New York Mets: Jose Reyes Quest For The Mendoza Line

For the first time in his long career, New York Mets legend Jose Reyes might finish the season with a batting average below .200 — also known as The Mendoza Line.

Love him or hate him, Jose Reyes is a bonafide legend in the world of New York Mets baseball. Besides his electric play at shortstop, Reyes won the only batting title in franchise history (2o11), made four All-Star appearances, hit for the cycle, and won three consecutive stolen base crowns (2005-07) in a Mets’ uniform.

These days, he’s not the player he once was. Long gone are the nightly “JOSE! JOSE! JOSE!” chants, though it’s to be expected from a guy that’s in his mid-30s with almost 2,000 MLB games under his belt.

This year, Reyes is in danger of finishing the year hitting below .200. Had he not started the season with 13 hitless games in a row, he wouldn’t be in this situation, but he did so here we are. A few weeks ago, on August 16th, he finally climbed over the Mendoza Line only to fall below right as September began. Now, with at-bats coming few and far between, he’s fighting to get over the hump before the season ends. It could, after all, be his last MLB season. For a guy who has some off-field stuff holding him back, it’d be nice for the back of his baseball card to keep that off.

Ironically, another New York Mets legend found himself in the same situation in his last MLB season: Keith Hernandez.

In a forgettable year with the Cleveland Indians in 1990, Hernandez also battled with the Mendoza Line for much of the season. Luckily, the numbers worked out for him as he ended 1990 with an average of exactly .200. It should be noted that he entered his last game with at .206 and went 0-for-4 to finish his career.

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Tonight, Reyes had an RBI double in his first at-bat, followed by a single in his second at-bat. It is quite possible that by tomorrow morning he’s on the right side of Mario Mendoza.