ANAHEIM – If the Mets are smart, they’ll listen to Roger Cedeno’s advice on Jose Reyes.
“He needs, I think, just one thing: for them to let him play,” Cedeno said. “That kid’s got a great attitude. Plus he’s got so much ability.”
Reyes made the first spectacular defensive play in his major-league career Friday night, diving into the hole and making a fully extended grab on a liner by Shawn Wooten to end the fourth inning. Reyes saved a run, because had he not caught the ball, Garret Anderson would’ve scored from second base.
“Tremendous range,” marveled manager Art Howe.
“That was unbelievable,” said starting pitcher Michael Bacsik, who waited on the field to thank Reyes after he made the play.
Reyes also impressed on the offensive end. He broke a 0-for-11 streak by laying down a perfect bunt down the third-base line and beating it out. It was supposed to be a sacrifice.
Cedeno has watched the 20-year-old shortstop phenom since he was recalled Tuesday. He shares the same agent as USA Today’s 2002 minor-league player of the year, but that doesn’t mean he’s biased.
“Unbelievable,” Cedeno said after the Mets’ 7-3 victory over the Angels Friday night.
But for the second straight game, Reyes also committed an error. It was a sharp ground ball up the middle by Bengie Molina in the second inning, a ball a good major-league shortstop should handle.
Reyes glided to his left, put his glove down – and watched the ball go under him and into left-center field.
After the excellent defensive play, Reyes made another diving stop in the sixth on an infield hit by Wooten, but he couldn’t shovel the ball properly to second baseman Roberto Alomar to erase Troy Glaus at second.
Reyes has shown a cannon for an arm that’s even impressed Texas shortstop Alex Rodriguez, but he’s also shown the inconsistency that plagues many young major leaguers.
After a 2-for-4 debut, Reyes struggled at the plate. He took the collar on Wednesday and Thursday before beating out the bunt. His sharp grounder down the third-base line Friday night was bobbled by Gold Glover Glaus and called an error.
If some Mets fans are worried about Reyes’ .176 average, interim GM Jim Duquette said not to be. Reyes has only struck out once in 17 at-bats, and he’s only popped up or flown out a combined three times. So he’s trying to hit the ball on a line and find holes, and then utilize his lightning-quick speed.
“We’ll have a better read in 10 days to two weeks about him offensively,” Duquette said. “In Texas, he expanded his [strike] zone too much, and he realized it.”
Reyes’ energy has translated into a 3-1 record, as the Mets have had contributions from him in every win. Even when he went 0-for-4 Thursday, he drove in a run and scored one.
Whether the Mets keep Reyes in the majors, as Cedeno insists they should, is up in the air. Rey Sanchez is eligible to return from a sprained left thumb next Saturday, but he’ll probably need another week beyond that. Duquette again alluded to blending “young, energetic and athletic” players to the core group on Friday, and that’s an apt description of Reyes.
That, and “unbelievable.”