José Reyes

José Bernabé Reyes, born June 11, 1983 is a Dominican baseball player who plays shortstop for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. He led the major leagues in triples in 2005, 2006 and 2008, and led the National League in stolen bases in 2005, 2006 and 2007. He is also the Mets all-time leader in runs scored, triples, and stolen bases.

Professional career

Reyes was spotted by New York Mets scouts during a tryout camp in Santiago in the summer of 1999. After initial concerns over Reyes' slight frame, the Mets offered him a contract, which he signed on August 16, 1999. Despite traditionally sending youngsters to play in their Dominican academy, the Mets made an exception with Reyes and sent him to the Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League for the 2000 season. He finished the season with a .250 batting average through 49 games.

For the 2001 season, Reyes was assigned to the Class-A Columbia Bombers. He excelled both in the field and at the plate, hitting .307 with 42 extra-base hits and winning the Player of the Year award.

After spending some time in the big-league spring training camp, Reyes began the 2002 season with the St. Lucie Mets in the Class A-Advanced Florida State League. In the first 3 months of the season, he demonstrated that he could handle the step up, and was promoted to Double-A Binghamton. In his first game, Reyes had 5 hits and 4 RBIs, and completed the season with a .287 average, 27 steals and 26 extra-base hits through 65 games.

On December 15, 2002, the Mets traded first-choice shortstop Rey Ordóñez to Tampa Bay, apparently clearing the way for Reyes to become the everyday shortstop for the coming season. However, two weeks later the Mets signed veteran Rey Sánchez to a one-year deal, with the plan being to allow Reyes to mature in the minors while Sanchez kept the big-league spot warm for him. Reyes spent the first two months of the 2003 season at the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, where he batted .269 and stole 26 bases in just 42 games.

Injuries to Mike Piazza and Mo Vaughn had contributed to the Mets' poor performance in the National League East, and eventually convinced manager Art Howe to begin playing some of the team's younger talent. When Rey Sánchez strained his thumb on June 5, 2003, Reyes received his call-up to the majors, just a day before his 20th birthday.

2011

Controversy surrounded Reyes entering the 2011 season. At the end of the 2011 season, his contract with the Mets will expire. Reyes, a fan favorite, requests a large contract from the Mets for the 2012 season. The Mets, already several million dollars in debt, may trade Reyes.

June 3, 2011 was known as "Don't Trade Reyes" night. Several hundred fans showed up with "Don't Trade Reyes!" signs to the Mets' game against the Atlanta Braves.

On June 21, He announced that he will not have any contract negotiations during the regular season. He said he "Wants to focus on playing baseball"

On June 28, in his 1000th career game, Reyes stole his 360th base. This put him in the top 100 all-time in MLB stolen bases.

Reyes currently has a .363 batting average ( 1st in the NL), 123 hits ( 1st in the MLB), 3 HRs, 32 RBI , 15 triples ( 1st in the MLB), and 30 stolen bases ( 2nd in MLB).

International career

2006 World Baseball Classic

Reyes represented the Dominican Republic in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. The team finished top of their group in both the first and second rounds, but fell to Cuba in the semi-finals. Reyes' playing time was limited due to the presence of Miguel Tejada in the shortstop spot. In 6 at-bats, Reyes collected 1 hit and 1 run, as well as 2 stolen bases.

2009 World Baseball Classic

Reyes was again called up to the Dominican Republic team for the 2009 competition. He had a disappointing tournament as the Dominican Republic were eliminated after only three games, suffering two defeats against the underdog Netherlands team. Reyes finished the tournament with just 1 hit and 2 runs from 9 at-bats.

Personal life

Reyes currently lives in Manhasset, New York with his wife, Katherine. They have three daughters. Reyes was a close friend to former right-handed pitcher Jose Lima. When Lima died May 23, 2010 Reyes said, "He's the funniest guy you could ever meet, he always smiled, he was always happy. It was good to know him. It's a real tough day...I've known him a long time. People in the Dominican Republic love the guy a lot, so it's a very tough day not only for the Dominican people, but for everyone because of the guy that he was.

Media appearances

On December 7, 2007 Reyes was announced as the cover athlete for Major League Baseball 2K8 from 2K Sports, taking over from New York Yankees counterpart Derek Jeter. Reyes was also the cover athlete for the Nintendo DS spinoff, Major League Baseball 2K8 All-Stars, albeit in cartoon form.