Free agency-bound Jose Reyes dominating for Mets

Twelve years ago, the New York Mets signed a scrawny 16-year-old infielder from the Dominican Republic as an amateur free agent. His name was Jose Bernabe Reyes, and he has evolved into one of the most exciting players to watch in Major League Baseball today.

After breaking into the Majors in 2003 at the tender age of 20, Reyes immediately made it obvious that he was a special talent. Less than two years later, he took over starting shortstop duties for the Mets, and the rest, they say, is history.

In his first four years as an everyday shortstop, Reyes was electrifying both on the field and in the batter’s box. On top of making jaw-dropping defensive plays, Reyes piled up extra-base hits, got on base over 34% of the time, and discovered a power stroke that saw him average 14 home runs a season over that span. He averaged 195 hits per season over the four-year window and once he got on base he was an opposing pitcher’s nightmare, stealing a whopping 258 bases.

After a significantly shortened 2009 due to injury, Reyes returned to his familiar form in 2010. While many expected him to continue his rebound in 2011, nobody could have predicted the type of breakout season he has put together through the first half of the year.

Any way you look at, Reyes is having an MVP-caliber season. His 124 hits and .354 average rank first in baseball, and his .398 on-base percentage is the highest for an infielder outside of first basemen. He’s returned to his criminal ways on the base paths as well, going 30-for-36 (83%) in stolen base attempts, ranking second in baseball.

To Ben Berkon, lead writer of FanSided‘s Mets blog Rising Apple, there are even more reasons as to why this season is turning into the best of Reyes’ career.

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“To delve a little deeper into Reyes’ success, you have to look at his improved hitting ability. It’s a little too simple to assume his .398 OBP is due to more walks. In reality, Reyes’ 7% walk rate is actually not very impressive, however that doesn’t mean his ‘patience’ has declined. In fact, his 7.4% strikeout rate is, by far, the best of his career (his career average is 11.9%),” says Berkon.

“Simply look at his (again career-best) 83.1 O-Contact%. This means that of the pitches Reyes swings at outside the strike zone, he’s still making contact with 83.1% of them. Even when opposing pitchers don’t want to throw Reyes a strike, he’s still doing a lot of damage. So if a batter hits both strikes and balls, what else can you really throw him?”

Chris McShane, writer for Amazin’ Avenue of the SB Nation network, agrees that this year is indeed special for Reyes.

“The biggest reasons for Reyes’ career year so far are most likely that he’s in the prime of his career and healthy*,” he explains. “He was an elite shortstop from 2006 through 2008, missed most of 2009, and still had a pretty good season in 2010, but this year is on an entirely different level. Fangraphs‘ WAR, for example, has Reyes at 5.3 already, and his previous career-high for a full season was 6.4.”

Another aspect of Reyes’ season that has been breathtaking is his 15 triples in only 80 games so far. His previous season-high was 19 in 2008, and his number of triples this season has put him in the running to top 30 in one season and perhaps even break Chief Wilson’s all-time single-season record of 36 back in 1912.

Interestingly enough, the Mets’ new ballpark, Citi Field, has played a large part in Reyes’ triples, as he has hit the majority of them at home thanks to its large outfield dimensions.

Even though Reyes has hit only three home runs so far this season, he still ranks sixth in the National League with a .529 slugging percentage, another career-high. While the drop in home runs could be concerning for some players, as a leadoff hitter, Reyes’ ability to set the table for other hitters in the lineup is working wonders.

“I personally love that he has a more diligent approach at the plate and is focusing on putting himself in scoring position for the rest of the Mets hitters to knock him in,” Berkon said.

There has been a lot of talk surrounding Reyes this season beyond what he is doing on the field, though. His breakout season has been timed perfectly with his impending unrestricted free agency at the end of the year, and given the Mets’ recent ownership drama, there have been concerns that Reyes could be playing his final season as a member of the Metropolitans.

“I think he’ll be back with the team next year and for the foreseeable future. I can’t imagine [Mets general manager] Sandy Alderson trading him this year; Reyes is exactly the type of player a team should keep. Considering his immense value and the position he plays in the field, Reyes is a player around which to build,” McShane said.

Reyes added fuel to the speculation fire earlier this season when he publicly stated that he wouldn’t be open to negotiating a contract extension during the middle of the season, leaving it to the few days prior to free agency. He has, however, also stated a desire to return to New York and finish his career with the Mets.

There was also the recent story that mega-agent Scott Boras has frequently attempted to pry Reyes away from his current agent, Peter Greenberg, but Reyes quickly doused that flame by telling MLB.com “There’s no chance I’m going to change my agent.”

“For me, that’s a pretty good indicator of loyalty,” Berkon said.

But the Mets writer and fan does understand that the All-Star shortstop has, in fact, earned the right to explore his upcoming free agency. All he and the rest of the New York faithful can do is hope for the best.

In other words, hope that Reyes’ career year will be enough to convince him to re-sign once again back where it all began.

*Days afterwards, Reyes was placed on the 15-day disabled list. A minor setback in comparison to the health woes that have plagued him in the past.

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