Embattled Reyes: 'I never doubted my talent'

It's been more than two months since the New York Mets signed infielder Jose Reyes, reuniting him with the franchise with whom he spent nine seasons, and everything is so far, so good for the 33-year-old Dominican.

Reyes' signing came with mixed feelings after his 51-game suspension due to a domestic violence issue in relation to his wife, in addition to decreased production.

Reyes, however, didn't pay attention to what was being said, and instead focused on contributing to a Mets club who sit tied with the Miami Marlins, 2 1/2 games back in the NL wild-card race.

"I never doubted my talent, what I could do on the field," Reyes told Ryan Hatch of NJ Advanced Media. "A lot of people, before the Mets signed me, said, 'This guy's done', and I heard that."

Since joining the Mets on July 5, Reyes owns a .281/.329/.474 slash line with four home runs, 13 RBIs, eight doubles, and six stolen bases, while playing solid defense at both third base and shortstop.

"(Reyes) brings the attitude to play every day," manager Terry Collins said. "The energy on the field, always having fun, in the clubhouse, he's a dynamic figure in that clubhouse, so we're lucky. We're certainly glad he's here. He's a great teammate and I'm telling you he's bringing something to our team, too."

And while he's tried to ignore what the skeptics have said about his baseball skills, he does hear them, but tries to keep it from skewing his focus.

"I don't try to put that kind of stuff in my head; I know what I can do as a player," Reyes said. "Like I said, I just need the opportunity to be on the field very single day ... I'm not surprised because I'm a hard worker, working hard every day to try to get better in every aspect of my game."