Hustle single by Mets newcomer Jose Iglesias shows an attitude the team should follow

Down 10-2 with 2 outs, all Jose Iglesias had to do was jog down to first base and call it a day. Iglesias must not have been all that hungry. Despite the odds being stacked against the New York Mets in what would end up as a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks anyway, the veteran infielder whose reputation for playing solid defense up the middle showcased a little bit of swift footwork on a routine groundball to third base for the final out—except it wasn’t an out at all.

Since the now infamous Mets team meeting after Wednesday’s debacle, the team has gone 2-1. The disastrous sweep against the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed like the end and it may very well be.

The Mets had started to become unlikable and stale. They weren’t hitting. They weren’t pitching particularly well. The wheels seemed to be coming off. Two near-wins on Thursday and Friday followed by what should’ve been a blowout loss on Saturday should have us all feeling like this team really does have a different attitude about who they are and what they can accomplish.

Let Jose Iglesias be an example of how the rest of this Mets roster should perform

The Mets weren’t lazy in May. They were just outmatched. The hitting comes alive when the pitchers are suffocating. Starting pitching and relievers tend to swap off who is putting together a brilliant performance and who isn’t. Getting it all to click together at the same time has been a major issue for the Mets. It remains unresolved even in these last three games where we should feel a little better about the team.

Iglesias probably should’ve been on the Mets roster out of spring training. Rather than carry him, the Mets chose Zack Short. Was it the upside of speed and maybe a little more power? In either case, the positive attitude Iglesias has brought with him over the last two days resonated in this hustle single.

Iglesias is acting like he’s a rookie. That might be the right attitude to have. Upon picking up his first Mets hit on Friday, he asked for the ball.

The humility is impressive to see from a guy with over 1,000 big league hits in his career. He could’ve just come here and gone through the motions. Instead, he’s working on the emotions.

The Mets feel more like a team these past few days. Maybe they all just needed to bond over a storm of suggesting they’d hit rock bottom. Iglesias’ style of inspired baseball on the field isn’t hurting either.