Jose Reyes has always been a catalyst for the New York Mets, going back to his rookie year of 2003. He was a heralded prospect, one that had Met fans giddy to see his plus speed, defensive range and cannon of an arm from short, and his larger than life personality, all that were easily welcomed and revered here in New York.
“As Reyes goes, so do the Mets,” was a common phrase uttered by throngs of fans who knew Reyes could offer so much to the club in a variety of ways, and reaped the benefits for his first nine seasons in the majors.
When Reyes became available early this summer, due to the Colorado Rockies designating the 33-year-old for assignment stemming from last October’s arrest in Maui, where Reyes was charged with domestic abuse charges against his wife, Katherine Ramirez, Sandy Alderson and the Mets were instantly linked to their former star.
While the charges were later dropped in late March, Major League Baseball suspended Reyes for the first 52 games of the season, part of their new domestic-violence policy established last year. The Rockies moved on from Reyes, employing rookie Trevor Story to man short, who did an impeccable job through 97 games, swatting 27 home runs and 72 RBIs before succumbing to the disabled list due to a torn ligament in his left thumb.
So there was Reyes, free to sign with any club, and rumors swirling that a potential Met reunion might be plausible. Near the end of June, Reyes was back with the organization that signed him as an amateur free agent in 1999, one that he called home so much he kept his Long Island home even when he signed with the Miami Marlins in the 2011 offseason. This is where Reyes excelled, where he felt most comfortable. This was his home.
Things could not have worked out any better for both the Mets and Reyes. Since making his 2016 Mets debut on July 5, Reyes has flashed signs of his prime, going 48-for-167 (.287), with a .341 on-base-percentage, .485 slugging, scoring 30 runs, swatting six home runs, driving in 15 while swiping eight out of ten bags in 40 games played. If you average those numbers over a full 162-game season, Reyes would be nearing 2006-08 territory, years where he was regularly a 5+ WAR player.
And he’s putting up these fantastic stats all at the reduced price of a bit over $250K, with the Rockies assuming the rest of his salary. Reyes also has a cheap option for 2107, making it a near certainty he’ll be retained, especially with the health of David Wright an ongoing issue, and the vacancy at second base. Reyes can also spell Asdrubal Cabrera at short, as he’s done this year with Cabrera missing time on the disabled list due to a strained patella tendon in his left knee.
Reyes, ever the spark plug, has brought his trademark smile and happy go lucky attitude back to Queens, at a time the Mets sorely needed any burst of energy to help keep them afloat in a turbulent summer. Injuries, underachievement, odd managerial decisions, and just plain bad luck were all present throughout the 2016 season, as we know all too well.
The return of Reyes has given the Mets a true leadoff hitter that was sorely missed this season, a year removed from the tremendous job Curtis Granderson had done out of that spot, swatting 26 home runs while driving in 70 runs, with an on-base-percentage of .364. Granderson’s struggles have been well documented this year, and the Mets experimented with a few different players out of the leadoff spot, but with the re-emergence of Reyes, Terry Collins has the easiest job penciling the switch-hitter into that leadoff spot in the lineup.
As the Mets swept the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, a 6-3 win behind Noah Syndergaard‘s 13th victory, Reyes was front and center in the acton once again, and on the very first pitch of the game. Reyes deposited a first pitch fastball into right field for his 6th homer of the year off Anthony DeSclafani. The leadoff homer was his 19th leadoff home run as a Met, reestablishing him as the all-time leader in that category, jumping over teammate Granderson. When told he reclaimed his control on the leaderboard, Reyes had no idea he had accomplished such a feat.
“I didn’t even know that,” Reyes said, when told he had regained the lead. “That’s good.” But that’s Reyes, the graceful gazelle that hustles on every play and leads by his infectious smile.
Personal accolades are great, but it seems Reyes has learned from 2011, when he was trying to win the batting title in another lost year for the Mets. It rubbed fans the wrong way when Collins lifted Reyes after a bunt single in the first of the season’s last game, something Reyes had asked Collins to do so he can secure the batting crown. Fan’s lasting memory was of number seven walking off the field as Justin Turner pinch ran for him at first base.
Fast forward five years and Reyes is just happy to be back in the majors, with a team and organization that has been a second family to him since he was sixteen-years-old. It’s not about the accolades and individual performances, it’s about helping the team that gave him a second chance get to back-to-back postseasons, something he was unable accomplish in his first stint with the Mets.
Terry Collins’ job has gotten a little easier, at least when it comes to penciling Reyes into the lineup. The veteran manager has assessed a lot of talent in the four decades he’s been involved in the game, and knows what players can offer at various stages of their careers. But Reyes reestablishing himself as a legitimate force both offensively and defensively has Collins excited for what Reyes can bring to the table.
“I thought he was going to be a guy that could create some runs by getting on base,” Collins said about Reyes. “But he’s gotten big hits — huge hits. … There’s no question there’s a lot of baseball left in that guy.”
And so far Collins has been right. Reyes has collected multi-hits in 13 of the 40 games he’s played, has a base-on-ball percentage of nearly eight, a number he hadn’t reached since an abbreviated 2013 with the Toronto Blue Jays. His 122 wRC+ is also a high since his last year in orange and blue in 2011. Point being, it appears that Reyes playing in an environment he’s comfortable in, and has had success in, is almost turning back the clock and leading to a career renaissance. And hopefully that gives Reyes a second chance at the postseason, one in which he played 10 games in 2006, going a combined 11-for-44 (.250), with seven runs scored, a homer, five RBIs, and three stolen bases.
Even his teammates are in awe of what Reyes has done since his arrival. Yoenis Cespedes sums it up perfectly after a recent game: ““Ever since Reyes arrived, he’s been the engine of the team,” Cespedes said.
Of course, there will be fans who find it hard to forgive Reyes for his horrific act of violence against his wife, and rightly so. But for all intents and purposes, Reyes has always been a friendly figure, and a devout family man. Sandy Alderson saw contrition in Reyes before he signed him, speaking for an hour with him over what had transpired.
“I came away feeling that he had taken responsibility for this mistake on his part, that he was remorseful,” Alderson said during a conference call with reporters. “He obviously has paid a penalty for this, both financially and in terms of his career.” (https://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2016/06/sandy_alderson_explains_why_mets_signed_jose_reyes.html)
Reyes has acted the good soldier since his return with the Mets, and if he can continue to be a force atop of the order, then this might go down as one of Alderson’s greatest signings yet. All we as Met fans can ask is to have meaningful games in September, and thanks in large part to Reyes, we do.
