Last March, most fantasy baseball owners saw Mets’s shortstop Jose Reyes , go in the first two rounds of their draft. His top flight speed, matched with above average hitting skills, mixed in with a position that lacks fantasy studs, there’s no question everyone who drafted him expected huge returns.

However, Reyes who had played 150+ games a season for the previous four years, managed only to squeak out 36 games played in 2009. He was still pretty good in those 36 games, but six weeks of playing doesn’t really pay off for a blue chip draft pick.

Coming into spring training this season, Jose appeared to be healthy, until doctors found out he had a thyroid issue. They prescribed rest to help the elevated levels return to normal.

The health issue is being described as not serious, but Jose’s weak hamstrings and now varying hormone levels are likely to scare away potential suitors come draft time. Their worry could be your potential gain.

What can we realistically expect from Reyes this season? According to FanGraphs.com  three of their four projection systems peg him to have a full season of over 150 games played. Only the Marcel projections have Reyes for half a season. These projections all came out before the thyroid condition came into play, which if it fixes itself, should not be much of an issue.

All four projection systems project Reyes to be a .351-.366 wOBA player which sticks him in between Tulowitski and Jeter being the third best hitting short stop when he’s playing. When he’s playing he does everything right, he gets on base, he hits with enough power to not hurt your team, and steals bases. This makes in an incredibly medium-high risk, very high reward player in any draft.

As long as Reyes on the field he is a fantasy game changer, the risk for Jose Reyes lies completely with how many games he plays in 2010. Because he is so good, he’s still valuable if he only gets in half a season as his production will likely out weigh a mid-level short stop, and generally those points, stats, or whatever counter your league(s) use still count.

The shortstop position is thin for elite talent, so getting a great player pays great dividends, while having a bust here, and having to replace a Hanley, Tulo, or Jose, doesn’t put you to far behind most of the teams. The risk is there, but it is far from crippling.

I would be comfortable taking Jose Reyes before or after Jeter is off the table, likely in the second or third round, if it’s round four and you haven’t filled the shortstop position, calling out Jose Reyes’ name should be extremely exciting.

Nabbing a backup shortstop would not be a high priority either, as the mid level short stops are not likely to be much better than the waiver wire pick-ups likely to be available, depending how deep your league goes.

Jordan Gillis is a writer from South Dakota wishing he was located in or around Seattle. You can keep up with Jordan’s passions at his baseball blog Fantasy By The Book and follow him on twitter @FantasyBtB.

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With New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes expected to be on the disabled list for an overactive thyroid when the…

John Lackey is off to a nice start with the Red Sox. The right-hander threw three shutout innings in Boston's 8-2 victory over Jason Bay and the New York Mets on Thursday. Lackey allowed three hits in his second spring outing and has yet to allow a run since he finalized an $82.5 million, five-year contract with the Red Sox in December.

It hasn’t been the best of springs thus far for the New York Mets.

After being one of the most disappointing teams in baseball in 2009, the Mets and their fans hoped to ring in 2010 with a fast and furious start to the Grapefruit League. It hasn’t happened, however, as the Mets have had to deal with many of the same issues this year that plagued the team last season.

Injuries, a problem that many believe was the main culprit behind New York’s miserable 2009 campaign, have begun to rear their ugly heads again this spring. While injuries are indeed a part of the game, once again some of the Mets’ biggest stars are missing time, a sight that has to scare any Mets fan.

It gets worse, however, as the human train wreck that was Oliver Perez in 2009 has seemingly picked up this spring exactly where he left off before injuries and ineffectiveness ended his season early.

Perez was arguably the worst starting pitcher in baseball last year. He struggled with his control and his confidence, and actually allowed almost two baserunners per inning that he pitched (131 baserunners allowed in 66 innings pitched in 2009).

So perhaps no Mets player needed to get off to a fast start during spring training more than Perez, but after his first start against the Nationals on Mar. 7, in which Perez allowed five runs on seven hits in three innings pitched, it was proof that this may be what Mets fans should expect from the southpaw hurler.

If this is indeed a glimpse of things to come for Oliver Perez in 2010, the Mets’ season is in big trouble…and so may be Omar Minaya’s job.

Perez was given a three-year, $36 million contract prior to last season with the hopes that he would be the No. 2 starter, or at worst the No. 3, not the worst pitcher on the Amazin’s staff.

With John Maine a constant injury concern, Mike Pelfrey taking a step back last year, and the Mets front office unable to bring in any pitching help during the offseason, the Mets need to count on Perez more than ever if they have even the slightest chance of being successful in the tough NL East. Simply put, if Perez doesn’t bounce back, the Mets will try to contend with one reliable starting pitcher in Johan Santana, and oh yeah, he’s coming off of season-ending elbow surgery.

Whatever Perez does in 2010 will undoubtebly directly affect the Mets’ on-field performance, but if Perez falters once again, it may have a far greater reach throughout the entire New York Mets organization.

In other words, if Perez puts up another stinker this season, it will probably be the final nail in the coffin of GM Omar Minaya’s Mets career.

Prior to 2009, the Mets had a choice between re-signing the enigmatic yet talented Perez for approximately $12 million per season and signing the aging yet reliable Derek Lowe for roughly $2 million more per year. By most accounts, there was a divide within the Mets’ front office on which pitcher to bring to Queens, with Minaya being one of the bigger Perez supporters. Minaya got his way, ultimately signing Perez while letting Lowe sign with division rival Atlanta.

Perez went 3-4 with a 6.82 ERA, while Lowe won 15 games and pitched 194 innings (almost 130 more than Perez). After only one season, the move to pick Perez over Lowe was beginning to look like not only one of the worst moves in Minaya’s GM career, but one that ranked up there with the trading of Tom Seaver and the acquisition of Victor Zambrano in exchange for Scott Kazmir.

Sure, it’s only one season, but another bad year by Perez could force the Mets to pull the plug on this experiment, especially if by some miracle, the Mets are in contention. The Wilpons will not be happy if they are forced to eat the remainder of Perez’s contract, or if they have to pay him while he under-performs at Triple-A Buffalo.

So, on the eve of Oliver Perez’s second spring start, Mets fans eagerly await to see if the lefty will give them any positive signs that whatever plagued him a season ago is nothing but history.

No pressure Ollie, it’s not like your team’s season or your GM’s job is resting on your arm.

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Two weeks ago, Hall of Fame great Sandy Koufax worked with a few of the Mets’ pitchers.

Koufax, a longtime friend of Mets owner Fred Wilpon, often makes this annual trip to Port St. Lucie to pass on his wisdom.

This year, it felt as if this visit by Koufax was the only hope Oliver Perez had left.

Perez, coming off a disastrous, injury-plagued year, is healthy and confident. Mets ownership is counting on Perez to win 15 games, but few in the game or the stands believe it.

When Koufax was interviewed by reporters, he made reference to his early career, where he was as inconsistent as Perez. Then, at the age of 25, things changed, and he turned into one of the game’s greats.

So, I looked up both Koufax and Perez’ numbers to see how similar they are.

Koufax pitched to a record of 36-40 in his first six seasons with the Dodgers. In his first two seasons, he only started 28 games. Perez went 45-53 in his first six seasons, only pitching in 40 games in his first two seasons. While the numbers aren’t identical, they are similar enough to see how Koufax could see himself in Perez.

In Koufax’s seventh season, his career changed. The year was 1961, and he went 18-13. In fact, from 1961 to 1966, Koufax pitched to an incredible record of 129-47, including three seasons where he won more than 25 games.

The game was different then, as pitchers went deep into games and often completed them. In the current version of this game, few pitchers in this game finish their own starts.

Back to Perez. In his seventh and eighth seasons, his record was 13-11. His eighth season was last year, when he only started 14 games.

Few believe Perez is going to do what Koufax did 40 years ago. While he is only 28 and healthy, Mets fans have heard enough about potential. Perez’ inconsistency overshadows those moments of brilliance. His 2006 October performance is a distant memory.

What makes Perez so unique is that his talent was never in question. It is his mental make-up that people worry about. Can the switch go off and Perez become the No. 2 starter New York needs him to be? Or will Perez continue to draw jeers from the crowd and a pink slip for his general manager and manager?

Two weeks ago, Koufax looked at Perez and related to the young lefty’s struggles. Koufax walked in those shoes, but seven seasons in, he figured it out and became an all-time great.

For Perez and the Mets, the hope of this franchise lands in this inconsistent starter, who could lead the Mets to October or continue to be the face of a losing franchise.

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As news of Jose Reyes thyroid issue hit the press this morning, the prognosis was the Mets shortstop would miss 2-8 weeks.  Fans who lived and died with this team over the past year knew it was going to be at least two months before Reyes played again.

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All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes has been told to rest and refrain from athletic activity for 2-to-8 weeks until his thyroid levels normalize, another blow to the New York Mets before opening day. Center fielder Carlos Beltran already is expected to miss the first month of the season following right knee surgery Jan.

Mets shortstop Jose Reyes could be sidelined until May or June, according to new reports coming out of spring training today.

He has not played since March 4, when he was sent back to New York for medical tests, and while it was initially thought his overactive thyroid wouldn’t prove too much of a distraction, it has now emerged that he may not even resume playing baseball for eight weeks.

With Carlos Beltran out for the start of the year, it’s a big loss to be without the speedy infielder for an extended period of time.

An AP report, published on ESPN.com, said Reyes has been told to rest until his thyroid levels return to normal. He has also been told to change his diet.

The official statement from the Mets read: “As prescribed by the doctors and specialists, Jose’s treatment plan is to rest, refrain from athletic activity and make changes in his diet. The doctors will monitor Jose’s thyroid levels through regular blood tests. Once Jose’s thyroid levels return to normal, he will be cleared to resume baseball activities.”

USA Today says that although he could miss just a few weeks, there is the possibility of him missing the first 40 games or so. The outlook for Opening Day is not good.

It’s a little unusual to hear of such a wide range of dates—anything from two weeks to two months— but nobody really knows how quickly Reyes will recover.

He says he’s fine and that he hasn’t really noticed any problems, but he knows this is nothing like his leg injury from last year; this is about his long-term health, and there’s no room for risks.

While he will be set to go once the elevated thyroid levels drop, it means Jerry Manuel will have to chop and change with his lineup over the early part of the year.

Luis Castillo will likely take over the leadoff role at the top of the Mets lineup until Reyes is fit.

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With projected setup man Kelvim Escobar likely to open the season on the disabled list, the Mets signed right-handed reliever Kiko Calero to a minor league deal on March 4. Calero will compete with right-handers Ryota Igarashi and Bobby Parnell to serve as the primary setup man for closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Escobar is only being permitted to toss a baseball on flat ground, and manager Jerry Manuel said he does not expect the former Angel to be ready for opening day. Escobar, who signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal during the offseason, arrived in camp with shoulder weakness.

Despite a solid 2009 season with the Marlins, Calero remained unsigned as camps opened in Florida and Arizona.

The ‘86 Mets came into the season with a point to prove. They had finished runner-up in the NL East the past two seasons, but they had shown steady improvement under Davey Johnson after the miserable years with George Bamberger and Joe Torre at the helm.

Darry Strawberry had grown into an instant power hitter since bursting onto the scenes in 1983, and with Ron Darling, Lenny Sykstra, and Dwight Gooden all joining the Mets the previous season, they were in a solid position to challenge for the division crown.

The one missing piece of the puzzle came via Boston in the way of finesse Bob Ojeda. After a 9-11 record with the Bo Sox in ‘85, Ojeda proved to be one of the most reliable arms in the National League in the 1986 season, posting a stellar 18-5 record with a 2.57 ERA.

With a strong nucelus already in place, a manager eager to win, and some young talent eager for their chance on the biggest stage, the Mets took the baseball world by storm.

From bench-clearing brawls, pitching duels, and dramatic victories, here are my five greatest moments from the memorable 1986 season.

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