Nov
6
2012

2012 Mets Player Review: Ruben Tejada, SS

An article by John Delcos

Tejada surprised many with his quality offensive production in 2012

PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS: Perhaps no Met endured as much preseason scrutiny as shortstop Ruben Tejada. Although he played well in 2011, hitting .284 in place of the injured Jose Reyes, this year the job was his and he would be judged as a starter. Tejada played a combined 105 games at second base in 2010 and 2011, but would be the fulltime shortstop last summer as the Mets began a new era. The Mets were satisfied with Tejada’s defense, with some in the organization favoring him over Reyes. However, Reyes is an offensive presence and the Mets were pleasantly surprised at Tejada’s average and .360 on-base percentage in 2011, but didn’t know if his numbers were a fluke or a real indicator of what could be expected. A player with no power, Tejada should help himself by being patient, but strikes out too much and draws too few walks.

2012 SEASON REVIEW: With so much going on with the 2012 Mets, they were fortunate not be saddled with a shortstop hole. It would be foolish to say Tejada completely replaced Reyes, but considering the void left the Mets got more than they could have expected. Tejada committed only 12 errors with a .974 fielding percentage. Tejada has good range, which is especially important considering he needed to shade towards second to compensate for second baseman Daniel Murphy. Tejada hit .289 after hitting over .300 for much of the season. However, his on-base percentage fell 27 points to .333 and his OPS dropped 11 points to .685. Tejada provided little run production (one homer and 25 RBI) and struck out 73 times compared to 27 walks. Tejada hit mostly first or second in the batting order, and was equally effective, hitting .293 and .292, respectively. Like most Mets, Tejada had a dramatic drop-off in the second half. Tejada hit .325 with 30 strikeouts in the first half, but fell to .269 with 43 strikeouts after the break.

LOOKING AT 2013: Tejada gave the Mets enough this summer to where they don’t need to concern themselves with shortstop in 2013. The Mets realize Tejada’s offensive limitations as far as run production. Andres Torres did not show anything as a leadoff hitter and likely won’t be brought back, so expect Tejada to get a shot at that responsibility. Hitting .289 again would be welcomed, but Tejada must increase his on-base percentage by cutting his strikeouts and walking more. Tejada should also attempt to be more aggressive on the bases. Considering the type of player Tejada is, he must also cut down on his frequency of fly balls, which is almost equal to that of balls hit on the ground.

NEXT: David Wright

About the Author: John Delcos

I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.

5 Comments + Add Comment

Mark November 6, 2012 at 12:04 pm

I thought Tejada did a good job but I don’t think that the main question about Tejada has been answered. To me at least, the question about Tejada coming into the season was whether he had the endurance to be an everyday player. Has that question been answered? He missed 9 weeks and still wore down in the second half. To be fair to Tejada, so did the rest of Mets which makes me think that there is a problem with the conditioning program the Mets are using in season, that is if they even have a conditioning program. Tejada made his fair share of acrobatic plays but at least to my eyes and this is totally subjective, he gives away around four feet in range when compared to Reyes and has an accurate, league average arm, but not a bazooka by any means. In order for Tejada to grow as an offensive and defensive player he needs to work on his first step quickness. If Tejada can get a better jump in the field and on the bases then he can increase his range and become an effective base stealer.
Matt November 6, 2012 at 12:39 pm

Tejada played well defensively and should improve there. Offensively, though, he is a problem for the Mets….he’s a #8 hitter, but due to the Mets limitations, they make him a top-of-the-order guy. Batting in the .280s is great for him, however, considering he has 1 career triple and 2 career homeruns and only hits 25-30 doubles per year…he cannot bat high in the order because he doesn’t put himself in position to score runs. He is a station-to-station base runner…this is proven by his 11 career SBs in 18 career attempts…which is a bad SB percentage. Bottom line is he is a higher average/lesser defensive Rey Ordonez. He is who he is, he’ll be a solid defender but must bat in the 8-hole.
- taskmaster4450 November 6, 2012 at 2:22 pm
  
  Actually Tejada is a terrific #2 hitter. He goes to RF a lot (too bad the Met manager doesnt use the hit and run), should hit 30-35 doubles if playing a full year, and has enough speed to score from 1st on a double. Hopefully his strikeout rate will come down meaning he is even more of a contact hitter. That is what is needed in the two hole behind the speedster (which is non existent on the Mets) at the top of the order.
  - Matt November 6, 2012 at 10:25 pm
    
    Most MLBers can score from 1st on a double…that’s the benefit of taking a lead. However, he is not a fast runner, this is proven by his 1 career triple in 1008 career ABs. I agree that he may be a 30 double a year guy at some point (35 is pushing it), but that doesn’t make up for his lack of HRs, OBP, and SBs. If he could steal 25+ bases per year, then he would have a lot more use as a top-of-the-order guy…but, that’s not happening right now…plus, Alderson believes SBs are a “footnote” so I doubt they will be pressuring him to learn how to steal. Tejada is a #8 hitter, plain and simple.
Bernard Larsen November 7, 2012 at 12:45 am

MT played well enough to keep his job next year. He performed at least as well as expected and is affordable, and one of the best hitters on a Shi*ty team. There are a plenty of other worries, and a few minor leaguers working there way through the system

NL East Standings

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB
Braves	42	30	.583	-
Phillies	35	37	.486	7.0
Nationals	34	36	.486	7.0
Mets	27	40	.403	12.5
Marlins	22	48	.314	19.0

Last updated: 06/19/2013

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