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MMN Player of the Week: Ruben Tejada

By Former Writers

September 2, 2013 No comments

ruben tejada

Congratulations to Las Vegas 51s shortstop Ruben Tejada for being named the MMN Player of the Week. With September call ups to be fully administered right after the minor league affiliates complete their postseason games, and with the Mets in need of a solid player to take over shortstop, I really don’t think they had Tejada in mind.  But this past week he has put together a good string of at bats and has put himself back on the map. That is a good thing for the Mets and for Tejada’s psyche.

When Tejada’s game went sour in late May, the idea was to send him down to Las Vegas to see if he needed time to turn his season around, but instead he ended up on the DL. He has yet to return to the Mets, and his struggles in the minors have kept him off the radar with the Mets.  This past week, he has shown a touch of why he deserves to be in the majors and not with the minor league club. In 2012 he batted .289 with 26 doubles and 53 runs scored, and the hope was that he could either repeat those same numbers or work on developing his game and adding more to the offensive side of it. The Mets never figured he would struggle as much as he did this season, and that is why it’s only fitting that right before the September call ups he seems to be getting hot.

It is only obvious that Tejada will not hit for power nor could he ever replace the likes of Jose Reyes, that is just too unfair, but if he could at least build on last season, it will be a step in the right direction for the club and also for himself. This Week:  .424, 14 for 33, 7 runs, double, triple, two home runs, five RBIs, four walks and four multi-hit games.

Honorable Mentions

Las Vegas 51s – OF Eric Campbell

Eric was already honored with our PotW honors a few weeks ago. He truly deserves to be named this week’s winner if not for the great week that Ruben Tejada put on display.  Eric has been one of the key components that have helped the 51s reach the playoffs. With the end of the season just a game away and the playoffs starting at the end of the week, it’s only fitting for Eric to be entering the post season on a hot streak. He plays a serviceable position but one that is log jammed on the big club.  Hopefully his continued success at the plate will find him in the majors very soon. This week:  .419, 13 for 31, seven runs,  four doubles, six RBIs,  five walks and four multi-hit games.

St. Lucie Mets  – 1B Jayce Boyd

With the St. Lucie Mets the only Mets affiliate not to make the playoffs, you would think that after the team failed to advance that the players would just shut it down a notch, but Jayce showed that after a long season that he still has something left in the tank to finish strong and that is what he did in the season finale. He went 4 for 5, with three runs, double and three RBIs. St. Luice is a team that is filled with many talented bats, and it was cool to see another player come on strong and stand out from the rest.  This week: .391, 9 for 23, three runs, doubles, four RBIs, two walks.

Savannah Sand Gnats – 1B Cole Frenzel

Cole has not put up some big numbers at Savannah this year, but he has shown some signs of breaking out especially with the week he just had. He finds himself on a playoff bound team and his bat is starting to heat up, which will be a great thing for Savannah, and could lead them to victory and possibly a title.  This Week:  .429, 9 for 21, six runs, two doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs, two walks and three multi-hit games.