With Ruben Tejada now lost for the rest of the postseason, one message was loud and clear from Terry Collins during last night’s post game press conference. The Mets have fought adversity all season long and they will continue to do so in light of the blow they were dealt at the hands of the despicable Chase Utley.
The manager, coaches and players will have all day Sunday to regroup as they head back to New York, but the way I see it, this could open the door for one Mets player to add to his growing cult status among the Mets faithful.
Wilmer Flores is suddenly back in the spotlight again after being given the back seat by Terry Collins who tabbed Tejada as his shortstop for the entirety of the NLDS.
“Ruben Tejada’s been here and started the year in a tough spot because
Wilmer basically lost the job,” Collins said. “Ruben stepped up and said entering this series defense is going to be important, very important. So we thought he would be the guy. Now we’re going to have to ask Wilmer to step up.”
There’s also this… Matt Reynolds‘ high school Bishop Kelley, is reporting that he’s been added to the postseason roster in place of Tejada. They tweeted out: “Matt Reynolds has been called up to the New York Mets and will be in uniform Monday night in NYC. Go Matt!”
The Mets have not made any official announcement as of yet, but Adam Rubin is confirming the news. This is good news as I would rather have Reynolds as our backup infielder instead of Eric Campbell at this point. Reynolds would certainly provide some value as a pinch runner off the bench and can also be a key defensive replacement in the middle infield late in games.
If it’s one thing we’ve learned from Flores over the years, he knows how to step it up when it really matters, having already gained a reputation as clutch player that preceded him from his minor league days.
Flores delivered one of the season’s signature moments on July 31, when he hit an improbable and stunning walk-off homer in the 12th inning to cap a 2-1 victory against the Nationals.
It was that day, that moment, that player, who sparked the Mets to a reversal of fortunes and created the turning point for the suddenly rejuvenated Mets offense.
“Flores has played plenty of shortstop, and we’ve got a lot of confidence in him at short,” David Wright told reporters after last night’s 5-2 loss. “You never want to see somebody take over because of an injury, but Flo’s logged plenty of innings at short and had done a great job over there.”
The Mets have a tremendous opportunity to use last night’s misfortune and turn it into the team’s rallying point. We’ve see it before and what greater stage than the MLB playoffs for the Mets to show the nation it’s great character and incredible resiliency.
“You try to rally around that,” Wright added. “You try to go out there and get a win or two for Ruben. It’s a guy that sticks his neck out there trying to turn a big double play knowing that he’s going to get hit. That’s the definition of a great teammate… A guy that tries to make that play knowing that he’s going to take the hit.”
Regular readers at MMO know fully well my sentiments on the defensive side of the equation between Flores and Tejada, there is no chasm between them and most metrics give Flores the edge.
A quick view of some situational stats show Flores producing a .740 OPS with 7 homeruns and 34 RBIs in high-leverage situations, while Tejada counters with a .654 OPS, no homeruns and 15 RBIs in those instances.
In 135 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, Flores has driven in 43 runs with a .286 batting average and .423 slugging. In 105 plate appearances with RISP, Tejada is batting .233 with a .326 slugging and 24 RBIs.
Additionally, Tejada has posted a .333 average and .688 OPS in seven games against the Dodgers this season, while Flores has appeared in one less game and batted .524 with a 1.123 OPS.
So while I wish Ruben a speedy recovery, and while I’m still fuming at the entire ugly incident ignited by Utley’s dirty slide, I remain hopeful that the Mets will show up on Monday with a huge chip on their shoulders. I do hope MLB comes to their senses and exact severe punishment on Utley.
That said, I can see Saturday night’s deflating loss as a springboard for a revitalized Mets team that will see the job through and champion themselves into the next round. And don’t be surprised if Wilmer Flores provides the Mets with another signature moment or two, because that’s the kind of special year its been for the Amazins.
