The Keepers: - #1 - (13) - 2B/SS - Ruben Tejada

1.   2B/SS  Ruben Tejada

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.

9-15-09 from: - http://myworldofbaseball.com/wordpress/?cat=42 - Ruben Tejeda SS - He has the tools to play shortstop, something that can’t really be said about Flores or Havens.  Last year he only hit .229 but the Mets still promoted him to AA where he hit .289.  The Mets have selected him to play in the Arizona Fall League.  Ruben is from Panama.

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.

1-1-10: 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.

I wrote on 2-10-10: - Ruben Tejada – one of the future “Class of 2011”… Tejada is being converted to a second baseman (who isn’t in this organization?), so we’ll keep an eye on any increase in errors. He’s still very young and the only reason that his next step is Queens is because he’s done with all the levels by the end of this season. Will he become the 2011 Mets second baseman. Did Brian Bannister become the Mets SP5? We’ll see…

5-22-10: - SS Ruben Tejada: The 19-year old Tejada impressed everyone during ST and almost made the 25-man, but common sense took over and he was returned to the minors for seasoning. He has hit at every level which includes this season at AAA (.299), and, with the recent developments involving the health of Luis Castillo, might be back in Queens before I finish writing this. Tejada experimented with second base (who doesn’t on this team?) but he’s now back playing short, sparking rumors involving just who is going to play that position in Queens next season

1-27-11: - New manager Terry Collins is on record saying that Tejada will play AAA/Buffalo in 2011 unless there is an injury or trade involving Jose Reyes. He has also returned to his natural position, shortstop. Good. That’s where he belongs. It will be interesting to see where the Mets play all the prospect-type shortstops behind him, especially Jordany Valdespin. JV was protected on the 40-man during the off-season and is also ready to play at the AAA level.

2-24-11 - Up: - SS/2B Ruben Tejada – you always have to appreciate a ballplayer that takes the off-season serious, and Ruben has. No one has ever questioned his defensive skills, but his first shot at playing in Queens caused comparisons to Anderson Hernandez. So, Tejada went home and concentrated on bulking up and perfecting his swing. Word is he will never win the home run crown; however, everyone is impressed with his new dedication to improve his offensive statistics.

3-3-11: - Up – SS/2B Ruben Tejada – no one expects Tejada to make the 25-man, but you have to agree that he has impressed so far this spring… with the bat. Through March 3rd, he’s hitting .556. I still think this is the 2012 Mets shortstop, so let the kid keep working on his hitting in Buffalo

4-25-11: - I know that SS Ruben Tejada knocked in two runs with a soft single, but, ya know the way Jose Reyes just sets the tone for the team? This kid just doesn’t do this for the Bisons, so how in the hell is he going to replace Jose in Queens?

5-16-11: - Ruben Tejada was back in the starting lineup on Monday, batting first. The 21-year old has only hit .147 in his past 10 games and has done nothing to prove he can step in for Jose Reyes in case Reyes is traded. Look, we all know that the field tilts when Jose gets on base and no one brings more positive energy to both the field and the plate. This simply doesn’t happen at any level when Tejada is in the game. I’ll never understand the logic of trading an established star, that’s under 30 years old, for a prospect that hasn’t done squat yet in the majors. Think the Santana trade.

6-2-11 - This might be the last entry in ‘The Keepers” for Ruben Tejada. There seems to be a good chance that he’s going to stick with the Mets for the remainder of the 2011 season, regardless of whether or not Jose Reyes is traded.  Let’s fac it, he has played well since coming up this time. Tejada continues to, as Terry Collins says, “hit smart”, as he did on Thursday against Pittsburgh. It just wasn’t the 2-run single, but the sacrifice fly to break the tie. And obviously, we don’t have to question his defensive ability. For now, we’ll keep him on the list, but you may be looking at a long range solution to part of the infield.

6-10-11: - I still get sick when I think that this team may play next month without the services of Jose Reyes, but, if it happens, we can franly take solace that Ruben Tejada is proving every day that he should remain in Queens. Ruben had two mor e hits last night, raising his batting average to .317, in 63-AB. Yes, he's still only 21-years old, but he does have 255 at bats under his best from last season.  There's not enough stats this year to go BABIP and ISOP on you, but he's definitely proving he's not a liablity right now.

6-24-11: - http://www.deepleagues.com/?p=3240  - There are a couple of other players who I believe should be on owners’ radars.  They are not receiving a lot of hype but I think they could definitely help, this year and next. Ruben Tejada (2B/SS, NYM) – For some reason I have always liked this guy.  His numbers won’t blow you away and I think he’ll help not hurt your roster.  I think there is an argument to be made for picking him up if you have a hole to fill and if Reyes gets traded Tejada should get lots of playing time.

8-9-11: - The Mets have seen glimpses of excellence from the 21-year-old Tejada, but still are not convinced he can hit enough to be an everyday player. Tejada, who went 1-for-4 with a single, is batting .250 with no homers and 19 RBIs in 172 at-bats for the Mets this season. Collins said he told Tejada this is his chance. "I said, 'If you approach the game the way you're supposed to here, you'll never see Buffalo again,' " Collins said. "As we've often said, 'This is your chance to show everybody this is where you need to be and where you're going to stay.' -  http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/collins_to_tejada_it_your_chance_Ox4v6b4qgbZEblXT9geb1M#ixzz1UXJCPEUJ

8-11-11: - http://mets360.com/?p=7550&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mets360%2Ffeed+%28Mets360+Feed%29 - You have to love Tejada’s defense, passion and smarts for the game (excluding last night’s inexplicable baserunning blunder when Tejada did not slide into home on a sacrifice fly), but he’s too limited offensively to get excited about. He’s a good complementary player and not much more than that. In 396 at-bats with the Mets, Tejada has batted .232 to go along with a career OBP of .322. In that time, Tejada has only 19 extra-base hits (one home run) for an incredibly weak .607 OPS. It’s also not like Tejada offsets his lack of power for speed, as he has only three career stolen bases

8-21-11: - Observation – Ruben Tejada – 2B/SS – I think Tejada has permanently graduated to the parent team. I also believe that Jose Reyes is going to be resigned and Ruben will become the every day second baseman next year. This team is desperately in need of better defensive players and Tejada is one of the best in the league. He also is proving right now that he can hit in the .270 range, while batting in the 8th position. I’ll take it. I’m going to keep him on the Keepers list because everything I just told you is just my speculation. You won’t see his name on any of the rosters I’m building because I have him in Flushing. Just don’t ask me about anybody who’s last name rhymes with Smufey.

9-20-11: - http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/mets-hope-reyes-tejada-combo-is-a-keeper-1.3183457  - Tejada is listed at 5-11, 185 pounds, but in reality, he's well under in both cases. That doesn't mean he won't generate the power Collins speaks of at some point. Dustin Pedroia, after all, is officially 5-9, 180 pounds -- again, an exaggeration -- and he has 20 homers through 150 games this season. Tejada's learning curve, however, won't be measured by how far he hits the ball. What the Mets have noticed most from him this season has been his selectivity at the plate and an ability to hit with two strikes, a fear that young players must overcome. Tejada has a .335 on-base percentage with two strikes; a year ago, it was .272.

9-19-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/09/with-or-without-reyes-ruben-tejada-is-a-keeper.html  - Ruben Tejada was once viewed as a light-hitting, slick-fielding middle infielder, similar to Rey Ordoñez, although not as flashy.  However, this season he has shown that he can handle the bat better than anyone expected him to, and has handled pressure situations like an established veteran. Tejada has been a model of consistency at the plate, hitting .281 vs. RHP and .276 vs. LHP.  He is also hitting .272 at Citi Field and .287 on the road.  His .356 on-base percentage ranks second on the team behind Jose Reyes for players currently on the active roster.  Tejada has also struck out only 47 times in 339 plate appearances.