Rookie Tejada could be Mets' future second baseman

As the Mets consider their options at second base, with Luis Castillo on the disabled list and the aging Alex Cora in reserve, rookie Ruben Tejada gave them something to think about Saturday night at Camden Yards.

In the seventh inning, with the Mets clinging to a 2-1 lead, Adam Jones slapped a ground ball up the middle that appeared to be a routine single. But Tejada, primarily a shortstop for Triple-A Buffalo, hustled over to backhand the ball.

Because his momentum was taking him away from first base, the play should have ended there as an infield hit. Instead, Tejada gloved the ball and in one motion jumped and fired a strong throw that beat Jones by a half-step.

The play was vintage Derek Jeter, a signature move that the Yankees' captain has perfected during a 15-year career. But it's not as if Tejada, only 20, learned the technique from watching DVDs of the crosstown shortstop. Or even practiced it very much. That was the first time Tejada had ever tried it in a game.

"I didn't have time to think," he said. "Only time to do it."

Tejada, a native of Panama, is still getting a better grip on English, so it wasn't that easy to elaborate on the play. But he did explain that his only thought was somehow getting the ball to first base.

Which points to another strength: a cool demeanor under fire, which is a rare quality at his age.

"He doesn't play the game like he's 20," Jose Reyes said. "When you look at him, he's so relaxed, and knows what to do. That's good to see, especially here in New York. In my first couple of games, it was kind of nervous for me before I got more comfortable. It doesn't look that way for him."

When asked about Tejada's unflappable nature, Jerry Manuel brought up one of his early recollections from his "gangsta trips" to far-flung destinations in spring training. Those long bus rides usually are reserved for youngsters such as Tejada, and Manuel, aware of the infielder's reputation, wanted to see him as much as possible.

In this case, Manuel brought Tejada along to play in Kissimmee, Fla. The Astros' spring-training home is notorious for difficult conditions, from blinding sun to gusty winds. Neither fazed Tejada with the game on the line.

"It was the ninth inning, and a pop-up was hit - real high, tough sky, wind blowing," Manuel said. "It was almost all the way between the mound and first base and Tejada was playing shortstop. He went all the way over and he was the only one screaming, 'I got it! I got it!'

"Nobody else wanted to touch it. But he knew if he caught it, the game was over. I remember thinking at the time, this guy is going to be pretty good."

Bobby Valentine, during his years managing the Mets, used to say he never saw anyone better at catching those treacherous pop-ups than Rey Ordoñez, a spectacular defensive shortstop who was a serious liability at the plate. That's the conundrum Manuel faces with Tejada, who projects to be a much better offensive player but could encounter confidence issues if he's left exposed at the plate.

Tejada was batting .294 with eight doubles and a home run at Triple-A Buffalo before he was promoted June 4. Since then, he is 5-for-27 (.185) with two doubles, and Manuel chose to sit him Sunday against the Orioles' Kevin Millwood in favor of Cora.

"It's going to be very difficult for him up here," Manuel said. "That's what I mean by saying we have to pick and choose his battles just to keep him afloat. That's basically what people evaluate you on more than anything else: what you're doing offensively. It's kind of unfair, but that's just the nature of the game."