New York Mets: Five best homegrown players since 1980

3. Jose Reyes

You all have probably figured out that we are not talking about the current day Jose Reyes. We are talking about the one from his first stay with the team, when he spent the better part of his twenties flying around the base paths in Flushing, NY. It was an exciting time watching him play, wasn’t it?

Remember all of the hoopla surrounding Reyes when he was called up? It ironically was very similar to the hoopla that surrounded Amed Rosario this year. It’s a wonder how things go in cycles when it comes to sports. He debuted in June of 2003 with a 2-4 appearance against the Texas Rangers and off he went. In that rookie year of 2003, Reyes hit .307.

Reyes took over on a full-time basis in 2005 and went off. He led the league in steals in each of the next three seasons. He led in triples in three out of the next four seasons. The last time he led in triples (2008), he also led the league in hits. Reyes let the league in triples one more time during his Mets tenure (2011).

His style of play was actually reminiscent of the number four choice on this list, Mookie Wilson. Reyes was thinking extra bases almost every time he made contact. He was all about pushing the envelope offensively and being a catalyst. During his prime, he was the perfect leadoff hitter for this team. He’s not the same player during this tenure, but that doesn’t take away from what he did during his first.