Coutinho: Mets' Tejada Must Focus On Being Tejada, Not Reyes
By Rich Coutinho
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The moment Jose Reyes signed a long-term deal with the Florida Marlins, Mets fans asked themselves, "Can Ruben Tejada be our everyday shortstop?" Some Mets fans went a bit further than that and asked, "Can Tejada replace Jose Reyes?" And there is the issue in a nutshell -- Tejada must realize he is the answer to question No. 1, and should simply not put pressure on himself to be the answer to question No. 2.
If Ruben Tejada just merely does what he is capable of doing, the Mets will have a fine shortstop on their hands; one that fields his position exceedingly well, uses the whole field when in the batter's box and understands that he is not trying to replace Jose Reyes, just because he is manning the same position that the effervescent Reyes patrolled for the Mets.
"I know what I can do and I know what I have to do better," said Tejada, "and I am very excited. Guys like David Wright, Daniel Murphy and Ike Davis have helped me so much and I can't wait to play on the infield alongside them. I just have to be me."
The impressive thing about Ruben Tejada is that he is very poised and has a high on-field IQ for someone who has barely played one season in the majors. Jose Reyes thinks Tejada can play the position and will be a very good shortstop
"Last year Ruben got some experience and the kid can play," said Reyes, "and I think he is going to get stronger. I wish him all the luck in the world, except when he plays us."
Defensively, Tejada will not have the arm strength of Reyes at short, but his range is just as good and I think Mets fans will be pleasantly surprised at what he does at the plate. I watched him very closely last year and spent this offseason watching a lot of the games he played in on tape. To me, two things stand out.
He is a very tough out with two strikes on him, because he really protects the outside of the plate while giving up the inside of the dish with two strikes. And secondly, he is a very good situational hitter, and was particularly effective in generating "good outs," like bringing home runners from third with less than two outs and getting them to third with one out.
The big question for me is, "How will he handle the pressure of replacing Reyes?" That is not an easy question to answer, but getting to know him the past few years, Tejada seems to be unaffected by pressure. His facial expression rarely changes, whether he succeeded in a pressure situation or not -- and that is a great sign. He also got a great taste for the New York fans and acknowledges their passion.
"They are great fans," said Tejada,"because they want to win. But I also think they are behind us and like it when we play hard, even in games we lose."
If manager Terry Collins does not expect Tejada to be Jose Reyes, he will be a quality everyday shortstop who will hit .260 and have a great on-base percentage while giving the team a flawless glove. Clearly, that is not Jose Reyes. But if Ruben Tejada does that, he will help the Mets win a bunch of games in 2012.
What stat line from Tejada would you be satisfied with in 2012? Sound off with your comments below...