Baseball Guru
07-09-2002, 10:24 AM
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
July 7, 2002, 8:50 PM EDT
MILWAUKEE -- Jose Reyes provided a rare bright spot for the New York Mets to cap a disappointing first half to the season.
Reyes, one of the Mets' top prospects, hit a bases-loaded triple Sunday to lead the World team to a 5-1 victory over the United States in the All-Star Futures game.
While the Mets headed into the All-Star break in fourth place in the NL East with a record below .500, Reyes is rocketing through the organization.
"They're definitely not playing up to the level they expected and what they hoped it would be," Reyes said through an interpreter after winning the Larry Doby Award as MVP of the game.
Reyes, who turned 19 last month, has already been promoted to Double-A and is confident that he can help the Mets soon.
"If they give me a chance, I will do the job," he said.
Reyes has shown that at every level in his brief career.
He hit .307 last year in his first full season in pro ball. Reyes became one of the few 19-year-olds ever to play in the Eastern League.
He's hitting .324 with seven steals in 16 games for Binghamton and now has come through in front of a big crowd in a major league stadium.
"I'm working hard day-to-day right now and just finding ways to keep making myself better and the rest will work itself out," Reyes said. "I can't worry about what's going to happen in the future."
Reyes impressed the Mets during a stint in major league camp this spring and his defense has been compared to Mets Gold Glover Rey Ordonez, the player Reyes hopes to succeed. Reyes played second base on Sunday.
Dave Concepcion's World team scored five runs in the third inning off Colorado prospect Aaron Cook.
Wily Mo Pena was hit by a pitch to start the inning and went to third on Angel Berroa's hit-and-run single. After a walk to Andres Torres loaded the bases, Reyes hit a line drive into the gap in right-center.
Reyes sped all the way to third as all three runners scored on the play. Victor Martinez and Justin Morneau added RBI singles in the inning.
Toronto's Orlando Hudson had an RBI double in the bottom half against Gerardo Garcia for Paul Molitor's U.S. team.
Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Ricardo Rodriguez pitched one hitless inning for the win. Franklyn German, traded from Oakland to Detroit this week, struck out two in a hitless inning for the World team.
"I need to keep working hard, but I think now I have a better chance," German said about his future following the trade.
Nine World pitchers held the U.S. team to three hits in the seven-inning game.
"We had a great pitching staff, all throwing over 90," Concepcion said. "They have a future, for sure."
There are more than 50 Futures Game alumni from the first three years of the game who have made it to the majors, including five who will play in Tuesday night's main event -- Lance Berkman of Houston, Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox, Adam Dunn of Cincinnati, Alfonso Soriano of the New York Yankees and Barry Zito of Oakland.
"It's neat to see guys like Adam Dunn from the Futures game to the big-league game in one year," said Chicago White Sox outfielder Joe Borchard, who showed off the strong arm he used to play quarterback at Stanford to throw out Morneau trying to go from first to third base on a single in the third inning.
The World team had two outstanding defensive plays also. Starting pitcher John Stephens of Baltimore caught Carl Crawford's a line drive back to the box to start an inning-ending double play in the first, and Florida third baseman Miguel Cabrera made a diving stop to rob Marlon Byrd of a hit in the third.
AP Sports Writer
July 7, 2002, 8:50 PM EDT
MILWAUKEE -- Jose Reyes provided a rare bright spot for the New York Mets to cap a disappointing first half to the season.
Reyes, one of the Mets' top prospects, hit a bases-loaded triple Sunday to lead the World team to a 5-1 victory over the United States in the All-Star Futures game.
While the Mets headed into the All-Star break in fourth place in the NL East with a record below .500, Reyes is rocketing through the organization.
"They're definitely not playing up to the level they expected and what they hoped it would be," Reyes said through an interpreter after winning the Larry Doby Award as MVP of the game.
Reyes, who turned 19 last month, has already been promoted to Double-A and is confident that he can help the Mets soon.
"If they give me a chance, I will do the job," he said.
Reyes has shown that at every level in his brief career.
He hit .307 last year in his first full season in pro ball. Reyes became one of the few 19-year-olds ever to play in the Eastern League.
He's hitting .324 with seven steals in 16 games for Binghamton and now has come through in front of a big crowd in a major league stadium.
"I'm working hard day-to-day right now and just finding ways to keep making myself better and the rest will work itself out," Reyes said. "I can't worry about what's going to happen in the future."
Reyes impressed the Mets during a stint in major league camp this spring and his defense has been compared to Mets Gold Glover Rey Ordonez, the player Reyes hopes to succeed. Reyes played second base on Sunday.
Dave Concepcion's World team scored five runs in the third inning off Colorado prospect Aaron Cook.
Wily Mo Pena was hit by a pitch to start the inning and went to third on Angel Berroa's hit-and-run single. After a walk to Andres Torres loaded the bases, Reyes hit a line drive into the gap in right-center.
Reyes sped all the way to third as all three runners scored on the play. Victor Martinez and Justin Morneau added RBI singles in the inning.
Toronto's Orlando Hudson had an RBI double in the bottom half against Gerardo Garcia for Paul Molitor's U.S. team.
Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Ricardo Rodriguez pitched one hitless inning for the win. Franklyn German, traded from Oakland to Detroit this week, struck out two in a hitless inning for the World team.
"I need to keep working hard, but I think now I have a better chance," German said about his future following the trade.
Nine World pitchers held the U.S. team to three hits in the seven-inning game.
"We had a great pitching staff, all throwing over 90," Concepcion said. "They have a future, for sure."
There are more than 50 Futures Game alumni from the first three years of the game who have made it to the majors, including five who will play in Tuesday night's main event -- Lance Berkman of Houston, Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox, Adam Dunn of Cincinnati, Alfonso Soriano of the New York Yankees and Barry Zito of Oakland.
"It's neat to see guys like Adam Dunn from the Futures game to the big-league game in one year," said Chicago White Sox outfielder Joe Borchard, who showed off the strong arm he used to play quarterback at Stanford to throw out Morneau trying to go from first to third base on a single in the third inning.
The World team had two outstanding defensive plays also. Starting pitcher John Stephens of Baltimore caught Carl Crawford's a line drive back to the box to start an inning-ending double play in the first, and Florida third baseman Miguel Cabrera made a diving stop to rob Marlon Byrd of a hit in the third.