One of the things I’m most excited about as the New York Mets embark on a new season – among a dozen other things I’m excited about – is seeing Jose Reyes back for a full season. Although he won’t be manning his traditional position at shortstop, I’m still going to enjoy watching him play third base and batting atop the batting order day in and day out.
Let’s face it, this isn’t the same Jose Reyes that would steal 60+ bases a season, or lead the league with 19 triples, or even hit .337 and win a batting title. But the Jose Reyes we have now can still be an effective leadoff hitter for the Mets and be a catalyst for this team. He may have lost a step or two from his prime years, but Reyes is still faster than most players in the league and we saw how he could still be a game-changer whenever he got on base.
In 60 games with the Mets last season, Reyes batted .267 with 13 doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 49 runs scored with nine stolen bases. His .769 OPS was the highest since 2014, and defensively Reyes was a lot better than anyone expected at the hot corner. It makes me wonder what he can do if he plays 150 games this season. Last month he boasted that he’d steal 30 bases this season and just looking at what he did in his return to the Mets, it is not far-fetched to see him slash 10 triples, swat 20 homers, and score 110 runs in 2017.
Now 33, Reyes is in the final season of the 6-year, $106 million dollar contract he signed with the Miami Marlins in 2012, and he’ll be super-motivated to put on a great show in his walk year. We all remember what Reyes did the last time he was in a walk year, posting a 4.7 WAR while winning a batting title, earning an All Star nod, and finishing 11th in the MVP voting.
Now I’m not saying we should expect another season like that from Reyes this year, but when you are as pumped up and excited as he is anything can happen. Reyes has often admitted that leaving the Mets after the 2011 season, was the worst decision he ever made and that playing the game stopped being fun for him. He spoke about that on Friday and there was no containing his emotions, he genuinely loves the team, the city, and the fans.
“I feel like I’ve got a good fan base here. I feel comfortable,” Reyes said. “As a baseball player, you perform good where you feel comfortable. This is home for me. I feel real comfortable at Citi Field playing for the New York fans.”
“I live here in New York. Love the fans, the electricity of the ballpark. The support of the fans here is real. They’re always behind the players. They want the same thing we want: to win. I love being here.”
Even now, I still love watching Jose Reyes play and do his thing, there’s few players in the game like him. His ultra-high energy, infectious smile, and ability to still rattle opposing pitchers are still very evident and all part of his incredible appeal.
With Reyes and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera atop the batting order, I don’t think the Mets will have any problems scoring runs this season. We saw how their stagnating offense was literally reignited once Reyes and Cabrera took over the top spots in the lineup in mid August, and the team went on to win a Wild Card spot and finish second in the league in runs scored during that span.
This season, the stakes are higher than ever. But I expect the Mets to be a force to be reckoned with and among the top scoring teams in the game, and finally having a legitimate leadoff hitter in Jose Reyes is a big reason why.
