Jose Reyes

José Bernabe Reyes was born on June 11, 1983, in the Dominican Republic and went on to become a professional baseball infielder, primarily a shortstop, in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Mets, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Colorado Rockies. A four-time All-Star, Reyes led the majors in triples four times (2005, 2006, 2008, and 2011) and topped the National League in stolen bases for three straight years (2005–2007). He won the NL batting title in 2011 and remains the Mets’ all-time leader in triples (113) and stolen bases (408).

Reyes was discovered by Mets scouts at a tryout in Santiago in 1999. Despite concerns about his small frame, the team signed him on August 16, 1999. Instead of sending him to their Dominican academy, they placed him directly with the Rookie-level Kingsport Mets in 2000, where he hit .250 in 49 games. In 2001, with the Class A Capital City Bombers, he batted .307 with 42 extra-base hits and earned Player of the Year honors. After a spring training invite, Reyes started 2002 with the Class A-Advanced St. Lucie Mets, then moved up to Double-A Binghamton, where he debuted with five hits and four RBIs, finishing the season at .287 with 27 steals in 65 games.

The Mets traded starting shortstop Rey Ordóñez in December 2002 and signed veteran Rey Sánchez to hold the position while Reyes developed. Reyes spent the first two months of 2003 with Triple-A Norfolk, batting .269 and stealing 26 bases in 42 games. Injuries to Mike Piazza and Mo Vaughn hurt the Mets’ performance, and when Sánchez strained his thumb on June 5, 2003, manager Art Howe called up Reyes.

Reyes made his MLB debut on June 10, 2003, against the Texas Rangers, going 2-for-4 with two runs in a 9–7 loss. He was the first teenager to play for the Mets since Gregg Jefferies in 1987 and the first to start since Dwight Gooden in 1984. He sent the ball from his first hit to his parents. He soon hit a grand slam off Jarrod Washburn in an 8–0 win over the Angels, and when Sánchez returned from the disabled list, Reyes kept him on the bench. A sprained ankle ended his season a month early, but in 69 games he hit .307 with 32 RBIs and 13 steals, finishing eighth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

In 2004, the Mets signed Japanese star Kazuo Matsui, who insisted on playing shortstop, so Reyes was moved to second base. A hamstring strain kept him out until June 19. When he returned, the Mets were in a tight division race, but a back injury to Reyes and other key injuries led to a collapse. By season’s end, Reyes was back at shortstop, with Matsui shifting to second. He finished with a .255 average, 14 RBIs, and 19 steals in 53 games.

In his first full season, 2005, the 21-year-old Reyes became the Mets’ leadoff hitter. Despite poor plate discipline—just 27 walks in a league-high 733 plate appearances—he played 161 games, collecting 48 extra-base hits, 58 RBIs, and 60 stolen bases. He led the NL in steals and the majors in triples, though he also led all NL shortstops with 18 errors.

During spring training in 2006, the Mets hired Rickey Henderson as a specialist instructor to help Reyes with getting on base and stealing. Reyes won NL Player of the Week honors for the weeks of June 12 and 19, becoming the first Met to do so in consecutive weeks since Jesse Orosco in 1983. Over that stretch, he had 32 hits in 57 at-bats (.561), raising his season average from .246 to .302. On June 21, he hit for the cycle against the Cincinnati Reds, the ninth Met to do so. His energetic personality made him a fan favorite, and he became known for elaborate handshakes with teammates after scoring. In a segment called “Professor Reyes,” he taught Spanish to fans between innings at Shea Stadium.