Jose Reyes

2013

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2012

Reyes looked like an MVP through the first three months and 80 games of last year, batting .354/.398/.529 with 30 steals. Things fell apart after he left a game against the Yankees with a strained left hamstring on July 1 and played just 46 games the rest of the way, during which he hit .305/.356/.428 and with nine steals. He showed some encouraging signs last season as his walk rate improved from a low 5.1 percent in 2010 to 7.3 percent in 2011, while his contact rate also improved. Still, it was the third straight year that his season was limited by injuries but that did not prevent the Marlins from signing the reigning National League batting champion to a six-year, $106 million deal to be the centerpiece of their new ballpark. Reyes will lead off for the Marlins and his arrival is expected to move Hanley Ramirez to third base.

2011

Reyes started 2010 on the DL due to a hyperactive thyroid, which sidelined him for less time than first expected, and missed time due to a strained oblique. He ended up hitting .282, with 29 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs, 54 RBI and 30 stolen bases. His season was a bell curve - slow start, hot June-to-August, then a tail-off at the end. The Mets briefly tried Reyes at the three-spot before returning him to the leadoff spot, where he will bat this year. The challenge for Reyes is to prove he is fully healthy and be the catalyst atop the Mets' batting order to earn a big contract as a free agent after this season.

2010

Reyes got off to a hot start but was injured in mid-May with a strained right calf that sidelined him five games. In the second game following his return, Reyes aggravated the injury and was then diagnosed with tendinits behind the calf. While rehabbing that injury, Reyes suffered a torn right hamstring in early-June, and after several setbacks trying to return from the injury, underwent an MRI in early-August that showed significant scar tissue and inflammation behind the right knee, all related to the hamstring tendon injury. Reyes underwent manual physical therapy in an effort to break up the scar tissue and reduce the inflammation and finally in early-October had surgery to clean up scar tissue around the accessory hamstring tendon behind the right knee. Reyes did not need surgery for the separate hamstring muscle tear in his right leg and is expected to resume baseball activities shortly after Jan. 1, meaning he should be on track to be ready for spring training. He is a high-risk, potential high-reward pick, but his history of leg injuries downgrades his value.

2009

Reyes once again faded down the stretch, posting just a .243/.314/.402 line in September, which contributed to the Mets' second straight collapse. Prior to that, Reyes shook off a poor April, to post four straight months hitting .300 or better along with a copious amount of runs and steals and a healthy number of RBI as the Mets' leadoff catalyst. Despite the September swoon, Reyes saw an uptick in most categories, but suffered a major drop in steals. He appears to enjoy playing for manager Jerry Manuel and with better production with RISP from David Wright, look for a rise in runs with similar numbers from Reyes, making him a top-four pick.

2008

Reyes fell off in the second half, posting a .251/.216/.371 mark after the break and an even worse .205/.279/.333 line in September, as the Mets threw away the pennant. The only thing Reyes did better post- than pre-break was hit home runs, which might have contributed to his struggles, as his swing took on too much of an uppercut and he stopped driving the ball around the park. Manager Willie Randolph believes that Reyes' second-half swoon was just a slump, but he plans to rest him more to keep him fresh for the entire season. Lost in the slump was Reyes' improved ability of drawing walks for the second year in a row, while he finished with the same OBA that he had in 2006. Look for Reyes to put together a complete season and prove to be one of the Top-15 fantasy options in 2008.

2007

Jose-Jose-Jose, Jose-Jose was chanted by Mets' fans and Reyes owners throughout the season as Rey-Rey took a major step forward in his development. Reyes upped his batting average by 27 points, on-base percentage by 54 points and slugging percentage by 101 points to take his place as one of the fantasy elite. The work he did with Rickey Henderson in spring training on pitch recognition paid immediate dividends as he nearly doubled his walks. It also helped him to better work pitch counts, allowing him to be aggressive late in counts and drive the ball to the outfield. Reyes more than doubled his home run output and drove in 81 runs as a leadoff hitter without sacrificing stolen bases, a combination that should continue. His ascension to one of the top-10 fantasy players could be completed this year with another year of maturity and game action.

2006

Between the steals and the runs he'll score leading off for the Mets offense, Reyes is one of the most valuable middle infielders in fantasy baseball. The two keys to his development are staying healthy and improving his plate discipline. In 2005, he took care of the former with offseason work and enough in-season stretching on his weak hamstring to play 161 games. Despite not drawing a walk until his 119th at-bat, Reyes made incremental strides with the discipline, improving his pitches per plate appearance from 3.53 to 3.62 and drawing 27 walks by year's end. His 60 steals led the majors, but more walks would really uncork his speed.

2005

Leg woes once again plagued Reyes, limiting him to just 53 games last season after a strained right hamstring and compensatory sore lower back. The team taught him a new running style to take pressure off his weak hamstrings and back, but he abandoned it and had a big July with 11 SB. In August, after playing nearly a month with a stress fracture in his left fibula, the pain proved too great and Reyes was once again placed on the DL. He returned to the lineup, moving from second base back to shortstop, for the final nine games of the season and enters 2005 as a huge question mark at the top of the order. Mackie Shilstone, a sports performance expert, has designed a program for Reyes to follow. He's high-risk, high-reward.

2004

Reyes was bothered early in the year by a tight right hamstring but once it healed, he dominated Triple-A pitching earning a call up on June 10. He improved each month in the majors, highlighted by his 21 multi-hit games from the All-Star Break and 17:10 K:BB ratio in August. Reyes severely sprained his right ankle on August 31st and was shut down for the rest of the year. Reyes is expected to be fully recovered by spring training, although the ankle has healed slower than expected. Reyes possesses a powerful arm and generally is considered an excellent all-around fielder, but is expected to move to second base with the arrival of Kaz Matsui.

2003

The door has been opened for the Mets' shortstop of the future, following the trade of Rey Ordonez. At Double-A Binghamton in 2002, Reyes hit .287 and stole 27 bases in just 65 games as one of the youngest players in the league. He might struggle early because of iffy plate discipline and inconsistency on the routine play, but this kid is a star waiting to happen.