30
2010
Jose Reyes, New York Mets Struggle In Loss To Brewers
An article by 
Catching the baseball.
Many consider this the basic feature of America’s pastime. However, knowing our beloved Mets, they usually seem to screw it up.
Tonight in the Mets 9-2 loss to the Brew Crew, Jose Reyes dropped a pop up with two outs in the fifth inning. Dillon Gee had only given up two runs up to that point, with the Mets trailing 2-1.
Naturally, the next batter, Lorenzo Cain, stroked a two-run double to put the game out of reach by Mets standards. Through five starts, Gee will finish at 2-2 with a 2.18 ERA. Very impressive for the young righty.
Now back to Reyes. If you look at his numbers this year, you would think that he has had a productive year. He’s hitting .285 with 11 HR, 54 RBI (not bad for a leadoff man), and 30 SB. Though his .325 OBP is slightly low for a leadoff man, Reyes was considered the catalyst of this team.
However, Reyes still lacks the discipline and maturity needed to be a successful ballplayer. It seems like we’ve been saying this for some time now, but we always relented claiming that Reyes was still young.
Well, Reyes is now 27. It’s hard to believe, but he’s been in the league for eight years. When will we as fans stop giving him the benefit of the doubt for being young and start getting on his case?
With the error still fresh on everyone’s minds, the fans at Cit Field (albeit very few) let Reyes have it in the bottom of the seventh.
With Ruben Tejada on first, Reyes swung at a ball in the dirt for strike three (a familiar site), but the ball got away from the catcher. Rather than bust it down the line, Reyes casually dropped his bat and took a couple of steps towards first base.
What a disgrace! Here’s a guy who is a veteran player, is supposed to be a leader on this team, and makes a ton of money. Yet, he insists on not hustling or dropping easy pop-ups. His lack of focus is so apparent that his talent is wasted.
This Reyes rant is by no means a call to have him traded. He has a club option for 2011 which the Mets should pick up. I believe he still factors into the Mets future at shortstop and at the top of the lineup. There’s no question that the talent is there. But where’s his head at?
Even though these games don’t count anymore, we still saw guys like David Wright and Josh Thole give their best efforts to try to mount a comeback late in the game. Thole did make an error in the ninth, but it was on a hustle play. It’s obvious to spot the guys who care and those who don’t.
When Reyes is playing well and focused, there is no better sight in my mind than watching him having fun playing baseball. “As Reyes goes, so goes the Mets.”
But when Reyes’ lackadaisical play takes over, the only place the Mets go is down.
The Mets will get a taste of October baseball this year, although it will merely be a three-game series with the Nationals to close out the season rather than postseason baseball.
By the way, with the loss tonight, the Mets officially cannot finish at .500. Another side note, there couldn’t have been more than 5,000 people at the game tonight even the listed attendance was 25,000. What a shame.
Here’s to a focused Reyes in 2011 and a return to playing fundamental baseball.
About the Author: Jim Mancari
Jim Mancari hails from Massapequa, N.Y. He is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Journalism at Hofstra University, with an anticipated graduation date of May 2012. He is a devout Mets fan and takes pride in his team, despite their lack of success over the last few years. Like all Mets fans, Jim has plenty of hope. He also writes as the sports correspondent for the Brooklyn Tablet newspaper, the senior editor of metroBASEBALL Magazine and the co-managing editor of the Long Island Report website. Contact Jim at jmmanc@gmail.com. Click my name to view my website.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 26 | 17 | .605 | - |
| Nationals | 25 | 17 | .595 | 0.5 |
| Marlins | 23 | 19 | .548 | 2.5 |
| Mets | 22 | 20 | .524 | 3.5 |
| Phillies | 21 | 22 | .488 | 5.0 |
Last updated: 05/22/2012
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Hey Jim,
Wright does a LOT of those same things you mentioned about Reyes. Wright is great for not running to 1B on a missed strikeout. You really took the time writing this recap to lash out at Jose Reyes basically for a lot of the same things Wright does.
Didn’t he misplay a ball early in the game in a key spot….again? Which seems to be the norm lately.
No Mets player is more guilty of not hustling out groundballs than Wright.
I think Wright’s failure to perform under pressure has been discussed ad infinitum here. And as amazing as it sounds, he now seems to add making errors and botched plays in the most important spots in the game.
I’m also of the opinion that his numbers are so padded and so over-rated. He is the atypical example of the saying “numbers can lie”. I’ve said it a million times this team would be better off with a 3B who has less numbers, but still a good hitter. A guy who can make others better around him, a guy who can rise in the big spots, a guy who doesn’t blink when being stared at, a guy who RUNS HARD on every groudball and doesn’t stop to watch long hits fall as doubles and just making it to 2B when he could have had a triple. And lastly, a guy who simply always fails when you need him the most. But you know what? The Mets would never move Wright – sadly.
I think if you’re going to write a recap you probably would be safer in this case addressing the bad play of both of our core players tonight. Albeit tonight Reyes was very bad tonight. You took the opportunity to kill him.
By the same token don’t ignore Wright’s foibles either.
Hey, the story is about Reyes!! Stay focused on Jim’s story. It’s not intended to be a recap of the game. Lots of sites have recaps. I watched the game and the entire Mets infield was terrible.
Wright, Reyes, Tejada and Ike stunk out the joint with lackadaisical or bad plays. Reyes just happened to be the worst by a wide margin.
I wonder what where the all-night party was that our infield must have attended. Rumor has it that Reyes was dancing on the tables. He left his energy and focus there and didn’t bring it to the ballpark, nor did he seem to care about being booed. The other party playboys also seemed disinterested. It was really disrespectful to Jerry.
It was also disrespectful to the 1500 fans that attended the game from the looks of it.
you make valid points about Wright. Way before Reyes’ error David Wright does his usual 2010 fielding thing and tries to backhand a ball he should have gotten in front of, and misses it of course and then on the next play he backhands a ball instead of getting in front of it and altho he catches the ball he can’t turn the DP because he is out of position to make a quick throw to second and he is personally responsible for the first two runs, but this is ignored. Who set the tone for sloppy play and day dreaming on the field? The great leader (NOT) Wright. Anfd for all the Hale lovers remember who it was that made Wright a bad fielder. It was Hale who denies all of baseball history by insisting Wright not get in proper position to field a ground ball.
Everything wrong is always about Wright. You are obsessed man, no one else on this team screws up in your eyes, ONLY Wright.
You need to seek medical assistance. Give in now, before the authorities track you down as a stalker……..
“By the same token don’t ignore Wright’s foibles either”
How can this happen when we have you here to talk about it all day, every day. NEVER have I read one fan that is so hard on one guy. NEVER.
You must be related to the guy that said it’s Wright’s fault that Pelfry doesn’t have more wins……….completely dismissing the crap Pelfry threw – no no – it’s Wrights fault….
Believe me Bayonne, I have attacked Wright before. I wrote an article several weeks ago about hod Wright should have been bunting in late game situation. I don’t that he’s the 3 hitter. If the situation calls for it, you sacrifice to help the team. I was furious that Wright didn’t do what’s best for the team. The Mets wound up winning, but in extra innings after burning through a few more arms. Truly not the play of a leader.
Hey, I should be upset with you for putting me in the awkward position of agreeing with Bayonne, but I’m not.
Between Reyes and Wright we have two players who get by on their God given talent, but frequently make bone-headed mistakes. Tonight Reyes undermined the game with that dropped ball, and I’m pretty sure Ruben Tejada did the same thing in the previous game.
I havent seen very many of your posts so I’m assuming your new here, and just wanted to say that I actually enjoy these types of posts after a loss. But I do hope that you follow suit and hammer Wright on the nights he costs the Mets a game too. You may just find he makes as many mistakes if not more than Reyes, but he seems to get a free pass on other Mets sites that choose to give him the royal pardon when he screws up.
If you check out my other site Kramer, prosportsblogging.com, you will find an article bashing David Wright. In a perfect world, all my articles would be about how great those two are and how well they play together and lead the team. I guess the world’s not perfect.
Now it is sport or “cool” to bash Wright or any player.
Report what they did, good or bad. It’s not about bashing one player,whomever they are, nor, putting them on a pedistal.
People need to take writing/reporting more responsible.
Dave, I was just showing I do not have any bias towards the players. Like I said in response to another comment, I would love to praise all the players for playing well all the time. That just doesn’t happen. I’m not making player bashing into a sport. I am reporting on what they did. Reyes had a pathetic night so I bashed him. If he has a good night, I’ll praise him, as I have in the past.
If you are going to write a story bashing a player for being lazy then the least you could do is not tell us about the hustle of JOSE THOLE. Seems that you and Jose have laziness in common.
You can’t even play 500 baseball with a 130 million dollar payroll? What else is there to say?
Remember though Lou, a large chunk of that payroll is invested in guys who don’t contribute. Perez, Castillo, Maine, K-Rod. Even though they improved over last season, they still need lots of work. They need to put together an effort seen from the Reds, Rangers, or Padres. Low payroll, but the right combination or players en route to the playoffs.
Jim, Well that’s the whole point-you said it brilliantly!
Unbelieveable hes been in the league 8 years. He dropped the ball looking at all the tats on his forearms. But really, we all sound like a broken record about his potential. Has he really stood out for anything besides injuries?All he really is is a, could of, would of, should of. He is a mirror of BJ Upton. Swinging at pitches in the dirt, hustle when they feel like it.
As much as this guy is dynamic, and “potentially” amazing, I would give him half a year with a new manager. If he cant reach the Superstardom that we all expect from him, good riddance, get some prospects and move on.
This guy is tailored for the dimensions of that park, and should be at .320 hitter every year. By July, I would be ready too cut ties.
Nice comparison with Upton. Luckily for BJ, he plays on a team that overachieves.
I love how you people kill the writers, “you should blame this one, you should write about this”.
Here’s a thought – why don’t you trying writing something………
Bayonne – people are right – you are wacked out over Wright…….
I still want Reyes on my team. It’s just that his patina of gold is now tarnished. What I found infuriating was how he smiled several times after screwing up. He didn’t seem embarrassed.
Last year, we fans hammered Luis Castillo for his dropped fly in a Yankee game. To his credit, Luis was remorseful. “I have to catch that ball,” Castillo said. “I need to get it. I don’t want to make any errors. I feel bad. I feel bad myself that play happened because we played so well.” Luis manned up.
Last night, Reyes didn’t seem embarrassed. His Emotional Quotient (EQ) needs some work.
After eight years, whoever is responsible for keeping Reyes focused has failed miserably. However, he’s a 27 year old man; he should be responsible for himself.
JIM MANCARI- Unless you have tried to catch a pop in 30-40 mph winds, I suggest you cease writing dumb articles like this. In the eyes of many latinos, you just went from Reyes dropping a pop up (something he NEVER does) to him being “lazy” as many people of your skin tone like to call players of color who don’t perform up to your standards.
Here’s a clue, buddy. Errors happen to everyone in baseball. So Reyes didn’t hustle to first on a damp, wet, windy day in a meaningless game. Who cares? Why do you care so much is a better question I think.
Wow Jimmy. Never once did I mention or even infer anything about race. Enough said on that.
I understand that errors happen. It’s how a player bounces back from it that shows how much he cares about the game. Any player of any race who makes an error in a big spot should be doing everything else right to exonerate himself. Not even making an attempt to run down the line on a dropped third strike is not exactly giving your best effort, in my opinion.
If you don’t care that one of the team’s highest paid players is failing to set an example for some of our younger guys, that is your opinion. I however care despite that these games don’t matter.
P.S. Don’t call me buddy. I’m not your buddy. You got a great name though.
JIM- Of course you didn’t infer race. You didn’t need to. It’s embedded in your writing style, which has been the writing style for many of your contemporaries over the last 40 years in the media. It’s how you’re trained to view guys like Jose Reyes. In this era of internet reporting, you need to be more responsible with the way you communicate. In case you haven’t been paying attention, I AM LATINO. You don’t get to trash our guys like that without getting a little grief if we decide the article is written in poor taste. For decades, you guys have been systematically trained by your media (yes Puerto Ricans speak and read Spanish and we have our own newspapers with sports columns) to classify guys like Reyes as “athletes prone to being lazy” when they don’t hustle or play like you feel they should play. Guys like Joe McEwing get the tag as scrappy, gritty and all the other non-baseball type of skills guys of his complexion are “known” for. It’s time guys like YOU re-examine what you write. Realize that you’re INSULTING people with your articles, despite your opinions. Blame it on society from the 50′s and 60′s, who built the stereotypes.
Larry Krueger is a perfect example what I’m talking about. His cream of wheat comment about Felipe Alou was disgusting. His slap at Caribbean players, who are the best on the planet, is a scary reminder that some people are still stuck in the dark ages. This column isn’t too far from Krueger. It’s all along the same parameters. Imagine a day some STUPID monkey like Larry Kreuger gets to slam a man like Alou. Only in the warped mind of those who worship the media does this occur and is accepted! Your slam @ Reyes is based on leadership or lack thereof. That’s weak, at least from my perspective.
Articles like these are a WASTE. What you don’t recognize is Latinos swing between being part white and part color (not only African color but Indian as well), so guys like me will have the rabbit ears when someone like you classifies Reyes as lazy. You don’t recognize it because you’re not one of us, but we see it. I’m sure you can use your literary skills and Met “fandom” to create better articles, Jim. This is simply a proliferation of the same Kreuger-esque garbage.
Once again wow Jimmy. You know why fans like a guy like Joe McEwing. Because he hustled on every play regardless of the score of the game situation. His race didn’t matter, he played the game right.
Last night was not the first time Reyes has had a mental lapse on the field.
Before you continue berating my about my “racial” writing, I’d like to let you know that one of my favorite Mets of all-time is Edgardo Alfonzo, a Latino. Even when playing hurt, Fonzie put his best effort forward night-in and night-out. I admire him so much for what he did for some good Mets teams.
Reyes has a world more talent that Fonzie did. Put race aside for a second. Are you saying that if Reyes was white I wouldn’t criticize him for being unfocused? If that’s what you think, you are dead wrong.
Listen, I appreciate your opinion, but please know that I did not intend to to have any racial undertones in this article. In my opinion, I do not. I am just commenting on what I see, that is my job.
Reyes tends to have mental lapses from time to time and last night’s played a huge role in the game. If David Wright, Josh Thole, Mike Pelfrey, Jon Niese, Jason Bay, etc. have mental lapses, I will be on their case as well.
Please do not judge me based on this article. You don’t even know anything about me. I could be part Latino for all you know.
Dont let jimmy bother you. He cloaks his own racisim with reverse racisim. He only supports Latino players and thats already been established plenty of times on this site. He doesnt love Omar because he’s great, only because they are blood brothers. Also as a rule of thumb, when someone injects race into any debate, he is usually the most racist of all because thats how he sees things. Racisim 101.
Thanks for the info Met Maniac
Don’t snap your wrists patting yourselves on the back…lmfao
You wrote – I AM LATINO. You don’t get to trash our guys like that without getting a little grief if we decide the article is written in poor taste.
Our guys?
You are despicable and a low life and should have no place in any baseball conversation because you are a bigotted racist. Get lost, we dont need your perverted and warped views on here.
You are a disgrace to Latinos everywhere.
wow, go postal much?
Of course we need balanced reporting. But always defending the Spanish player and running down the White guy isn’t balanced either. We’ve come along way from Clemente being accused of not playing hurt and that has nothing to do with anyone here. I, for years, complained bitterly that we weren’t scouting in the DR and Venezuela. Why did Montreal get so much young talent and we got shit. Because the effort wasn’t there. Why? I think I know but I can’t say for sure. Fact is I love the Latin Brand of baseball. I love going to games in the DR in Nov, Dec, and January. Tell you it’s more fun watching a game down there then it is here. People know how to behave at a game down there. They bring flags and wave ‘em around. Here you cant bring anything in cause someone’s going to hit someone in the head. And the cheerleaders? Whoa. In Santo Domingo after they won the Caribbean World Series I walked out of the stadium and there was a free concert going on in the parking lot. Beer tents were set up and everyone just enjoyed the show. In the US there would have been rioting cause your team won or your team lost. My solution for my team going forward is more players from Latin America and from the June Amateur draft and I withhold the right to praise and criticize based on their contributions without regard to where their from or what they look like.
Three questions. Who is Larry Kruger? What was racist in this post aside from your comment? Did you forget your meds?
Here is why he should care. He should care for the fan who paid 40 bucks for his seat. He came to see a professional baseball game and he didn’t get it!
Well said Lou. It seems like I can always count on you for good comments. I greatly appreciate it.
Jimmy, please stick to the topic and stop making accusations that are not true and have nothing to do with Mets baseball. I’ve already warned you and was forced to delete several of your comments because you used profanity and vulgar language against other readers or Mets players.
If you want to talk about race, go somewhere else. Mets Merized Online boasts the most diverse team of Mets bloggers on the web representing all manners of race, creed and color, and we welcome all opinions and express all views on the New York Mets. If you are going to resort to race baiting, go do it somewhere else.
So only Wright should get some stick? Fact is both of them have looked distracted in the field to say the least. Down in Miami it looked like baseball took a backseat. One thing I would do is make sure we can give them a day off every other week. They both seem to be taking the game for granted.
That could be a productive strategy, at least in the early part of next season. However, down the stretch (if the Mets are Relevant), they will need to be playing focused baseball everyday.
Your right there Jim. I would think part of the lack of effort/concentration/whatever you want to call it, is playing out the string and the reality of no one in charge who’s going to be around next year.
I’m sure that’s been tough on some of the guys. They’ve seen the papers, they’ve heard the reports. They know they will be playing for new management next year. It says something for a guy who still busts his butt everyday even when games don’t matter.
Like Angel
Right now, Oct. 1, fatigue is likely a factor for Wright. Wright has played in 154 games. Reyes has played in only 131 games, so his lack of focus can’t be blamed on too much playing.
As a person, I loved Willie. But his characterization of Wright as a “grinder,” was not helpful. David wanted to play every game. Adult supervision was needed to give David an occasional day off to ensure his enthusiasm.
Both Wright and Reyes have been with the Mets for a number of years. They grew up in front of our eyes. One of them is now more mature than the other. Guess who?
Well said Des
Neither of them should be allowed to become complacent. Let ‘em get pissed about sitting a few games. Call it “keeping them fresh. That will curb the lacadasical or tired play that creeps up into both of their games. Most humans do develop a comfort level. Part of the psychology of roster construction is to give the manager a way to keep everyone from getting too comfortable. Of course Willie and Jerry didn’t really have this luxury. Having capable back ups sometimes has a bigger advantage than just protection in case of injury.
To Jim Mancari and all the great readers and bloggers of this site, I apologize for you having to be subjected to the assumptions and false accusations made by one of the readers on this thread toward the author. It’s embarassing to me when I get get several emails from longtime readers and passionate Mets fans who were offended by the comments of another. Unfortunately, as you all know the world is an imperfect place, and sometimes even a simple baseball blog can reflect that as well. I offer my sincere apologies.