Mets infielder Jose Reyes showing signs of life at the plate

By Richard Heaton
Apr 26, 2017; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets third baseman Jose Reyes (7) singles against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2017; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets third baseman Jose Reyes (7) singles against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /
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After starting the season 2 for 37, Jose Reyes is beginning to look like the player he was meant to be this season.

Over the course of the last two weeks, Reyes has managed to raise his batting average by more than 100 points, from a horrible .054 to a still pretty bad .173. His first multiple hit game of the season came in Thursday’s game when the Mets played the Braves, during his 21st game of the season. He followed up that performance with two more multi-hit games Friday and Saturday, both against the Washington Nationals.

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Reyes is now in the middle of a 5-game hitting streak. During that time he’s hitting .444 with five runs scored and both of his only home runs this year. He is also getting his running game back on track. He’s gotten on base 11 times before trying for his first stolen base. Since then he has 3 stolen bases over his last 8 games. Reyes is now tied for the team lead in stolen bases with Asdrubal Cabrera.

In addition to getting hits more often, Reyes has been walking more often as well. After walking once in his first 39 plate appearances, he’s walked nine times in his last 48. He is now just one behind both Jay Bruce and Yoenis Cespedes for the team lead.

His defense however, has not improved. Reyes committed his 4th error of the season Saturday. For a player who never made 20 errors in a full season, making four in 168 innings is pretty bad. Coming into today’s game, Reyes’ fielding percentage at third base was .936. He had a fielding percentage below .950 just once in his career, which was also as a third baseman.

Next: Hansel Robles quietly dominating early in the season

On the bright side, with Reyes looking like he can hit again, that’s one less problem to worry about. If he can keep it up, he could become a great piece in the lineup.

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