MILWAUKEE — The hits keep on coming for Jose Iglesias, both on the field and on the charts.
The Latin pop sensation known as “Candelita” could have never imagined he would be in this position, batting second and playing second base for the Mets in the postseason, just two days removed from a champagne celebration with his teammates, hearing his hit song played at Citi Field every time one of them hits a home run and even getting a chance to perform it on the field for fans with an entire big league team dancing on the field behind him.
No, he didn’t see this coming.
The Mets probably never envisioned him contributing like he did either, but there he was sprinting out of the box after hitting a ground ball to first base Tuesday night in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card series against the Milwaukee Brewers. It should have been the third out in the fifth inning, but Iglesias slid head first into the bag safely, allowing the tying run to score.
The Mets then went on to win 8-4 with a five-run fifth inning.
“Every game, it seems like he does something like that,” said shortstop Francisco Lindor. “He’s a special, special player. He competes. Every game, his last two or three at-bats are very quality — high quality — at-bats. He has helped us to be in this position, for sure.”
It was ruled as a base hit, extending his streak to 23 games.
And to think, the 34-year-old veteran could have opted out of his minor league deal with the Mets when he was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse out of spring training. He thought about it, but imagine how differently things would have turned out if he hadn’t stayed.
“I’m glad I stayed,” an emotional Iglesias told the Daily News this week. “I’m glad I got the chance to have this opportunity and grab it with two hands.”
It’s been a wild season for the Mets, but even wilder for Iglesias. The value he’s brought to the team can’t be quantified because yeah, you could look at his 137 OPS+ or his +2 OAA, but how can you measure the vibes he’s brought to the Mets and to the city of New York with his hit song, “OMG?”
You can’t quantify vibes.
“I think he’s been one of the bigger players for our team because he brings the energy every day,” said catcher Francisco Alvarez. “The whole day, he’s talking. He’s talking, talking. He always has this song on, and he keeps the game fun. He makes it fun for everybody in the clubhouse. He’s a great clubhouse guy.”
Iglesias has been important for the Mets beyond just the clubhouse. When Jeff McNeil struggled at the plate to start the season, Iglesias stepped into the lineup and produced. This gave the Mets flexibility to use McNeil in the outfield when Starling Marte was injured over the summer. When McNeil was injured late in the season, Iglesias stepped in as the starting second baseman.
A utility infielder who can play second base, third base and shortstop, Iglesias doesn’t fit any sort of analytical mold. It was clear Iglesias had beat out Joey Wendle and Christian Scott in spring training, but the Mets felt otherwise at the time. Instead, he started the season in Syracuse, becoming a mentor to top infield prospect Luisangel Acuña. Iglesias adopted a weighted ball program on the advice of his former teammate in Detroit and Boston, DH J.D. Martinez, to improve exit velocity, knowing it was one of the analytics teams liked to see.
Once the Mets called him up in June, everything changed. He helped the Mets get back into the postseason race with his bat, hitting .500 with runners in scoring position at one point during the season. He finished the regular season with a .375 average and a .902 OPS with RISP.
“I think he’s a different hitter in this type of era, where it’s the homers and it’s the walks,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “This is a guy that puts the ball in play, and when you put the ball in play, a lot of times good things happen. When you’re facing good pitching, you need that, and he’s done that.”
Beyond what he’s done on the field, he’s also given the Mets their rallying cry and the fans the song of the summer. The OMG sign, gifted to the Mets by Jerome McCroy or “Jay Mac,” an artist in Ridgewood, became the Mets’ signature celebratory item.
Iglesias struggles to verbalize what this season has been like for him, not because the native Cuban speaks two languages, but because it’s been so rewarding.
“Everything that ‘OMG’ is bringing to the stadium — the energy in the clubhouse and in the stands — that’s off the field,” Iglesias said. “On the field, it got us together as a group. We’ve come a long way as a group and we understand what it takes.”
For Iglesias, what it takes to win is a hit pop song, elite bat-to-ball skills and a clubhouse of supportive teammates. It’s an unlikely story for an unlikely hero.
