Jose Reyes: From New York Mets to the Miami Marlins
The four-time All-Star shortstop, Jose Reyes has recently signed a six-year $102 million contract with the Miami Marlins, stepping into a new team to prove his excellence as an accomplished shortstop.
Prior to this multi-million dollar deal with the Miami Marlins, he was part of the New York Mets where he had an impressive .337 average, which also enabled him to win the first battling title. While the deal with the Marlins was a complex affair initially,
the fogs of uncertainty dispersed with his agreeing to the six years contract.
“It's a perfect situation in Miami,” Reyes said. “We have a lot of talent there and the new stadium, the weather, close to Dominican, a lot of Spanish people there, so I think I'm going to like it and enjoy it as much as I can.”
Reyes’ journey into the Major League was indeed not an easy one but once he made it to the Major League, he did not look back again. On June 10, 2003, he formally became the part of the Texas Rangers, debuting with a 2-4 record. In the same year, even though
an injury plagued his season, he became the National League Rookie of the Year with a .307 average that he maintained, hitting 32 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.
Although injuries have often beset this player, he never falters whenever he is in the ballpark. For example, even though he was unable to appear in quite a few games of the past season, he hit a great .337 batting average to become entitled to National
League batting title, the first New York Mets’ player to have achieved the fear in its entire history.
He said, “The most important thing for me is to get on base. I have to put the ball in play no matter what happens. (Walking more) will be good for me. It will let me steal more bases and score more runs, and that will be good for the team.”
With 44 RBIs this year and having hit 7 home runs, Reyes had a .877 OPS and .493 SLG, standing 1st in the National League in BA, 5th in RA and 5th in SB with (39). His career average stands at .292 in the 1050 games that
he has appeared in with 4453 at-bats, scoring 735 runs and having had 1300 hits with 423 RBIs.
What sets him apart is the three-time MLB Triples Leader award that he secured in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Other accolades include the three-time National League Stolen Bases Leader in three consecutive years (from 2005-2007) and two-time MLB Stolen Bases Leader
awards in 2006 and 2007.
Although his former team, the New York Mets, may not have been able to get to the playoffs, there is hardly any shadow of doubt that he contributed to the club whenever and wherever he could with his single-handed performance. That fact alone attracted many
a team when Reyes became a free-agent.
With the renewed contract that he now has with the Miami Marlins, he will no doubt put the team on the right track with his performance. In his preferred position at the shortstop, Jose Reyes will prove to be a key for the success of the Marlins in the 2012
season.
Tags: