05/09/2006 12:07 PM ET Runnin' Reyes jump-starts Mets By Hal Bock / MLBPLAYERS.com

Jose Reyes led the Major Leagues in triples last season with 17. (Frank Franklin II/AP)

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When the New York Mets' leadoff man gets his legs in high gear, it energizes the whole lineup. Reyes led the Majors in triples last season with 17, and his 60 stolen bases topped the National League.

It was an intriguing peek into his ability to light up the team. There was another this past weekend when he triggered a pair of comeback rallies against Atlanta, bunching eight hits in the first two games of the series.

Reyes brings a simple philosophy up to the plate.

"I look for my pitch and I try to put my best swing on it," he said.

And if he connects, then it's off to the races.

"When I see a ball going in the gap, I think triple all the way," Reyes said.

In just over a month this season, Reyes' speed had produced five triples. He also had 11 steals in 14 attempts, leading the Majors. It was a quick payoff to some intense Spring Training instruction from the greatest base stealer and best leadoff hitter in history, Rickey Henderson.

Reyes was Henderson's personal project over a 10-day period, his job to refine the speedster's stealing prowess and technique at the plate. The Mets often were frustrated by Reyes' free-swinging style last year. He often would flail at pitches in the dirt. Henderson tried to correct that tendency, which may have been a function of simply being overanxious at the plate.

"He worked with me on my approach and on hitting with two strikes," Reyes said. "I swung at a lot of bad pitches last year. Now, if I don't like the pitch, I let it go."

Good idea.

Now, about stealing.

Professor Henderson loved Reyes' speed, but not the way he used it. He worked with his pupil on reading the pitcher to get a better jump, not just using raw speed to steal bases. It is a policy Reyes has introduced in his base-running technique.

"I am trying to do that," he said. "Everything he told me, I'm using in my game and I want to do that all season."

Reyes stole his 100th career base in April in his 303rd game, the fastest any Met has ever reached that plateau. It happened during the Mets' road trip to San Francisco, where Reyes and Henderson talked again.

The Mets were further encouraged by Reyes' new-found patience at the plate. He had a dozen walks in the first month after managing just 27 -- far too few for a leadoff hitter -- all last season.

The Mets had to wait a while for Reyes. A series of leg injuries limited him to 53 games in 2004. It was a frustrating time for the player and team. But he put it behind him last season when played in 161 games, the most ever for a Mets shortstop.

"With his talent, if he continues to work hard offensively and defensively, he's going to be unbelievable," manager Willie Randolph said. "You look at his talent and you get excited about it because you know he's just scratching the surface."

Occasionally, Reyes hits a home run. He had seven last season, including two in one game. But he knows the long ball is not what the Mets are looking for from him.

"My game is to hit the ball on the ground or hit line drives and then use my speed," he said.

Randolph is quick to remind Reyes when he strays from that plan.

"I always get on him that I'm not impressed when he hits a home run, and he understands why," the manager said.

The Mets see a world of ability in their shortstop, who won't be 23 until June. With third baseman David Wright, who's also 23, the team believes the left side of their infield will be taken care of for the next decade.

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