Jose Reyes

Mets fans and Amed Rosario owners wanted Reyes out of the picture after a disastrous first three months of 2017, but a second-half surge brought Reyes' numbers to respectable levels when it was all said and done. Reyes hit over .300 in July and September, adding six homers, 18 RBI and eight stolen bases over the final four weeks. The 34-year-old put the ball in play consistently (14.1 percent strikeout rate) and walked at an above-average clip, but the batted-ball and hard-hit numbers weren't especially encouraging; he had just a .233 xAVG and .316 xwOBA. Reyes finished fifth in the National League in steals and speed is an increasingly rare attribute heading into 2018. His three-position eligibility (2B, SS, 3B) is a strong selling point as well, but it appears Reyes will be limited to a utility role to begin 2018 after re-signing with the Mets.

With Trevor Story raking, the Rockies released Reyes in mid-June following his 52-game suspension for a domestic violence incident. Reyes signed a minor league deal with the Mets, joining the big club in July and taking over the hot corner. Three weeks later, Reyes hit the DL with a rib strain, returning in mid-August for the duration of the season. Prorated to 150 games, Reyes had a 20-homer, 20-steal season, showing he can still be a fantasy asset. But how often will he play with David Wright and Asdrubal Cabrera slated to man the left side? With Wright in front of him, the answer could be a lot. Second baseman Neil Walker is returning from back surgery, which could lead to another playing time opportunity.

Reyes’ decline continued in 2015, as he hit under .275 for the first time since 2005 and was eventually traded away from the Blue Jays to the Rockies. Reyes missed at least 35 games for the third time in five years as his injury issues continue to bite. When healthy, Reyes was able to make consistent contact, but showed poor discipline and power as he saw his slugging percentage drop for the fourth consecutive season. He is still running wild, however, as he stole 24 bases and was caught just six times. With 109 steals since 2012, Reyes is one of just 14 players to reach the century mark in that span. Reyes was poor in his short stint with Colorado to end the 2015 season, but Coors Field could help inflate his declining numbers. However, he will be facing an undetermined suspension upon the completion of his criminal proceedings for an alleged domestic abuse, and considering Aroldis Chapman was suspended 30 games for a domestic incident without being charged, Reyes figures to garner an even longer suspension for his altercation. Trevor Story and Cristhian Adames will handle the shortstop duties in Reyes' absence, and Story in particular could prove to be an upgrade over what Reyes gave the Rockies last season, so he may not even have a starting job waiting for him when he rejoins the team.

Reyes' second season with the Jays was right in line with expectations, as he was able to avoid the injuries that ruined his 2013 season and split the difference between his 2011 and 2012 campaigns while setting the table in a potent Toronto lineup. Of some concern is that his walk rate tumbled from 8.1% in 2013 to 5.8% last season, shaving 25 points from his on-base percentage, but he experienced a similar slide in 2010 before recovering to a level close to his career mark (7.1%). Reyes still offers great speed, and he piled up 30 steals for the fourth time in the last five seasons. In addition to his contributions on the basepaths, Reyes has averaged 10 home runs annually since 2012, and his ability to avoid strikeouts (11.1 K%) provides value in the form of a stable batting average (career .291, above .282 in each of the last five seasons).

Reyes turned in a solid .296/.353/.427 line in his first season with the Blue Jays, but was limited to just 419 plate appearances because of injuries. An early-season ankle injury landed him on the 60-day DL, and Reyes never seemed to get back to 100 percent, finishing with just 15 stolen bases. Still one of the best offensive shortstops in the game, his health is as much of a concern now as ever. Fortunately, Reyes ended the season without any injuries, and he'll have the entire offseason to rest his ankle. Assuming he stays healthy, Reyes will almost certainly be one of the league's most productive shortstops again in 2014.

In his first (and only) season in South Florida, Reyes had a solid if unspectacular season. The wheels showed up as always (40 steals in 51 attempts), but Reyes took a step back in runs scored (86) and batting average (.287) from his stellar 2011. While he did knock 11 long balls and drive in 57 runs, both improvements over his final season in New York, Reyes failed to post the MVP-type numbers the Marlins expected after signing him to a six-year, $106 million deal. Reyes will get a fresh start in the American League following a November trade to the Blue Jays, and while he may suffer through a bit of an adjustment period, he should steal plenty of bases and rank among the league leaders in runs scored while setting the table for a powerful Blue Jays lineup.

Reyes looked like an MVP through the first three months and 80 games of last year, batting .354/.398/.529 with 30 steals. Things fell apart after he left a game against the Yankees with a strained left hamstring on July 1 and played just 46 games the rest of the way, during which he hit .305/.356/.428 and with nine steals. He showed some encouraging signs last season as his walk rate improved from a low 5.1 percent in 2010 to 7.3 percent in 2011, while his contact rate also improved. Still, it was the third straight year that his season was limited by injuries but that did not prevent the Marlins from signing the reigning National League batting champion to a six-year, $106 million deal to be the centerpiece of their new ballpark. Reyes will lead off for the Marlins and his arrival is expected to move Hanley Ramirez to third base.

Reyes started 2010 on the DL due to a hyperactive thyroid, which sidelined him for less time than first expected, and missed time due to a strained oblique. He ended up hitting .282, with 29 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs, 54 RBI and 30 stolen bases. His season was a bell curve - slow start, hot June-to-August, then a tail-off at the end. The Mets briefly tried Reyes at the three-spot before returning him to the leadoff spot, where he will bat this year. The challenge for Reyes is to prove he is fully healthy and be the catalyst atop the Mets' batting order to earn a big contract as a free agent after this season.

Reyes got off to a hot start but was injured in mid-May with a strained right calf that sidelined him five games. In the second game following his return, Reyes aggravated the injury and was then diagnosed with tendinits behind the calf. While rehabbing that injury, Reyes suffered a torn right hamstring in early-June, and after several setbacks trying to return from the injury, underwent an MRI in early-August that showed significant scar tissue and inflammation behind the right knee, all related to the hamstring tendon injury. Reyes underwent manual physical therapy in an effort to break up the scar tissue and reduce the inflammation and finally in early-October had surgery to clean up scar tissue around the accessory hamstring tendon behind the right knee. Reyes did not need surgery for the separate hamstring muscle tear in his right leg and is expected to resume baseball activities shortly after Jan. 1, meaning he should be on track to be ready for spring training. He is a high-risk, potential high-reward pick, but his history of leg injuries downgrades his value.

Reyes once again faded down the stretch, posting just a .243/.314/.402 line in September, which contributed to the Mets' second straight collapse. Prior to that, Reyes shook off a poor April, to post four straight months hitting .300 or better along with a copious amount of runs and steals and a healthy number of RBI as the Mets' leadoff catalyst. Despite the September swoon, Reyes saw an uptick in most categories, but suffered a major drop in steals. He appears to enjoy playing for manager Jerry Manuel and with better production with RISP from David Wright, look for a rise in runs with similar numbers from Reyes, making him a top-four pick.

Reyes fell off in the second half, posting a .251/.216/.371 mark after the break and an even worse .205/.279/.333 line in September, as the Mets threw away the pennant. The only thing Reyes did better post- than pre-break was hit home runs, which might have contributed to his struggles, as his swing took on too much of an uppercut and he stopped driving the ball around the park. Manager Willie Randolph believes that Reyes' second-half swoon was just a slump, but he plans to rest him more to keep him fresh for the entire season. Lost in the slump was Reyes' improved ability of drawing walks for the second year in a row, while he finished with the same OBA that he had in 2006. Look for Reyes to put together a complete season and prove to be one of the Top-15 fantasy options in 2008.

Jose-Jose-Jose, Jose-Jose was chanted by Mets' fans and Reyes owners throughout the season as Rey-Rey took a major step forward in his development. Reyes upped his batting average by 27 points, on-base percentage by 54 points and slugging percentage by 101 points to take his place as one of the fantasy elite. The work he did with Rickey Henderson in spring training on pitch recognition paid immediate dividends as he nearly doubled his walks. It also helped him to better work pitch counts, allowing him to be aggressive late in counts and drive the ball to the outfield. Reyes more than doubled his home run output and drove in 81 runs as a leadoff hitter without sacrificing stolen bases, a combination that should continue. His ascension to one of the top-10 fantasy players could be completed this year with another year of maturity and game action.

Between the steals and the runs he'll score leading off for the Mets offense, Reyes is one of the most valuable middle infielders in fantasy baseball. The two keys to his development are staying healthy and improving his plate discipline. In 2005, he took care of the former with offseason work and enough in-season stretching on his weak hamstring to play 161 games. Despite not drawing a walk until his 119th at-bat, Reyes made incremental strides with the discipline, improving his pitches per plate appearance from 3.53 to 3.62 and drawing 27 walks by year's end. His 60 steals led the majors, but more walks would really uncork his speed.

Leg woes once again plagued Reyes, limiting him to just 53 games last season after a strained right hamstring and compensatory sore lower back. The team taught him a new running style to take pressure off his weak hamstrings and back, but he abandoned it and had a big July with 11 SB. In August, after playing nearly a month with a stress fracture in his left fibula, the pain proved too great and Reyes was once again placed on the DL. He returned to the lineup, moving from second base back to shortstop, for the final nine games of the season and enters 2005 as a huge question mark at the top of the order. Mackie Shilstone, a sports performance expert, has designed a program for Reyes to follow. He's high-risk, high-reward.

Reyes was bothered early in the year by a tight right hamstring but once it healed, he dominated Triple-A pitching earning a call up on June 10. He improved each month in the majors, highlighted by his 21 multi-hit games from the All-Star Break and 17:10 K:BB ratio in August. Reyes severely sprained his right ankle on August 31st and was shut down for the rest of the year. Reyes is expected to be fully recovered by spring training, although the ankle has healed slower than expected. Reyes possesses a powerful arm and generally is considered an excellent all-around fielder, but is expected to move to second base with the arrival of Kaz Matsui.

The door has been opened for the Mets' shortstop of the future, following the trade of Rey Ordonez. At Double-A Binghamton in 2002, Reyes hit .287 and stole 27 bases in just 65 games as one of the youngest players in the league. He might struggle early because of iffy plate discipline and inconsistency on the routine play, but this kid is a star waiting to happen.