It may have taken Jerry Manuel ions to figure it out, but since his decision to bat Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan first and second at the top of the order, this team has been exciting to watch.
Jose Reyes has lit it up and now their is no doubt that he is 100% recovered from his leg injuries and on the fast track to becoming one of the most dynamic leadoff hitters in the game if he’s not already. His current .283 BA and .327 OBP are not eye-popping, but when you consider how far he has come to get to this point, it’s pretty amazing to me.
Reyes batted .238 in April and was tentative both at the plate and on the basepaths. His .295 OBP was woeful to say the least and many were wondering if we would ever see the old Jose Reyes again. Manuel thought he could jump-start him by batting him third, but even though he was a tick better he finished May with a .305 OBP and was still batting .244 for the season. Then June came around and it all started to come together. Reyes was back in the leadoff spot and as he said it, “It feels like I’m at home again, it feels great.”
Reyes is batting .346 in June with five homeruns and 18 runs scored in 19 games. His ,391 OBP coupled with his .617 OPS combines for an incredible 1.008 OPS. In 46 games batting in the leadoff spot this season, Reyes is batting .315 with a .355 OBP.
Joey Kings is back and he’s taking no prisoners… And don’t look now but he’s up to 19 swipes with only 2 caught stealings. NICE!
How many of you gulped when Angel Pagan was removed from the game last night with an undisclosed injury? I literally saw the Mets season flash before my eyes and it wasn’t pretty. Thankfully, Pagan will only miss a game or two due to a right abdominal spasm. However, this does serve as a reminder about Pagan’s durability issues in the past. He has made a trip to the DL five straight seasons as a major leaguer and three minor league DL stints as well. It could be why the Mets initially traded Pagan to the Cubs for cash.
That said, when Pagan is healthy, he’s as good as gold, and in the two spot he has been a revelation. Pagan has taken the opportunity for increased playing time and made the absolute most of it. He seems like the perfect compliment to Jose Reyes at the top of the order.
Pagan leads the Mets with a .302 batting average, but he has really shined since assuming the number two spot batting .324 with a .385 OBP and a surprising .467 Slugging Percentage. In 17 games he has 11 runs scored and 12 RBIs.
On the season, he has 35 RBI’s which ranks third on the team, and 41 runs scored second only to Reyes.
One of the most remarkable things about Pagan is how clutch he has been this season. Angel has batted .383 with RISP, and .365 with runners on base. Those numbers are sick!
Defensively, Pagan has made some remarkable plays and gets to just about ever thing hit in his direction. As a substitute for the injured Carlos Beltran, he has been better than anything we could have hoped for.
A dynamic duo? You tell me…
In the 17 games since batting at the top of the order, Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan are batting a combined .326 with 23 runs scored. 7 stolen bases, and 16 RBIs. Oh, and the Mets are 13–4 in that span.
If that’s not dynamic, I don’t know what is.
