Big Lineup Changes Coming For New York Mets?

Sports News - February 20th, 2010 - Written By John Ritter

Absent any better options when the season starts, New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel said that he would consider batting Jose Reyes third for the start of the regular season.

Reyes, a usual lead-off man in his six seasons, is coming off a hamstring tear from a year ago, and could have lost a step. But that's not Manuel's real motivation for the swap. Gone is power hitting first baseman Carlos Delgado, and outfielder Carlos Beltran won't be back from knee surgery until at least May.

"I think he's ready for that if it's something we need," Manuel said, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. "This could be a part of his evolution as a player."

Luis Castillo and Angel Pagan would leadoff the lineup, and continue through Reyes to left fielder Jason Bay and third baseman David Wright.

Reyes has the potential to hit for a high average, which makes him appealing for the spot as Manuel postures for Bay and Wright to maximum plate appearances. But the staple of Reyes' game -- the stolen base -- would likely take a hit because coaches would want to avoid ending power hitter's at-bats.

Still, Reyes said he'd be okay with the experiment, saying "I just want to be in the lineup.

But he added that it's just in the beginning stages.

"He's not sure yet. We just talked about it a little bit yesterday," Reyes told the New York Daily News. "I said I'm open to anything you want me to do. It's not a problem."

"I think if you told Jose today, 'Jose I am going to bat you eighth until you get right,' he wouldn't bat an eye," Manuel said. "He is so excited to be back on the baseball field, I don't think it would be an issue with him at all."

Reyes only played 36 games in 2009. He was one of the handful of Mets stars who had to miss a majority of the year with injuries, which led to a 70-29 record. But when healthy, he averages 113 runs and 62 steals a year, including a season-high 78 steals in 2007. It's not yet clear if this will affect the Mets' MLB Odds, but only time will tell.