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Rey Ordonez

Rey Ordonez
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 36 of 1218 players
Ordonez
Reynaldo Ordonez
Born: January 11, 1971 at Havana, Cuba
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Height: 5.09 Weight: 159

Rey Ordonez has been the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup 56 times, most recently on November 8, 2023.

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First Mets game: April 1, 1996
Last Mets game: September 27, 2002

Share your memories of Rey Ordonez

HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY:

Melissa Hood
My Husband is a true Mets fan! I myself, am not all that into baseball. For fun and a little rivalry, the past 3 seasons since I met my husband, he lets me pick a team that I want to root for, it is his way to try and convince me I like watching sports. So the first time was the Marlins - they won that year! Then last year it was Houston - they came close, and this year I picked the Diamondbacks! I make a joke and pick a team for the hot players or the nice color uniforms. For a female who really doesn't watch the game, it was fun to see whose teams would do better. I eventually started watching the Mets play...how could I not, that is all that is on in our house until October. Well, I noticed Rey Ordonez, and it got me more interested in the Mets...to a point where I would watch them when I was home alone!

For a wedding gift to my husband, 4 months later, I decided to take him to a game at Shea. We live in Syracuse, NY and we drove down for the September 18th game against Philly. The Mets kicked butt!

And what more could I ask for than to see my new favorite player hit a grand slam! I mean I didn't even know what a grand slam was, but I was excited. We have decided to make those trips more often next season. I hope they don't trade Rey to Seattle, because I can't afford to fly there!

WENDY VELEZ
I think Rey Ordonez is a wonderful player. I have noticed in many games that he sacrifies his own hits for his other team members (10/5/99 game). Not to mention his skills on the field, he is extremely attractive! He is so sexy!

Rich
Rey is a great fielder but that's it. He is arrogant, selfish and basically useless with a bat in his hands.

Sid Finch
Watching this guy attempt to bunt in last year's playoffs was unbearable. Several times, in key situations, he popped the ball higher than he would have had he taken a full swing. Now, before May, he's already committed three errors. If his fielding is average, what's left? A weak hitter with an average glove.

Coach HoJo 20
March 31, 2001
Greatest Defensive SS in history. So what if he has a problem at the plate. This guy is very valuable to the team. I would be satisfied if he hit .210. If he does better at the plate it only helps. Rey is the type of player than makes a manager and a GM think. You really have to decide what is more important to you. A shortstop with a bat and an OK glove, or a flawless defensive glove with an above mediocre bat. I personally would keep Rey. He is marketable and can really come through in the field. A baseball game can't be all home runs and grand slams. There are many pieces of the pie. Rey is one piece of that pie that we call baseball.

Won Doney
September 19, 2001
I don't understand why people always have something bad to say about Rey Ordonez. There have been a lot of times this year where Rey Ordonez has provided offense. He's hitting .251 now with 3 home runs. That's better than any of us would have expected him to be at this point. If the rest of the team hit all year, no one would seriously care if his bat was on the team. As for his defense, there has never been anyone to compare. When comparing him to Ozzie Smith at this stage in his career, Rey has the better average and fielding percentage. He is as much valuable as many of the other people on the team. A lot of the comments left about how certain players are nasty or arrogant, but the writers can sometimes be as bad as the people they write about. A lot of people have bad things to say about Ordonez, but those people never seem to complement him when he does something well. In my opinion, I'd pick Ordonez over A-Rod.

Valerie Jablonski
September 19, 2001
Rey Ordonez is an excellent player. I have been watching him since 96 and he has improved a lot over the years. When he hit his first home run of his career which was a grand slam I was sooo proud of him. I think as he plays in the league he will be one of the great shortstops in the history of baseball.

Shari
May 23, 2002
When it comes to Rey a couple of thoughts come to front of my mind, one being that he is an instant out when he's up to bat. He's more of a guaranteed out than the pitcher. His "D" has been amazing in the past but he's getting a little too old and too bulky to do those slides towards the hole like he used to. Take this year - he has more errors in 2002 than he has since he came up to the big leagues in 1996. Why can't the hitting coaches teach this guy not to swing at pitches up around his eyeballs? I mean how many more years is it going to take for him to learn patience at the plate and not swing at the first pitch or for that matter a ridiculous pitch?

Joe Figliola
September 3, 2002
I think Rey-O may have worn out his welcome with the Amazin's on Sunday, 1 September, when he attempted to bunt on base with two strikes and two outs. Even Gary Thorne said, "What the heck was that?"

As much as I loved his glovework for these many years and anticipated the arrival of his home run during that time, it's just no fun anymore.

Let the Jose Reyes era begin!

Lou
September 25, 2002
He can't bunt, he can't hit, he has no power, he's a terrible base runner and he can't fight (the altercation with Luis Lopez). He used to be a good fielder. His best year was his first and he diminishes every season. Watch him approach batting practice like a home run king before games. He's a real bum!

perndude
December 16, 2002
My least favorite Met of all time. Very, very happy to finally see him go. The fact we can get back anything for him was a small miracle. Hope he enjoys a lifetime of losing and being yelled at by Sweet Lou in Tampa Bay. I am sure the fans in Tampa are much more intelligent and will appreciate a SS who makes 20 errors a season, bats .240 and hits 1 HR a year.

Mr. Sparkle
December 18, 2002
I read that Roberto Alomar hated Ordonez and ducked infield drills with him because he was such a dick. I don't know what that says about Alomar's profesionalism but it doesn't say much about old number zero- how appropriate was that?

Also, Piazza didn't like the fact that Rey wouldn't back up his throws to 2nd on a steal.

Dead weight and a clubhouse cancer gone for 2 guys who will probably never amount to anything. I can't understand why a profesional needs "chemistry" to do his job but I'm glad this guy is a little closer to Havana.

Screwball4U
January 29, 2004
During the Memorial Day weekend of 2000, Rey Ordonez sustained a season-ending injury when he fractured a bone in his body during a play at second base. That play was one of my biggest thrills as a Met fan.

For some time now, it had become obvious to me that nothing short of a stroke or a heart attack to this feeble ninny was going to remove Rey from the lineup. Nothing else. Not those seven bouncers that barely made it to the pitcher's mound. Not those uncatchable crazy spinning foul balls that would land somewhere between the opposing catcher and first baseman. Not even Rey's tour de force showcase of batting ineptitude that this creep displayed in the 1999 NLCS, when he singlehandledly kept the Mets from beating the Braves by going like 1 for a zillion or something, thus postponing the first ever Mets - Yanks Subway Series by one whole season.

Was this guy the worst hitter you ever saw? I mean like in your whole lifetime? Let's qualify this. Sure there were hitters worse, or at least just as bad. But a guy like Esix Snead, he gets to the majors, and is so bad that he's back on the bench in about as quick a time as it takes him to whiff on three Kerry Wood fastballs. So there are bad hitters out there. Except that they don't get to use up 3000 at bats.

Want some more memories? Remember how this waste would get to play in like 20 games in a row and then would have a fit because Bobby V would give him a day off? He'd throw such a fit that you'd think he was Lou Gehrig himself, come back from the dead to belt 55 HR's for the Mets, which as you all know is impossible. Rey couldn't hit 55 HR's even if he played 55 years. And he'd be old by the end so even that's iffy.

Anyway, it would get so bad, what with his whining and all that Bobby V would have to resort to resting Rey on a day when Piazza or Olerud (real players, Rey!) also got the day off. Now I have no way of proving what I'm about to say because I'm only a fan and with no connections to Met personnel, but I'd swear that Rey was purposely rested on days when Piazza or Olerud, or both, were also rested so that when Rey threw his eventual ninny fit over being rested and not being able to get to play in 5000 games in a row as if he was the next Gehrig, well when he said that, ol' Bobby V would just say, "Hey Rey, Piazza also has the day off. So does Olerud. I'm resting all the stars. And you're a star. All the stars get the day off today. Don't you wanna be a star? You don't see Tom Seaver satarting today, either."

Anyway, I would secretly pray before every Met game that Rey would break his arm or something being that that's what I figured on it taking to get the stiff out of the lineup. Short of a heart attack which I wasn't going to wish for on account of that ain't right and I wouldn't wish a heart attack on anyone, not even the Met I hate the most, even more so than Bobby Bonilla who should read a copy of "How to Win Friends and Influence People". Well, he did break his arm and didn't get a heart attack.

Once I brought a banner to Shea Stadium that said "Pinch-Hit". I held it up in the bottom of the second inning when Rey led off that inning.

Mets2Moon
April 1, 2004
Heard that this spring, Rey was in camp with the San Diego Padres, who I'm sure basically brought Rey in as a courtesy call since they already have a stud SS in Khalil Greene in the wings.

Once it became apparent that Greene was going to win the starting SS job, Rey, in his typical brilliant fashion, told the Padres he was so insulted, he was leaving camp.

Nobody bothered to stop him.

Kiwiwriter
September 24, 2004
Talk about evolution in reverse! This guy was amazing!

He came in in 1997 and was a walking defensive highlight reel for three years. So who cared if he couldn't hit a beachball?

Then his defense fell off, which made his hitting intolerable, he bulked up his weight, so his defense got worse, and then he wore himself out of town by trashing the Met fans.

He should have been a Met lifer and the best defensive shortstop the game ever saw. Instead he turned into an anti-social incompetent.

Dr. Jekyll became Mr. Hyde.

KMT
March 28, 2005
What an incredible stiff! I don't miss this guy at all! Once his defense went down he was completely useless. Funny how the Mets went to the Series the year he got hurt. We called him "A.O." Automatic Out! I also got tired of Fran Healy's constant praising. I didn't go to games to watch him play shortstop. I expected him as a Major Leaguer to do his job. Good riddance!

DB
July 8, 2005
Ordonez was a player who escaped from Cuba, played in the independent league, and made it to the bigs. After a promising rookie season at the plate, and 26 errors in the field, it appeared as if Ordonez was one in which fielding would be difficult and hitting would come naturally. The next season exposed his true colors. Ordonez won the gold glove, broke his wrist twice, and batted .216.

The next season proved to be the same. In '99, Ordonez combined his talents, having a good offensive season and winning his third consecutive gold glove.

In 2000, he only batted .188, as a broken wrist ended his season in May.

2001 proved to be the all-time worst season for Ordonez, who was poor offensively and suffered lapses in the field.

In 2002, Ordonez continued to fizzle defensively, but his offense alleviated those struggles.

I will always remember the various wrist injuries suffered by Ordonez, his truly amazing defensive plays, third only behind Ozzie and Omar.

Also, I will also always remember his uncanny success in bases loaded situations. How can a guy, with three home runs in his career, walk up to the plate and belt a grand slam? With the bases loaded was one of the only times that a pitcher should viably fear Ordonez. The other was hitting in two-out situations. I remember in 2002 against the Marlins, Ordonez hit a three-run double to tie the game in the fourth. The game eventually went into extra innings, and he then crushed a three-run homer into the upper deck a Pro Player Stadium, no easy task. That proved to be the game-winner.

Bob P
July 10, 2005
One minor correction to the most recent post: Ordonez never had 6 RBI in a game. The game vs the Marlins was on 5/31/02 and Ordonez did have a bases clearing double in the second inning but his homer in the tenth was a solo shot as the Mets won, 6-5.

It was one of three times Rey had 4 RBI in a game while with the Mets. He also did it once with the Devil Rays.

Mr. Sparkle
August 20, 2006
The 12th most at bats in Mets history. That is unbelievable.

Shorty Larson
September 15, 2006
Ordonez was an example of a player ruined by NYC. DB is absolutley correct in his comparisons to Smith and Vizquel. Although, those two guys could run in their younger days, they did not provide much offense. Aside from the speed, Rey was virtually the same player. However a former NYC shortstop without offensive skills will never be given a chance to play elsewhere, no matter how good they may become (note Kevin Elster). However, Vizquel and Smith got those chances, and after an above average performance at the plate, though not Hall of Fame caliber, Smith gets elected in because of that leather. Vizquel could be next. Oh, by the way, Ordonez did have 6 RBIs in that game vs. FLA. I was there.

scott r
December 22, 2008
Whoa, why all the negativity towards Rey? I know he made a comment about the fans. I guess that's a good reason. He wasn't that bad of a hitter. He did bat .250 a few times. I know nothing special but based on comments here you think he hit .100. I had to go back and look at his stats. I know he tried for homers too many times and I guess he was not good in the clutch, but he was the best fielder I ever saw. Until Reyes got there hes the best shortstop we ever had. I guess my point is he wasn't as bad as you people made him out to be.

bonbolito
April 3, 2009
You can say what you want about his attitude. His defense cost the opposition a run. Great range, strong arm, he was exciting to watch.

Gene Melzer
June 20, 2022
Can we have invited him to the old timers game ? Please.

Eileen Barrett
July 16, 2022
I caught his grand slam. I gave it back for him to keep. Someone was sent to ask me for it for him...of course being a non trusting New Yorker I told the person to take me down to the clubhouse which they did. Rey was there but evidently too busy to say hi ????, however it was the first one he ever it so I gave it back. I can still see it coming my way in the night sky. Such a thrill for this life long fan since the Mets' inception.

PS Ordonez was the best defensive shortstop ever. Just unfreaking believable.

Gene Melzer
August 19, 2022
Can we have invited him to the old timers game ? Please.

Dave VW
June 19, 2023
I thought for the longest time Ordonez was the first player in Mets history to wear the #0, but instead it was little-known outfielder Terry McDaniel in 1991. The story goes that Ordonez chose that number because he wanted to commit 0 errors at shortstop over the course of a season. He came pretty close, committing just 4 in 640 chances in 1999.








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