A Unique Talent

By John "Metstradamus" Coppinger
Posted Friday, April 6, 2007

True story.........

I’m on the train the other day, and I found that from first stop to last stop - a ride which is about twenty minutes long - I’m singing the freakin’ “Jose Jose” song. Out loud. And it was not in a Braden Looper mocking kind of way, but in an “I’m glad spring training is over and the games finally count” kind of way.

I could probably use myself a good heaping dose of counseling.

Jose Reyes had himself an M.V.P. type of spring training…a .325 average, an OBP of .398, a slugging percentage of .570, and get this - 13 stolen bases! In the spring! I mean, goodness Jose, save something for when it counts. Thankfully my fears are unfounded, as Reyes has kept up his breakneck spring pace through three games, compiling thus far a .308 average, with an OBP of .4, and a slugging percentage of .615.

Is it too early to start beating the drum for Jose Reyes to win MVP?

Now I know what you’re thinking: “Easy big fella, the season is three games old.” And you would be right. It is nuts to start talking about the MVP award on April 6th, but Reyes’ spring and his first three games have me irrationally excited. Here’s why: Jose Reyes might not be the best player in the universe, but he sure is unique - and that’s why we love him. He runs. He hits. He hits for power. He has a laser arm. As a kicker, he also has the best home run celebration handshakes and dances that you’ll ever want to see.

I try to do these at least once a day (you try finding somebody at your job that will do these handshakes with you…it’s not easy).

Reyes is that rare blend of speed and power that has people thinking of Rickey Henderson (the man who taught Reyes how to steal bases). Henderson won an MVP in 1990 with stats somewhat similar to what Reyes has done. Henderson in 1990 has a clear lead on Reyes’ best season in terms of OBP (.439 for Henderson), HR’s (28 to 19), average (.325 to .300), and slugging (.577 to .487). But Reyes bests Henderson in triples (17-3), RBI’s (81 to 61), hits (194 to 159), and total bases (315 to 282). Reyes actually comes close to Henderson’s 1990 campaign in steals (65-64 for Rickey) and runs (122 to 119 for Jose), and there’s no reason to think Reyes can’t improve on his steals totals as well as the categories in which Henderson surpasses him.

The problems that Reyes would face in winning an MVP are these: Obviously, his on base percentage would have to rise considerably. Reyes would most likely be battling multiple power hitters for votes including Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, and perhaps Miguel Cabrera and even Lance Berkman to name a few. (The only big power guy that Rickey Henderson had to beat out in 1990 was Cecil Fielder.) To keep up with these guys, Reyes would have to have an OBP of over .4 at the very least. Jose may never be a guy who’s going to take pitches down the pipe for the sake of looking at them, which is part of his charm. Rather, he’s going to take that mistake and drive it a long way. So to be a viable MVP candidate, Reyes would have to reach the .340 or maybe the .350 level to grab serious consideration.

Also, with the talent that wafts over the Mets roster, Reyes would most likely run into the 1988 factor, where just as Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds split votes paving the way for Kirk Gibson to win the award, Reyes will most likely split votes with Carlos Beltran - and maybe David Wright as well - to pave the way for a player who will carry the team on his back by himself. Jose may incorrectly be seen as someone whose success is tied to Beltran driving him in.

Voters, however, are starting to recognize that Reyes can bring to a team what few players can.

In 2005, Reyes actually placed 30th in the voting for MVP (all right, he got one vote, but someone noticed, right?) In 2006, he placed 7th with as many votes as Chase Utley, and more than David Wright. And while it may be too early to legitimately talk about Reyes winning post season hardware, it’s worth noticing that fans are starting to notice the many ways that Reyes can win a baseball game. Whether it be as Tuesday night, by causing wild pickoff throws and stealing bases (all while carrying the offense), or Wednesday night, when he used his power to turn a close game into a blowout against St. Louis. Either way, Reyes is opening many sets of eyes around the league and they’re taking serious notice.

Not only are they noticing, they’re singing; they’re singing songs and praises alike. Who knows? Enough singing and chirping could sway some of the deciding votes Jose’s way. Everybody now: “Jose, Jose Jose Jose…”

Like singing? Come to http://metstradamus.blogspot.com and sing your heart out. I can’t hear you (and thankfully you won’t hear me either), but that doesn’t mean I’m not singing along with you. Jose, Jose Jose Jose…