Tejada started the 2007 season with the VSL Mets where he had a wonderful season (.364/.466/.479 in 121 at bats, 16 SB). He was promoted and came stateside to finish the season starting for the GCL Mets (.283/.401/.367 in 120 at bats, 16 SB).
2007 Tejada was named the recipient of the 2007 Sterling Award as the MVP of the VSL Mets.
In November 2007, Scouts.com named Tejada the 25th top Mets prospect.
In late January 2007, Baseball America raked Tejada as the 18th top Mets prospect, adding: "best present tools are on the defensive side, as he has above average arm strength and range that allow him to make all the plays at shortstop"
In February 2008, Baseball Prospectus awarded him a 2-star prospect rating and named him as the 10th overall Mets prospect.
Also in February 2008, Rotoworld ranked Tejada as the #2 Mets prospect, saying: It doesn't happen very often, but Tejada made an in-season jump from the Venezuelan Summer League to the GCL after hitting .364/.466/.479 with 16 steals in 32 games last season. He didn't hit any homers or steal many bases in the U.S., but he did manage a .401 OBP as a 17-year-old. Tejada doesn't have the same kind of tools typically associated with the top young international properties. He's built like a second baseman, and it's doubtful that he'll ever possess more than 20-homer ability. Even that is probably pushing it. Still, that he's this young and already possesses such strong on-base skills makes him worthy of attention.
In June 2008, Baseball America wrote: High Class A St. Lucie SS Ruben Tejada (Mets) was arguably the worst hitter in the Florida State League during the first two months of the season. But Tejada, 18, showed in June that he's not as overmatched as many thought. This week, he hit .409/.458/.500 (9-for-22) with two doubles and a 2-2 walk-to-strikeout ratio. For the month of June, he's hitting .373/.428/.482 . . .
In late July, Rotoworld’s came out with their mid-season adjusted Top 150 Prospect List and Tejada was ranked 105th, with a 2013 ETA.
In late July 2008, ProjectProspect.com updated their top 10 Mets prospect list and he was ranked #8 - Tejada looked rushed in 2008, playing the entire season for St. Lucie and hitting only .229/.293/.296 in 497 at bats.
From Mets.com in February 2009: For an average 19-year-old, playing in the World Baseball Classic might seem like a daunting challenge. For Mets shortstop prospect Ruben Tejada, however, it probably won't seem as that big of a deal if he makes it. The Panamanian middle infielder has already seen plenty of challenges in his brief professional career. At age 17, he came to the United States in 2007, playing in the Rookie Gulf Coast League to end the summer. Then the Mets, not a team shy about pushing young talent these days, sent him straight to the Florida State League for his full-season debut. He stayed there all year and, as one might expect, it was a roller-coaster season. Tejada hit .229 in 131 games, with a .588 OPS. He also made 30 errors as he played all season in the Class A Advanced league. It was nothing the Mets didn't expect and the organization was quite pleased with how their 18-year-old shortstop handled himself.
In March 2009, Rotoworld ranked the Mets Top 10 Prospect: Any other organization would have had an 18-year-old Tejada open last season in low-A ball, but the Mets opted to get ridiculously aggressive and make him the youngest player in the FSL. He never excelled at any point, but his line wasn't bad for a guy facing pitchers primarily three to five years older than he was. Unlike Flores, Tejada is a natural shortstop, though he lacks outstanding range at the position. He could prove to be an outstanding defensive second baseman if the Mets want to have him play alongside Jose Reyes someday. His power potential is quite limited, but he has a pretty good idea of the strike zone for someone so young, and he might blossom into a No. 2 hitter. It'd be for the best if he repeats the FSL this year.
9-9-9 From www.hardballtimes.com: - Tejada smoked the GCL to a line of .283/.401/.367 in his 2007 pro debut. However, the Mets seemingly rushed him to High-A St. Lucie in 2008 where he hit a meager .229/.293/.296 as an 18 year-old. This could've been another case of the Mets rushing a Latino prospect into oblivion, but maybe New York knew what it was doing. Placed in Double-A in 2009, Tejada broke out, hitting .289/.351/.381 in a full season while playing solid shortstop. Oh, and he was just 19 years-old, one of the youngest starters in the league. Tejada's future may be at second base in the big leagues, but he first needs to show that 2009 wasn't a fluke.
Forecast:
2010 will be the come to Jesus year for Tejada. So far, his combined three year, three level, pro career has produced .262/.331/.341/.672 in 1105 at bats. And, he’ll play 2010 as a 20 year old. Trust me, if he hits .280 in AAA, there will be a lot of meetings in Queens over whether or not they renew the Reyes option year.
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