As we start to turn our gaze towards 2015, we have to start to figure out which players will impact the team going forward. Ruben Tejada is one guy with a large question mark hanging over his head. At the start of 2014, he was once again granted the keys to shortstop. There was no competition and he was never challenged. Once again, he failed to earn the position he was given. He hit just .228 with just 15 extra base hits and stole just a single base all season. We all know that stealing isn’t exactly Tejada’s calling card.
One thing that has stayed constant is his defense. He committed just 7 errors in 108 games at shortstop (99 starts) this season. That ties him with Jimmy Rollins for the fewest errors at shortstop in all of Major League Baseball. Despite playing in fewer games than many shortstops, he maintains a near league best .985 fielding percentage, second only to Rollins (.988).
So what to do with Ruben Tejada? It’s been speculated throughout the Mets world that a new shortstop must be found in order to compete. With only left field and short providing obvious spots for improvement, it’s unlikely that Tejada will be given the same opportunities that he was given in 2014 (2013 and 2012). Over the past few weeks he’s entered the game a few times as pinch hitter or defensive replacement. Terry Collins was asked about using him in this role moving forward on Sunday.
“That’s certainly we’ve talked about in here. That this could be the perfect guy to be the extra guy on the team. He does handle the bat. We’ve seen that. We’ve watched it for three years. When the season’s over I hope Ruben Tejada says ‘OK, I understand I might be a backup player but I’m going to come to spring training and win the other job'” (Mike Vorkunov, NJ.com)
Can Tejada be a viable backup option? Think about what you’d like out of your backup. You want him to be able to handle the bat in different situations. You want him to never make an error in the field and you want him to understand the teams philosophy. Considering Tejada has been with the Mets for just as long as Collins has, it appears this might be the perfect role for him in 2015.
