THIS was on the back fields at the Mets’ St. Lucie complex early in spring training. It was late in an other practice, all the position players lined up to participate in the most mundane of drills: Running the bases on a sunny, warm day.
Home-to-first two times, home-to-second twice, home-to-third, all four bases. Beyond the grunts, one noise rose distinct at Tradition Field: The joyous yelping of Jose Reyes. At the start of each dash, Reyes would let out a sound, part child chasing an ice cream truck, part happy screech to the heavens.
It was so understandable.
Reyes was running. He is a colt. This is what brings him elation, the freedom and speed intrinsically tied to his soul. He is graceful and fast and now seemingly removed from when circumspection visited each step. He is healthy, happy, running.
It is a combination that makes him the most exciting athlete in New York.
He has sturdy competition. Tiki Barber in the open field and Jaromir Jagr in open ice, Vince Carter on the break, and Mariano Rivera breaking bats. They are thrilling. Give me Reyes hitting a ball into the gap and burning on the bases, give me that anticipatory moment as he approaches second base and triple comes to every mind.
Give me Jose Reyes running.
“He’s worth the price of admission,” Marlins manager Joe Girardi said before yesterday’s game against the Mets was rained out at Shea Stadium. “There is a lot of excitement when he is on the field.”
These days that is about more than Reyes’ legs. Mets hitting coach Rick Down unabashedly calls Reyes “the best shortstop in the NL.” And though that has something to do with the diminished state of the position in the league, it also speaks to the possibilities in Reyes’ game. He stole a base in the Mets’ 9-3 triumph over Florida on Friday. But he also powered a double and a homer as part of a three-hit game.
There is a commonly held perception that Reyes harms his game by hitting the ball in the air. But that is silly. Reyes (6-foot, 175 pounds) is built similarly to Derek Jeter, and Girardi described him as “a big kid with bat speed.” His game should not be about slapping and chopping the ball. He has extra-base skills. As Down said, “This year he is going to hit doubles and triples, not just run for doubles and triples. He hits the ball with backspin into the alleys. That is how you describe Jose Reyes now.”
Reyes has 35-double, 15-triple, 15-homer capabilities. If he does that in conjunction with his stolen bases and power-armed defense, Reyes becomes Barber, Jagr and Carter as not just an electrifying performer, but an elite producer.
“I think he is a great young player,” Girardi said. “There is nothing he can’t do. He can beat you with anything from a drag bunt to a home run to outstanding defense.”
The upgrade in Reyes’ offensive game hinges on a continued improvement in pitch recognition and discipline. Down said Reyes’ approach before two strikes and acuity in reading fastballs already has grown significantly. He must upgrade with two strikes and in deciphering breaking balls.
Reyes probably never will have high walk totals, but Down expects him to walk more “as he continues to drive balls and pitchers have to work him more carefully. Right now, they throw it over the plate because a walk against him is like a double with his stolen-base ability. But that will change as he does more damage on those pitches.”
If Reyes can raise his on-base average from the unacceptable .300 it was last year to around the league average of .330, his impact will soar because of his legs. He is Barber, a threat to score anyplace on the field. As Girardi said, “He makes you hold him on at first, rush to the ball in the gaps, get rid of the ball quickly on grounders, and have your corner infielders alert for bunts. His speed makes defenses defensive.”
He is the most exciting athlete in New York. When Jose Reyes runs, it makes you want to scream in joy.