New York Mets: Jose Reyes Makes Most of Second Chance
By Ron Juckett
After a bad 2016 for the New York Mets and Jose Reyes, the veteran infielder is providing a much needed boost for a bad offense.
When Jose Reyes joined the New York Mets after his domestic abuse suspension, the conventional thought was he will be a player on the bench trying to get his professional life together. Instead, he may be a regular productive player.
Suspended for the first-half of the season, the former Colorado Rockies shortstop was thought to be at the end of his career. The bad public relations associated with domestic abuse combined with Trevor Story’s incredible rookie campaign made Reyes an expendable pariah. Once his suspension ended, the Rockies outright released him and the $37 million left on his contract.
A return to Queens offered him a chance to reestablish himself with the team that brought him to America back in 1999. His best years came with the Mets, earning four All-Star appearances while stealing 370 bases in nine seasons. A key part of the 2006 club that lost the National League Championship Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, Reyes shined with 17 triples and 64 stolen bases.
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With a second chance at spacious Citi Field, Reyes is earning himself another chance at being a regular. A highly publicized move to the new-look Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays—after the Marlins imploded—did not match his production in New York. A trade deadline deal sent Reyes and three others to Denver for Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins. This spring, Reyes was suspended for the first half of the season.
The Mets have had such a rash of injuries a bottle of calamine lotion would not clear it up. David Wright, Lucas Duda and now Neil Walker are gone for year. New York grabbed James Loney and Jay Bruce to fill in holes and they flopped. Reyes, in 34 games, has not.
Playing third base for Wright, Reyes’ slash line of .292/.335/.479 is among the best on the team. He has nine doubles, four home runs and three triples. His Adjusted OPS+ of 117 trails only Yoenis Cespedes for best on the team. Given the opportunity to prove his worth, Reyes has flourished in spades.
New York is in the midst of fighting for an NL Wild Card spot. With an offense slightly more powerful than a dead light bulb, any chance the Mets have returning to the playoffs depends on Reyes remaining hot.
He is now in a position to start the 2017 campaign either on the Mets or elsewhere. Because Colorado released him, he is a free agent once the season ends. Reyes and New York are a good match. The injuries to Wright will linger into next year—if Wright can cope with the constant pain from spinal stenosis and a bad neck—meaning Reyes will have guaranteed playing time.
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If New York is as satisfied with his off-field behavior as they are with his on-field production, the move to keep him is a no-brainer.