem opposed to the Mets releasing No. 8… while there has been some debate about whether Gary Carter’s jersey number should be retired, it seems wrong to release it during the 40th anniversary season of 1986.”

Interestingly, Rose recalled a somewhat similar situation from 36 years ago when Kelvin Taub played his first game in 1990. Initially assigned number 24—an unofficially retired number for Willie Mays—his number was switched to 39 shortly thereafter. The Mets later officially retired 24 in 2022.

In memory of Carter, who passed away in 2012 after battling brain cancer, the Mets honored him by adding a “Kid 8” patch to his jersey and commemorating him prominently at Citi Field.