How Mets spark-plug Jose Iglesias changed his defensive approach — and altered his major-league fortunes
Jose Iglesias of the Mets defends at second base during the first inning against the Nationals at Citi Field on Tuesday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Jose Iglesias had just turned 34 years old. After a decade-long career, he’d been out of the major leagues for over a season, and learned that despite an invitation to spring training, he hadn’t earned a spot on the Mets' Opening Day roster.
Carlos Mendoza was straight with him: The Mets needed a defensively sound utility infielder, and though he had the hands, he didn’t have the range. Ironically, the singer known as “Candelita” was missing rhythm.
But how does his song go again? Sueños que cumplir y yo voy a mí...Hasta lograrlo voy a seguir
In short, he had dreams to fulfill, and he had no intention of stopping until he realized them.
In Triple-A Syracuse, texting with infield coach Adrian Texidor, those dreams were less lyrical and more concrete.
“He used to call me at night, text, like, ‘I want to go back up there,’" Texidor told Newsday. “‘I think I can help the team…I’m going to be the bench guy. I know I’m not going to play every day. I’ll be that guy that they need. If you need [a sub], I’ll take it. I’ll do it for the team.’”
The question, though, is how does a 34-year-old get more range? Iglesias wasn’t quite sure. Texidor, though, had an idea.
“Sometimes it’s hard for [veteran players to adapt], like, ‘I’m not going to change my way. My way is what got me there,’” Texidor said. Not Iglesias.
“One day he came into the office and was like let’s talk baseball, [and I said] ‘Now that you mention it, I’m going to tell you my input. You need to have a pre-pitch', because he didn’t have any here…You’re not going from zero to 100 real quick. You have momentum. You have a rhythm.”
And that’s what Iglesias did. Monday, he credited Texidor with shaping his approach: He’s worked on getting in better position, and added a little Newtonian physics to his defense. A body in motion stays in motion, and Iglesias' ability to put his body in favorable positions based on hitters’ tendencies has allowed him to get to more than just routine balls. Now, the guy who hoped to be a bench piece is one of the reasons the Mets are in a dogfight for a Wild Card spot; injuries to Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil, meanwhile, have turned him into an everyday player.
“When you talk about the best hands in the big leagues, Iglesias is up there. So for him, having a pre-pitch wasn’t a thing [for a long time] because he can catch any ball,” Texidor said. “ But those guys in the big leagues are going to be a little better than you because they can get to more balls than you because you’re not moving to the sides. All the routine plays, you’re going to make them because you have the great hands…It’s art watching him take ground balls because he’s so good at it and adding the pre-pitch, that gives it more value….
“He’s been doing that since he got [to Flushing] and then I’m watching him play short, so that’s pretty cool.”
Cool does not begin to explain what Iglesias has meant to this team. It’s not just the cutesy stuff - the on-the-field performance of his hit song “OMG,” or the accompanying sign that the Mets pull out whenever they hit a home run. It’s the fact that president of baseball operations David Stearns took an aging player off a scrap heap, and he turned out to be a diamond in the rough.
With Lindor out with a back injury, Iglesias played shortstop Monday and collected a game-tying hit in their eventual 2-1 win over the Nationals. Tuesday, he batted leadoff and played second. His range has improved drastically - in the 79th percentile with two outs above average, according to Baseball Savant, compared with below average range and minus-one outs above average in 2022, his last year in the majors. Going into Tuesday, he was slashing a somewhat unfathomable .323/372/.436 with a 133 OPS+.
He's turned into the beating heart of a team few believed in before this season started. Like the 2024 Mets, his path is strange and surprising, and started with one difficult acknowledgement. ‘I’m not good enough right now. So let’s get better.’
“Every single night, I do the best I can,” Iglesias said Monday. “This is a game of failure so you’re always chasing to get better. By the time you think you have the game figured out, that’s when everything can start not going your way…You’ve got to stay humble.”
Or, in lyrical form: Un día estás abajo y al otro día arriba.
One day you’re down, and the next day you’re up.
And right now, during this career renaissance, Iglesias is way up. He just so happens to be taking the Mets with him.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
