Mets 2017 Season Preview: Which player is most likely to surprise?

Nick Ceraso, Staff Writer

Jose Reyes is expected to be the Mets everyday third baseman to begin the season as David Wright will not be ready for Opening Day. Reyes played 50 of his 60 games last season for the Mets at third base.

Going into the 2017 season, Reyes was expected to be the ultimate utility player for the Mets playing games at either third, short, second or outfield. Although Reyes wasn’t defensively great at third base last season posting the lowest fielding percentage (.948) of his career, Reyes opens up a lot of possibilities for Mets manager Terry Collins who will look to use Reyes as his leadoff hitter.

At age 33, Reyes showed no signs of slowing down last season, as Reyes’ slugging percentage was .443, the highest since 2011 and the 4th highest of his career.

Reyes even improved his walk rate as well as he walked 23 times in 60 games compared to his 26 times in 116 games in 2015. His increase in walks added more RBI opportunities for Yoenis Cespedes and the middle of the order.

Health has always been one of the biggest questions marks when it comes to Reyes as only twice in the last 8 seasons has Reyes played 140 games or more. However, if Reyes is given enough at bats and stays healthy he could easily reach 90-100 runs scored.

Even though Reyes’ speed is not what it once was, he still has the ability to swipe 20 bases this year. As stolen bases was an extreme rarity for the team. The Mets stole only 42 bases, the second-lowest in the National League.

Reyes has the chance to give the Mets the leadoff type hitter they have always needed since he left the team in 2011. Reyes could easily surprise Mets fans this year by how well he will produce for the team and how much he will remind the fans of when he first started his career with the team.

Reyes holds a lot of upside for the Mets, who will be given a great opportunity to open the season as the everyday leadoff hitter.