Jose Reyes, Infield, Retired


Date of Birth: 6/11/1983
Birthplace: Villa Gonzalez, Dominican Republic

Jose Reyes, retired infielder, first signed with the New York Mets in 1999 at the age of just 16. He spent his first three years from 2000 to 2003 with the Mets minor league teams, getting called up to the majors in June, 2003. He started strong in 2003, batting .307 with 84 hits, 12 doubles, and 13 stolen bases in 69 games. However, the following season he played in just 53 games with the Mets.

Reyes' speed on the bases was evidenced in his third year with the Mets. In 2005, he led the National League in stolen bases with 60. He would continue to lead the league in stolen bases for the next two seasons. Reyes also showed his skill with a bat in 2005, hitting .273 with 190 hits, 24 doubles, and 17 triples, the most in the National League, in 161 games.

In 2006, Reyes won a Silver Slugger award and he once again led the National League in triples. He repeated that feat two more times, in 2008 and in 2011. The Mets rewarded Reyes for his accomplishments in August, 2006, with a four-year contract extension.

Except for 2009 when he suffered a calf injury and played in just 36 games, Reyes continued to produce for the Mets. His best season was 2011 when he won the National League batting title and led the league in triples. At the end of that season, Reyes became a free agent and he left the Mets to sign a lucrative six-year, $106 million contract with the Miami Marlins.

Reyes only lasted one season in Miami. The Marlins traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays in November, 2012. Unfortunately for Reyes and the Blue Jays, his start with the team didn't go well. In April, 2013, he suffered an ankle injury that kept him on the DL until June 26th. He finished the 2013 season with a 113 hits, 20 doubles, 15 stolen bases, and a .296 batting average in 93 games.

Reyes came back healthy and strong in 2014. He finished the season with 175 hits, 33 doubles, 30 stolen bases, and a .287 batting average in 143 games.

Reyes was traded to the Colorado Rockies for Troy Tulowitzki on July 27, 2015. He finished the season with 132 hits, 25 doubles, 24 stolen bases, 53 RBIs, and a .244 batting average in 69 games with the Blue Jays and 47 games with the Rockies. As a shortstop, he made 338 assists, 70 double plays, 147 putouts, and 16 errors in 116 games.

On November 10, 2015, Reyes was arrested for domestic abuse. The Rockies designated him for assignment on June 15, 2016. He was released on June 23rd and he signed with the Mets on June 25th. In his time with the Mets in 2016, he proved to be a valuable player, helping the team to the first NL Wild Card position. In 60 games, he batted .267 with 68 hits, 13 doubles, 8 home runs, 9 stolen bases, and 24 RBIs. For the first time in his career, he played third base and he fared well in that position. In 50 games, he made 83 assists, 26 double plays, and 6 errors.

Reyes finished the 2017 season with a career low batting average of .246 in 145 games with the Mets. He had 123 hits, 25 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, and 79 strikeouts to 50 walks. Defensively, for the first time in his major league career, he played 36 games at third base, 1 game in center field, and 1 game in left field. He also played 80 games at shortstop and 28 games at second base.

Reyes' batting average reached a new low in 2018, when he batted just .189 in 110 games. He had 43 hits, including 12 doubles. Defensively, he played 13 games at second base, 28 games at third base, and 25 games at shortstop.

Reyes became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He didn't play professional baseball in 2019.

Reyes announced his retirement from major league baseball on July 29, 2020.

Statistics for Reyes in eleven seasons with over 100 games (2005-2008, 2010-2012, 2014-2015, 2017-2018) include:

  • 8 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 204 in 2008
  • 6 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 37 in 2008 and 2012
  • 7 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 19 in 2008
  • 8 seasons with 30 or more stolen bases, with 3 of those seasons with 60 or more, with a high of 78 in 2007
  • batting average of .337 in 2011

Career batting statistics for Reyes through 2018 include:

  • 1,877 games played
  • 2,138 hits
  • 387 doubles
  • 131 triples
  • 145 home runs
  • 517 stolen bases
  • 719 RBIs
  • 914 strikeouts to 589 walks
  • .283 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Reyes at shortstop through 2018 include:

  • 1,627 games played
  • 4,363 assists
  • 911 double plays
  • 2,092 putouts
  • 181 errors
  • .973 fielding percentage

Personal Life

In addition to his on-the-field skills, Reyes is a reggaeton musician and record label owner (EL7 Music). He has recorded at least two songs and one video in Spanish. His song "No Hay Amigo" is available on the iTunes store and his video for the song is on YouTube.

Reyes and his wife Katherine have three daughters.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jose Reyes
ESPN Sports - Jose Reyes