Healthy Reyes says he'll be more patient

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Once Jose Reyes stepped in to the batter's box to face Detroit's Brad Penny at the start of Tuesday's game, the Mets shortstop dug his feet into the dirt and promptly took the first pitch. And then the second pitch. And then the third pitch, too.

The at-bat ended with Reyes hitting a pop-up to the third baseman, but not before he saw six pitches. That, Reyes said, is no coincidence. One of his priorities going into this season, he said, is to become a more prototypical leadoff hitter, specifically by being more selective at the plate.

"I've just got to get on base, no matter how," Reyes said. His on-base percentage dropped to .321 last season, his lowest mark since his first full season in the major leagues six years ago.

With free agency looming after this season, Reyes clearly knows his best chance at a big payday is not only by staying healthy, but also by becoming a more complete hitter. And in order to accomplish that, he's forcing himself to understand that he doesn't need to think "hit" all the time.

"Walks, I need to make that a part of my game again," Reyes said. "Last year I wanted to get a hit every time I got to home plate because in 2009 I only played, like, 30-something games. So I just wanted to do so good every time. This year is going to be different. I'm not thinking like that."

Coming back from an injury-plagued 2009 season in which he played only 36 games, Reyes missed most of spring training a year ago while dealing with a thyroid issue. By then he had grown sensitive to the injury-prone tag he had received, so he admittedly became ultra-aggressive at the plate.

That's partly why he lobbied so hard to play through an oblique injury that would have healed much quicker had he been shut down immediately. The result was a decent season by major-league standards -- especially compared with other shortstops -- but still far off the numbers he was posting a few years earlier.

This season, however, he said fans will see the guy widely called one of the game's most exciting players.

"I'm confident this year my numbers will be the same as they were in 2008, 2007, 2006," he said.

The reason he's so confident, he said, begins with his health. He's had no physical issues to deal with in spring training, something he hasn't been able to say in some time. And that has him in a good mood, bouncing around the clubhouse making playful talk with teammates in his usual jovial fashion.

The last time he felt this good? He said it was 2008, and that season he hit .297 with a .358 on-base percentage and .475 slugging percentage. Playing his home games in spacious Shea Stadium that year, Reyes hit 37 doubles, 19 triples and 16 home runs, scored 113 runs and stole 56 bases in 71 attempts.

He plans to play more than 150 games this season, he said, and he hopes to finally take advantage of Citi Field's dimensions, which look as if they were designed with his legs in mind.

As for his future, Reyes shrugs. He wants to stay with the Mets, but that's an issue for another day.

"I'd love to be here because this is the team I've played for my whole career, and I like it here," Reyes said. "At the same time I know this is a business and to be honest with you, I don't know what's going to happen. Right now I just need to focus on doing my job."