| Moritz Wollert. 25th July, 2005 - 10:57 pm
 And it?s bright.
Everyone who was at Shea Stadium on Saturday afternoon saw it.
They saw the present, cheering about a 7-5 come-from-behind win from the New York Mets over the Los Angeles Dodgers, which solidifies their position in the race for the National League East crown.
But they also saw the future, the future of Mets Baseball.
It wears No.7, is 22 years old, 6-0, 180 pounds.
It?s name is Jose Reyes.
The young shortstop out of Villa Gonzalez in the Dominican Republic reminded us all, why so many people think of him as an outstanding talent. His performance against the Dodgers was incredible, entertaining and in the end successful. Reyes went 4 for 5, scored 3 runs, had 2 RBIs and he stole 2 bases.
Come on, Jose. You could have added a homerun, too.
He showed us the total package, great batting, his unbelievable quick feet and his will to win. Reyes drove in the tying run with his 10th triple of the season before Carlos Beltran singled to center field. He left Reyes cheering at home plate and the fans cheering in the stands.
It was a big performance. And we all know, big performances lead to big words.
"When Jose Reyes is running the bases and doing his thing, I wish I was him. In my next life, I want to come back with the abilities that Jose has. I might even become a shortstop. I can tell you I'd pay more than 50 bucks -- more than a hundred bucks -- to see him play. And I'd get the best seat in the stadium, if I could."
We agree Pedro.
Those words weren?t coming from someone, it was Pedro Martinez, one of the greatest pitchers of all time, who said it.
It is just a lot of fun watching Jose Reyes when his game is clicking. He puts so much pressure on the defense when he is on base. He already stole 34 bases this year, the most in the National League and only trailing Scott Podsednik in the Majors. His extra base hits are an important part of the Mets? offense. His quickness also helps Reyes on defense as he is showing us more and more range and highlight plays at the critical shortstop position.
Let?s remember, the guy is only 22 years old.
This important fact describes why the Jose Reyes Show isn?t aired on a daily basis.
He is still learning a lot and that is fine for a player of his age.
Right now Reyes is the Mets? leadoff hitter but he is only hitting .273 and has a terrible on base percentage for a top of the order spot (.297).
But right now, after such a game, Mets fans shouldn?t whine about any stats.
Just enjoy this young stud. He is healthy this season which was a huge problem for him in 2004. He missed over two thirds of last season because of a hamstring injury and a bad back. There were concerns about his health before the 2005 campaign.
But luckily for Mets fans Reyes didn?t have any problems with major injuries so far. And when we think a few years ahead, we can only dream about the things Jose Reyes will be able to do. His natural talent is just so breath taking and if he comes around with experience he can be a premier player in this league. Experience will help him a lot with his batting, he will learn how to see pitches, he will learn to select and he will learn the right swinging.
Mets manager Willie Randolph is also happy about his youngster.
"He looks like Willie Wilson, the way he runs. And Bake McBride. He's so fast, and he's so good at times. And he's still a baby. Before it's all over, before it's all said and done, I'm going to be real proud of him, and some of these guys are going to be telling people how they used to play with Jose Reyes."
Beside all his on field promising play Reyes is also a very good locker room guy. You haven?t heard any bad words from him despite having position battles in his first three years.
Once he talked about taking over Rey Ordonez starting shortstop spot. After recognizing how ?interested? the New York media was in his words, he never made anything like that again.
He learned.
He is clearly a positive presence in the locker room.
His coast to coast smile, together with Pedro?s gimmics in the dugout, show the new positive New York Mets outlook Under Willie Randolph the Mets became an aggressive baserunning team which loves to put pressure on their opponents.
They just fit Jose Reyes style of play.
Many will talk about his mediocre to bad batting average but I won?t do that after such an outing. We are all fans of the game, and Reyes played the game the most entertaining and most exciting way yesterday.
Let?s not be critics after such a game, let?s be lovers of Baseball.
He showed his skills already in his MLB debut, 2003 against the Texas Rangers where he went 2-4. After the game Jose grabbed the ball and sent it to the Dominican Republic for his parents, Jose Manuel and Josefina.
Mets fans will hope that he will sent some more ball down south. Maybe a playoff ball, maybe a All Star Ball, maybe?
As a fan of the game, I hope that, too. |
