Mets' Tejada Ready At Short If Needed

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York talked with former bench coach, Chip Hale, and got his thoughts on Ruben Tejada. Here are some bits and pieces from the interview:

"Whether he plays second every day next year or short, he's going to be a big contributor to that team...and they need it."

"I think he definitely can be an everyday shortstop. The thing we always worried about was, a guy gets up there and hits .200, you can't have that in the major leagues anymore. You can't have the guy who fields everything but only hits .200, .210. I think he can hit at .250 in a bad year and maybe hit .270, .280. We know he can occupy the eight hole, which is a tough place to hit. And he was really doing the job in the two hole behind Jose."

According to Rubin, Hale also added that Tejada, "Is actually more advanced in the field than [Jose] Reyes in terms of the mental side of the game, even though Reyes is now a veteran of nine major league seasons. Whereas Reyes relies on his superior athletic ability, Tejada has displayed a superior mental aptitude, such as shading batters based on what pitch is about to be thrown and its location."

Tejada may not be as spectacular to watch in the field or at the plate the way Jose Reyes is, but I don't need spectacular. I just need a player who can get on base and make things happen. At the end of the day, if the team wins, I'm happy. I don't really care who was playing shortstop when they won.