However, a back problem for Reyes and injuries to other key Mets led to a collapse and instead of being involved in a pennant race, the team found themselves fighting to stay out of last place in the division. By the end of the season Reyes had returned to his preferred position at shortstop, with Matsui moving back to second base.
Reyes ended a disappointing season with a batting average of. At the age of 21, Reyes was handed the leadoff spot in the Mets' line-up in his first full season in the major leagues. Despite struggling slightly with his plate discipline - he had only 27 walks in a league-high plate appearances - he finished the season with solid numbers.
In games he had 48 extra-base hits, 58 RBIs and 60 stolen bases. Reyes led the National League in stolen bases and led the majors in triples. However, he also led all National League shortstops in errors with During spring training in , the Mets brought in former player Rickey Henderson as a specialist instructor. One of the reasons Henderson was hired was to help tutor Reyes in the arts of getting on base and stealing bases - skills at which Henderson excelled throughout his own career.
On June 21 in a loss against the Cincinnati Reds Reyes hit for the cycle , becoming the ninth Met in team history to do so. Reyes' outgoing personality began to make him a fan favorite in New York. He became well known for the elaborate handshakes he creates with his teammates to celebrate runs scored.
Two days later, he became the second player in Mets history to record at least 50 stolen bases in consecutive seasons. Reyes was timed at As the season wound down, Reyes was in pursuit of an unusual feat - reaching 20 home runs, 20 triples, 20 doubles, and 20 stolen bases.
Reyes finished the regular season with an average of. He increased his on-base percentage by 54 points, and his slugging percentage was almost points higher than in Reyes' walk rate nearly doubled - in 30 fewer plate appearances, he went from 27 walks to He also showed similar improvement in the field - in he had a range factor of 3.
The Mets clinched their spot in the playoffs, and Reyes experienced the postseason for the first time in his career. Though he hit just. Louis Cardinals and facing elimination, Reyes hit a leadoff home run in the first inning to jump start his team and help force a deciding Game 7, which the Mets went on to lose On July 12 , Reyes hit the ninth leadoff home run of his career against Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo , setting a new record for the franchise.
In August Reyes stole his 50th base of the year, becoming the first New York baseball player to steal 50 or more bases in three consecutive seasons. August also saw Reyes tie the Mets record for stealing at least one base in four straight games. In the last month of the season, Reyes' struggles were seen to be a key component of the Mets historic late-season collapse.
He batted. His struggles brought much criticism from Mets fans. Reyes finished the season with a. In spring training and the early part of the season, Reyes vocalized a plan to focus a little more on baseball, and a little less on the theatrics - such as his dugout dances after home runs - that drew criticism during the late part of when the Mets were struggling. One of the casualties of this change of focus was the Professor Reyes segment played between innings at Shea where he taught the fans Spanish words and phrases.
However, with some prodding by his teammates, Reyes was encouraged to continue playing with the same energy as he had previously. On July 20 , Reyes overtook Mookie Wilson as the Mets all-time triples leader after legging out his 63rd career triple in the fourth inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds. On September 10 , Reyes broke the Mets all-time record for stolen bases, previously held by Mookie Wilson , with his nd career stolen base coming in the third inning of a game against the Washington Nationals.
After stealing second to break the record, he then stole third and scored the go-ahead run on a single by David Wright. On September 23 , Reyes achieved his first hit season with a bases-clearing triple. He is the second Met to reach this landmark, after Lance Johnson in Reyes finished the season with a batting average of. A few days before spring training, Mets manager Jerry Manuel announced that he was considering moving Reyes from the leadoff spot to 2nd or 3rd in the line-up.
However, Reyes playing in the World Baseball Classic meant his playing time in the Mets training camp was limited, and led to Manuel deciding to move Reyes back to the leadoff spot.
Speaking of the decision, Reyes said "That's where I've hit all my life I'd like to be a leadoff hitter. Reyes reached steals in the seventh inning in a game against the Pirates on May 10, , swiping third base as part of a double steal with another man, Luis Castillo. Already the Mets' all-time leader in career stolen bases, Reyes could conceivably reach steals by the time his contract with the Mets expires in The team finished top of their group in both the first and second rounds, but fell to Cuba in the semi-finals.
Reyes' playing time was limited due to the presence of Miguel Tejada in the shortstop spot. In 6 at-bats, Reyes collected 1 hit and 1 run, as well as 2 stolen bases. Reyes was again called up to the Dominican Republic team for the competition. He had a disappointing tournament as the Dominican Republic were eliminated after only three games, suffering two defeats against the underdog Netherlands team.
Reyes finished the tournament with just 1 hit and 2 runs from 9 at-bats. Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during season. Nicknames: La Melaza. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Are you a Stathead, too? Subscribe to our Free Newsletter. This Month in Sports Reference Find out when we add a feature or make a change. Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more. We present them here for purely educational purposes.
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