Good Reyes vs Jeter Article

Reyes and Jeter put New York's shortstops beyond compare
By Sean Deveney - SportingNews

Jose Reyes was sipping an El Presidente beer in a Mets clubhouse that was fulfilling a seasonlong forecast for cumulonimbus clouds of cigar smoke and occasional showers of champagne. The Mets had just clinched their first division title in 18 years, and Reyes was trying to sum up his feelings, in rapid-fire Spanish, to a reporter. That's when hefty veteran reliever Roberto Hernandez crept behind Reyes and poured a beer over his head. The added hops made Reyes, already sporting a frazzled 'do, look like an exploded souffle. "Ay," Reyes said, grimacing and wiping his eyes. "I'm not used to this."

Patience, Jose. Chances are, you'll get used to that alcohol-in-the-eyes sting, perhaps by Halloween. The Mets are good -- World Series-good -- thanks in part to Reyes, the ever-smiling 23-year-old switch hitter who, in just his second full season, appears on his way to becoming the most productive shortstop (Bud Harrelson is his stiffest competition) and leadoff hitter (Mookie Wilson) in franchise history. Reyes is a feisty hitter and a feistier baserunner, an All-Star and an MVP candidate. "He's a pain," says Marlins manager Joe Girardi. "He's the most exciting young player in the game. . . . There are just so many things he can do to hurt you."

A Big Apple shortstop who is key to his club, who delivers pain to opponents in a variety of ways? Sound familiar? For Reyes, the comparisons to that other local shortstop, the Yankees' Derek Jeter, are inevitable though misguided. Those comparisons will become more fashionable as we press into a playoff season in which New York is king. The Mets, by far, are the best team in the National League. They have a versatile offense that combines speed (first in steals) and power (second in slugging), veteran pitching and a lights-out bullpen (first in ERA). The Yankees own the American League: first in runs, second in home runs, third in steals and fifth in ERA.

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The view from here says baseball, six years removed from the Yankees' last World Series victory -- over the Mets, by the way -- is rumbling toward another interborough showdown, Queens vs. the Bronx, No. 7 train vs. No. 4 train. (Ready for New York cliches aplenty? Fuhgeddaboudit!) On the night the Mets clinched the division, several Shea Stadium fans, perhaps toning their vocal cords in October anticipation, broke into an impromptu chant of Yank-ees suck! while the Yankees were 500 miles away in Toronto.

Such a clash will put the spotlight on each team's keystone: its shortstop. Jeter unquestionably is the most important Yankee this postseason. The same can be said about Reyes and the Mets, but we know what to expect from Jeter at this time of year; Reyes is a blank slate. His improved patience at the plate -- his 49 walks are up dramatically from last year's 27 -- must hold up in the playoffs. His power can be an early-game weapon. Most important, he needs to use his speed and aggressiveness to disrupt defenses, distract pitchers and create RBI opportunities for hitters behind him. "When he's on, he makes everybody else in the lineup better," says No. 2 hitter Paul Lo Duca.

That, again, sounds like Jeter, a do-it-all who rescued what could have been a disastrous season for the Yankees. When the offense was battered by injuries to Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui, Jeter responded with his best numbers in seven years. That's why the notion of comparing Reyes to him is absurd. Jeter is just different. "Anyone that has watched the Yankees on an everyday basis knows what Jeter brings," manager Joe Torre told reporters. "There is a consistency and a stability to him that is tremendous."

Reyes and Jeter share a city and a position but, at this point, little else. Jeter has four World Series rings. Reyes has a division title hat. Ask Mets general manager Omar Minaya to compare the two and his face crinkles like origami. An accurate comparison for Reyes, Minaya says, is ace leadoff man Rickey Henderson, who was brought in by the Mets in spring training to work with Reyes. Henderson and Reyes have the same body type, and Henderson, like Reyes, was known for power from the leadoff spot and for being a pain on the bases.

As for Jeter, Minaya says, "That guy in the Bronx has done a lot of winning. Jose is young; he has a lot to learn. He has a chance to be an excellent player, like Jeter. But Derek Jeter plays for championships. Jose needs to get to that point before you can compare them."

Though Minaya prefers the Henderson comparison, others see Alex Rodriguez or Miguel Tejada when they look at Reyes. Jeter transcends comparisons to his baseball peers. He crushes opponents with discipline and focus. His Yankees have reached the playoffs every year he has been in the big leagues. This year, he is the favorite for the A.L. MVP and a contender for the batting title with a .338 average.

Jeter is a 6-3 package of Chinese water torture in pinstripes, a player who can't be sized up by any number other than wins. Torre likens him to Tiger Woods. General manager Brian Cashman once compared Jeter to -- get this -- Secretariat.

For this Mets team, it's best to avoid nudging Reyes to be Jeter-like. Jeter is professional and handles himself with a rigidity that is expected from a captain, a mentality other Yankees adopt in turn. That's not Reyes. He's a ball of energy and anticipation whose occasional goofs are tempered by his speed and daring. Jeter is steadiness. Reyes is excitement.

That's why Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado chafes at the notion of transforming Reyes into Jeter Jr. Delgado says Reyes and his fellow phenom, third baseman David Wright, are "free spirits" and that the veterans on the team enjoy their enthusiasm. "Playing with guys like that keeps you young," notes 40-year-old pitcher Tom Glavine. "That's a good feeling."

Sometimes, at least. On the day after the Mets clinched the division, Randolph gave his regulars a day off. Reyes' teammates bemoaned the fact that they'd have to sit on the bench with the gabby Reyes for nine innings. "Comparing Jose to anyone is not fair," Delgado says. "Telling him he has to be more like this guy or that guy -- why? Jose is himself. That's what we need -- him to be himself and learn. Hopefully he knows that by now."

Reyes should know that by now because he's surrounded by teachers. Minaya has made an effort to pack the roster with veterans who will guide promising youngsters such as Reyes, Wright and outfielder Lastings Milledge. It's the kind of support Jeter had when he joined the Yankees full time in 1996 -- the clubhouse included strong, unassuming leaders Paul O'Neill and Bernie Williams. Reyes has been tutored about professionalism by 48-year-old Julio Franco and 36-year-old Jose Valentin. "Those players have been around; they know how things work," Reyes says. "They have given me so much help. When you are young, you have to listen to guys like them."

Except that Reyes sometimes can be a delicate pupil. He is maturing, but he's still young and impatient. Valentin smiles like the parent of a hardheaded teen when talking about him. "With Jose, you have to say things to him a lot," Valentin says. "He wants to learn, but you have to tell him again and again until he knows how to do it.

"He is going to be a great player. But we have to keep him straight. He has to realize he always has to be the same. There have got to be some days where things are good and some days where things are bad. But he has to know, he has got to be the same, every day."

Jeter is the same every day. He became a star early, winning Rookie of the Year and hitting .360 in the playoffs on his way to a '96 World Series ring. It's as if Jeter entered the majors as a polished veteran. Reyes was a case of Pledge short of being polished when he arrived. He was a top prospect as a teen, but he has endured tough times. In 2004, he moved to second base to accommodate Kazuo Matsui, with disastrous results. Reyes suffered nagging hamstring injuries and hit .255 in just 53 games. Last year, he recovered and showed a leadoff man's speed, with 60 steals. But he did not have top-of-the-order patience and carried a dreadful .300 OBP.

The Mets have drilled plate discipline into Reyes this year, so much that Randolph openly worried Reyes might start thinking too much and lose his aggressiveness. That has happened only for small stretches. Reyes still has a swinging mentality, but he is getting better at balancing walks, power and bunting.

When it comes to his ability to work a pitcher, Reyes never will match Jeter, one of baseball's best. But he is improving. "That is something that I worked on with Rickey," Reyes says. "He told me I can only cause problems when I am on base. It does not matter how I get there."

Except for discipline with the bat (and salary -- Jeter signed a 10-year, $184 million deal in 2001; Reyes signed a four-year, $23.25 million contract last month) Reyes comes out as the better player, at least in the categories on most scouting reports. Jeter has speed, but Reyes is faster -- he leads the N.L. in steals and triples. Jeter makes marvelous plays at shortstop, but Reyes covers more ground. Jeter has power to the alleys and is averaging 16.6 homers. Reyes has 19 homers this year and will continue to develop a power stroke that likely will have him consistently near 25.

"If you were to just write up a report on them after watching for a week, you'd have to say Reyes does more," says one National League scout. "He does so many things that can disrupt your pitching and defense. He is faster; he hits for better power. But that's the thing about Jeter. Most people can't see all the little things he does."

 

Such as his sense of timing. He has a knack for knowing what his team needs and when. This season, Jeter knew he'd have to be better after the injuries to Matsui and Sheffield, and he responded with MVP-worthy performance. He is hitting .325 in close-and-late situations, .383 with runners in scoring position and .371 with runners in scoring position and two outs.


Reyes, too, has become an excellent situational hitter. He's batting .267 in close-and-late situations, .336 with runners in scoring position and .412 with runners in scoring position and two outs. Those, however, are regular-season numbers. Mets fans, who watched Jeter bat .409 with five extra-base hits to take MVP honors in the Yankees' 4-1 Subway Series win in 2000, are familiar with Jeter's postseason exploits. Reyes has no such track record. "With young guys, you never know how they will react to the playoffs and the pressure," Glavine says.

By the time the Yankees reach the World Series, they no doubt will have gotten important plays and big hits from their shortstop. For the Mets to cash in on the promise of this season, they'll need their shortstop to begin forging a Jeter-like playoff reputation -- probably against Jeter himself. That's something Reyes can get used to.

"The playoffs," he said, smiling and sticky with dried beer. "I can't wait."