Very wrong. Cardinals 82 was far better. Hernandez best ever at 1st. Herr and Oberkfell never made mistakes at 2nd and 3rd. And while Ordonez was great, arguably the 2nd best I ever saw in his brief peak, he was never in Ozzie's league, no one was. Ordonez played 9 years with three different teams and never won anything. Ozzie won 13 straight gold gloves, played 18 years the last 15 with the Cardinals, went to three world series. Ozzie's a first ballot hall of famer and the best defensive player in baseball history.
@@jameshughes6049 Documented? Because it's the opinion of some lame passe commercial rag? I know all the players from both teams, do you? Anyone who knows baseball would choose the Cardinal infield every single time. You know, the Cardinal infield that beat a great Brewers team (whose infield was also better than the 99 Mets) in the world series, not the Mets, who didn't even get to the world series in 99. Well it's not just the infield that makes the team, you say? Actually it is, infield defense (specifically up the middle infield defense) correlates more directly to wins and losses than any other baseball statistic. That's the reason Ozzie went to three world series in six years. And that's a statistical metric you can look up, not a meaningless arbitrary opinion.
@Dan Chapowski Ozzie was great, no doubt, and if i had to take an overall player between the two it would be ozzie. However, Rey is still the best defensive SS i've ever seen!
Rey lived down the street from my house. I grew up with his son. Rey was always very humble, at times he would gather the neighborhood kids and play ball with us. Rey is the GOAT.
Never spoken about because he was a lifetime .246 hitter and had an OPS+ of 59 lol. Great as he was defensively he had to produce at the plate. And unfortunately he was a below average hitter and that’s why he couldn’t stick around. Imagine if baseball had a DF, designated fielder. Oh the bucketloads of money he would have made
So what if he was a light hitter. He won three consecutive Gold Gloves from 1997-1999. During 1999 and 2000 he set a MLB record for shortstops by playing 101 consecutive games without committing a fielding error. And he wasn’t an automatic out. In 1999, batting 8th, he hit .258 and drove in 60 runs on a team that made the NLCS. But yeah oh what a fielder.
Likely would have been four in a row if he didn't break his arm early in 2000. I think that injury sapped a bit of his magnificence. Just wasn't the same
I always want my shortstop being defense first which is why we are blessed with Lindor right now. Lindor is clearly not as good defensively as Ordonez was but he's damn good and he's also a great hitter. On a tangent, depending on how the rest of this year (2024 for all you reading this in the future) and the rest of his career goes, he could make his way into a best SS of all time conversation or at least top 5. He has done it with power, so far only being outdone by A-Rod, Ernie Banks and maybe Cal Ripken. He's done it with defense, he's no Ozzie or Ordonez, but he's an insanely good combination of both of those things.
Im an Angel fan. And had a poster of this guy on my wall as a kid. Was in the shadows of jeter, arod and nomar.... bad time to be a light hitting shortstop.... But his defense was unreal
Rey is one of those great defenders that were underrated and one of those under estimated players by the organization. The spotlight being on Derek Jeter in NY undermined his magnificent work! He gave his body for the team! Cheers to Rey wherever he is!
@@eauhommeDerek Jeter is the worst Defensive Shortstop. His offense is what stopped him from being a terrible overall player. Jeter was just an average ball player
It also highlights the difference between him and Alfonso defensively. Rey ranged 7 steps to his left to cut off Alfonso who didn't even charge the slow hit ball. Alfonso would've caught, thrown it to first and would think nothing of the running being safe.
It was a real pleasure watching Rey play shortstop. Ozzie Smith is the only SS that I would put in his category. ..Watching these clips brought back a lot of memories.
@@dharmabeachbum6330 I only put Ozzie ahead of him because of longevity since Rey had such a short prime. Vizquel deserves a mention as well but I wouldn't quite put him up there with them.
@@hennylo68 as a Tribe fan,trust me, Omar is likely the best defensive SS ever. Kudos to the other legends as well, he was just different- bare handing simply for fun.
First saw him play at a game in April 1996, field level seats on third base line. There was a lot of hype about his glove, but I wanted to see if it was true. He didn't disappoint. Ed Taubensee scorched one through the hole--or so I thought. Before I could turn my head, Ordonez slid to his right to snag it, threw to first for the out. There was no hole on that side of the field when he was there.
I remember that throw from left to cut down the runner at the plate . When the camara switched to the play at the plate , I was astonished that the ball arrived so damn fast . Unreal
The best is when they go to his offensive highlights they show singles and stolen bases lol! I remember the yanks had jeter, sox nomar, Mets had defensive wizard who couldn’t hit at all. So much trauma growing up a Mets fan smh.
I'd loved Rey Ordonez met him at old Shea Stadium he signed this two profile picture of himself for me and I had a lil buddy who for being 14 was as big a Met fan as me I had it framed and surprised him for his birthday he's still has that picture to this day
Ordonez was a defensive genius. He never developed into a solid hitter. BUT... he was part of the organization during which the teams were decent to very good. That's not a coincidence
Honestly. I looked back at it. He wasn’t that bad as we might remember. He didn’t strike out very much and remember he hit 8th and the pitcher was behind him and didn’t see many strikes. Also. He came up along with other big short stops who hit for power.
@@castertroy9129 Yeah he had a .245 batting average his years with the Mets, not great but not terrible either. considering his amazing glove that was more than acceptable.
@@jefflewis4 Not bad lol. The Mets only had 4 guys last year, with 300 AB minimum, with a higher average. Ordonez got on base so much more than people remember. And it seemed worse with Olerud, Alfonzo, Ventura, Piazza, Henderson in the lineup.
@@hmhm856 If you're going purely off defensive skill, yes the greatest in MLB history. Slightly above Ozzie Smith. But because Rey couldn't hit a lick, couldn't run the bases well and had a short career. His defensive brilliance will always be overlooked.
Ufff this man was a horse, I didn't know some one that could make those kind of plays since ozzie smith!!💪🏾🔥🔥 we really need those kind of shortstops in this era!!
The Mets all time defensive team. 1B Keith Hernandez 2B Edgardo Alfonso SS Rey Ordonez 3B Robin Ventura LF Bernard Gilkey CF Tommie Agee RF Darryl Strawberry C Jerry Grote
Ordonez pimping that GS was amazing. I remember these games, and I've still yet to see a better defensive player. Making plays like that at SS in softball makes you think you're the shit, this guy made it look easy at the highest level. Such a treat watching his defense.
@Lighthouse in the Storm Ozzie just did it longer which is why he is in the hall of fame. Rey in his prime was better defensively than Ozzie in his prime. But unlike Rey Ozzie could also hit.
If this guy could hit just .300 like an Ozzie Smith, he'd have been the GOAT shortstop. Not just the plays he made but the accuracy and power of his arm was other-worldly.
@@eldiesel4593 Smith hit that because of his awful hitting in San Diego - by the time he got to St. Louis he was improved. Hit best year he hit .303 and drove in 75 runs without hitting one dinger - Rey never hit like Ozzie.
@@marcoslaureano5562 A lot of guys have one great offensive year. Smith's 1983 and 1990 seasons were both worse than Ordonez's 1999 season in terms of average and RBI's. I can be selective about stats too.
@@eldiesel4593 Most of Smith's career stats seem low because he played too damned long and dragged down his average in his later years. In Ozzie's prime he was a 300 hitter. Something Rey could never really do. Not to mention that in his prime Ozzie was a terror on the basepaths as well.
Ryan Murphy lol you're right..Gimenez is an amazing young player so far. Ordonez was good defensively that's the only reason why I want him now. I agree, his offense was terrible!
@@jontheroadagain damn.. i 4got abt mike bordick.. still miss me my rey.. im not a Mets fan btw, I also was not good enough to play ss as I got older, 2b, and ordonez was the best fielder I ever watched (didn't ever see Ozzie live)
Haha Rey Ordonez! I haven't heard that name in 20 years. I'm a SF Giants fan but I wanted a black mets cap because of Rey Ordonez. I played shortstop and always loved Rey Ordonez.
My favorite thing about Rey apart from his incredible defense was how he swung like a power hitter but never hit more than 3 home runs in a season. Watching him take batting practice was like seeing delusion in action and I loved it.
Watched him since I was little all I remember was spectacular play after spectacular play was like a video game wish his bat could of been more active though.
I missed the entire Rey Ordonez era as I moved West and there was no streaming of audio or video. I would catch the occasional game on ESPN. What a fielder! Where are his hitting highlights?? Did he have any?
Greatness shouldn’t be under appreciated. Sadly, that was the case for Rey who felt the fans didn’t fully acknowledge his wizardry. All because his bat wasn’t equal to his glove.
A statistic can easily capture a home run or RBI. But I have always wondered how can a statistic capture the kinds of things that Ray Ordonez and other great defensive players can do
I knew his kid growing up. He and I would play and talk a little baseball back in the day. I never knew who his father was until later. Just knew he played in the big leagues. Lol, Rey was one of those little league parents that was too emotionally attached to the games if you know what I mean 😂
The only 2 shortstops in today's game I can think of that you can compare to Rey Ordonez are Andrelton Simmons & Jose Iglesias. Only difference between these guys is that Ordonez was a below average hitter. Iglesias can hit a bit. Simmons is the best hitter between these three guys.
It's too bad he got hurt in 2003 when he had his best offensive start by far going.. maybe he had finally learned to hit. Alas, we will never know as it effectively ended his career.
He was the best since Ozzie. At his best ahead of Vizquel because of the stronger arm. Simmons is the best since all of them and may be Rey’s equal but I think Rey may have been more creative then them all. My sense is that if the Rey hadn’t gotten injured and the Mets hadn’t had to trade for Mike Bordick, they would have gone further and perhaps would have won the World Series. He was a lucky charm that way. He brought magic to that team. Special player who is missed by those who remember him. Should be missed by more. Too many didn’t see him or have forgotten him. Ozzie, Omar, Rey and Andrelton are in a class of their own. Anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t know what they are talking about. Not sure there’s a case for anyone else being on their level either.
He was a back up in Cuban not because the other guy was a better hitter (He was). It was because the other man was called the Wizard. He was always compare to Ozzie Smith. German Mesa best defensive SS I have ever seen.
Best infield in history with Olerud at 1st, Alfonso at 2nd, Ventura at 3rd & Ordonez at SS. They were awesome to watch play.
Very wrong. Cardinals 82 was far better. Hernandez best ever at 1st. Herr and Oberkfell never made mistakes at 2nd and 3rd. And while Ordonez was great, arguably the 2nd best I ever saw in his brief peak, he was never in Ozzie's league, no one was. Ordonez played 9 years with three different teams and never won anything. Ozzie won 13 straight gold gloves, played 18 years the last 15 with the Cardinals, went to three world series. Ozzie's a first ballot hall of famer and the best defensive player in baseball history.
@@turtleflegel6816 According to Sports Illustrated the '99 Mets were the best infield. Look it up.
Why would I care about that?
@@turtleflegel6816 Because you were wrong & it was documented.
@@jameshughes6049 Documented? Because it's the opinion of some lame passe commercial rag? I know all the players from both teams, do you? Anyone who knows baseball would choose the Cardinal infield every single time. You know, the Cardinal infield that beat a great Brewers team (whose infield was also better than the 99 Mets) in the world series, not the Mets, who didn't even get to the world series in 99. Well it's not just the infield that makes the team, you say? Actually it is, infield defense (specifically up the middle infield defense) correlates more directly to wins and losses than any other baseball statistic. That's the reason Ozzie went to three world series in six years. And that's a statistical metric you can look up, not a meaningless arbitrary opinion.
Never gets old watching Rey. He's the best defensive shortstop I've ever seen and I've been watching since 1975
I agree
@Dan Chapowski Ozzie was great, no doubt, and if i had to take an overall player between the two it would be ozzie. However, Rey is still the best defensive SS i've ever seen!
Yes indeed
@@frankanon4450 Ozzie was better defensively
Couldn't agree more
Rey lived down the street from my house. I grew up with his son. Rey was always very humble, at times he would gather the neighborhood kids and play ball with us. Rey is the GOAT.
christopher lee- what neihborhood?
@@infoguy1978 Hialeah, to be exact South East Park.
They still stay at that house in Hialeah? I remember they made a little makeshift batting cage in the backyard and everything haha
@@doesnotexist305 Not sure but yes it was in Hialeah.
@@infoguy1978 SE hialeah
Easily one of the greatest defensive short stop in the game never spoken about. Most underrated defensive player in mlb history.
Never spoken about because he was a lifetime .246 hitter and had an OPS+ of 59 lol. Great as he was defensively he had to produce at the plate. And unfortunately he was a below average hitter and that’s why he couldn’t stick around. Imagine if baseball had a DF, designated fielder. Oh the bucketloads of money he would have made
So what if he was a light hitter. He won three consecutive Gold Gloves from 1997-1999. During 1999 and 2000 he set a MLB record for shortstops by playing 101 consecutive games without committing a fielding error. And he wasn’t an automatic out. In 1999, batting 8th, he hit .258 and drove in 60 runs on a team that made the NLCS. But yeah oh what a fielder.
Likely would have been four in a row if he didn't break his arm early in 2000. I think that injury sapped a bit of his magnificence. Just wasn't the same
I always want my shortstop being defense first which is why we are blessed with Lindor right now. Lindor is clearly not as good defensively as Ordonez was but he's damn good and he's also a great hitter.
On a tangent, depending on how the rest of this year (2024 for all you reading this in the future) and the rest of his career goes, he could make his way into a best SS of all time conversation or at least top 5. He has done it with power, so far only being outdone by A-Rod, Ernie Banks and maybe Cal Ripken. He's done it with defense, he's no Ozzie or Ordonez, but he's an insanely good combination of both of those things.
Im an Angel fan. And had a poster of this guy on my wall as a kid.
Was in the shadows of jeter, arod and nomar.... bad time to be a light hitting shortstop....
But his defense was unreal
Rey is one of those great defenders that were underrated and one of those under estimated players by the organization. The spotlight being on Derek Jeter in NY undermined his magnificent work! He gave his body for the team! Cheers to Rey wherever he is!
Could anyone ever see both Jeter and Ordonez and then claim that Jeter was a great defensive shortstop?
@@eauhommeDerek Jeter is the worst Defensive Shortstop. His offense is what stopped him from being a terrible overall player. Jeter was just an average ball player
Man I miss Shea stadium so much I miss this era of baseball LFGM!
Artistic Defense Rey
Rey Rey was somethingelse with dat glove.He was my favorite MET in da 90s/early 2000s.I have his #0,1,& 10 Jerseys.
NYMETS NYGIANTS sell me one, what size are they? I’ve been looking eBay for years
@@ericdelanoy9570 I didn't even know they sold jerseys on ebay...wow,but NO I'm not a seller.
He never wore #1 in the majors
Excellent defensive player. If that guy was able to hit more than a lick he would have been a tremendous athlete.
They needed to invent the designated fielder for this guy. He made defensive plays that I've thought about once a week since they happened.
Just said the same thing
Agreed
Ikr!? I saw this on my homepage. Forgot ALL about this guy. Yes! Awesome fielder, but shitty hitter.
You're 110% correct
Always and forever my favorite professional athlete
Still my favorite Shortstop of all Time! Amazing glove work! Just Amazin!
These were my junior high/freshman days, man. Great memories, was a good unit those late 90s early 2000s. Lovve this post
He was one of the best ever during his prime years. Unbelievable.
The play behind second base when al was pitching was all in one motion, insanely gifted defensive shortstop
It also highlights the difference between him and Alfonso defensively. Rey ranged 7 steps to his left to cut off Alfonso who didn't even charge the slow hit ball. Alfonso would've caught, thrown it to first and would think nothing of the running being safe.
Best defensive SS I've ever seen. No exaggeration
agreed.
It was a real pleasure watching Rey play shortstop. Ozzie Smith is the only SS that I would put in his category. ..Watching these clips brought back a lot of memories.
There was a man in cuba called German Mesa who played for industriales, he played ahead of ordoñez that was the real wizard...
muy buenos, pero deben besarle la mano de seda de OMAR VIZQUEL
@@elorzaesunarte Oh, yeah. Omar was also right up there.
@@dharmabeachbum6330 I only put Ozzie ahead of him because of longevity since Rey had such a short prime. Vizquel deserves a mention as well but I wouldn't quite put him up there with them.
@@hennylo68 as a Tribe fan,trust me, Omar is likely the best defensive SS ever. Kudos to the other legends as well, he was just different- bare handing simply for fun.
I was there, Opening Day 1996 vs the Cardinals when he threw the runner out from his knees on the outfield. Awesome moment!
Me too, man. Great game and we got our introduction to the best defensive SS I’ve ever seen.
The first highlight was a 7-6-2 putout on Opening Day Monday April 1,1996 a Mets 7-6 win over St Louis at Shea in which my Dad and I attended.
First saw him play at a game in April 1996, field level seats on third base line. There was a lot of hype about his glove, but I wanted to see if it was true. He didn't disappoint. Ed Taubensee scorched one through the hole--or so I thought. Before I could turn my head, Ordonez slid to his right to snag it, threw to first for the out. There was no hole on that side of the field when he was there.
Rey Ordonez could hit his 1 or 2 homer’s in a season 🥺 But he was the best defensive shortstop I have ever seen. Just imagine if he could hit.
He made playing shortstop in the major leagues look like a rehab stint from another planet
The best defensive player I ever saw. His range was ridiculous. His arm was a cannon.
awesome SS one of the best ever.
I remember that throw from left to cut down the runner at the plate . When the camara switched to the play at the plate , I was astonished that the ball arrived so damn fast . Unreal
Sincerely, thank you for Mets baseball content
Ordonez to Alfonzo: Most iconic double play duo in Mets history?
The best is when they go to his offensive highlights they show singles and stolen bases lol!
I remember the yanks had jeter, sox nomar, Mets had defensive wizard who couldn’t hit at all. So much trauma growing up a Mets fan smh.
@Lighthouse in the Storm lol u really comparing rey to those guys? Lolol cmon man he was hitting like 200
I'd loved Rey Ordonez met him at old Shea Stadium he signed this two profile picture of himself for me and I had a lil buddy who for being 14 was as big a Met fan as me I had it framed and surprised him for his birthday he's still has that picture to this day
Man, it takes me back to the gold old days. Ordonez and Alfonso were a great defensive tandem.
With olerude at first and Alomar at 2nd
@@eddiemarin2984 You are right! We were fortunate to get those two as additions. However, these two were ours from the beginning.
Man, he had alot more arm strength than I remembered
Even tho we didn’t always have a good team in the 90s Rey was awesome to watch.
Ordonez was a defensive genius. He never developed into a solid hitter. BUT... he was part of the organization during which the teams were decent to very good. That's not a coincidence
Ordonez's defense is the stuff of highlight flim
He was a wizard with the glove and I love the highlights. But I think this video showed every base hit he ever had.
Honestly. I looked back at it. He wasn’t that bad as we might remember. He didn’t strike out very much and remember he hit 8th and the pitcher was behind him and didn’t see many strikes. Also. He came up along with other big short stops who hit for power.
I was wondering how they found almost 2 minutes worth of offense for him.
I think there was one year he led the Mets in doubles. Could be wrong tho I’m too lazy to check LGM
@@castertroy9129 Yeah he had a .245 batting average his years with the Mets, not great but not terrible either. considering his amazing glove that was more than acceptable.
@@jefflewis4 Not bad lol. The Mets only had 4 guys last year, with 300 AB minimum, with a higher average. Ordonez got on base so much more than people remember. And it seemed worse with Olerud, Alfonzo, Ventura, Piazza, Henderson in the lineup.
I had so much fun watching him play in the late 90s. Miss the 'then' Mets
Oh Rey. All you had to do was hit .250. One of the best gloves we'll ever see at the SS position
Tuve la dicha de verlo jugar y tenerlo como.amigo..
Rey Ordonez another masterful shortstop we admire. Definitely a premiere shortstop.
The greatest defensive short stop in history.
In Mets history or MLB history?
@@hmhm856 If you're going purely off defensive skill, yes the greatest in MLB history. Slightly above Ozzie Smith.
But because Rey couldn't hit a lick, couldn't run the bases well and had a short career. His defensive brilliance will always be overlooked.
Wow! Are you really right? You are!
Great to hear Gary Thorne and Howie Rose! Being amazed by Rey Rey!
Great defensive skills.Its crazy he wasn't even the best shortstop in Cuba at the time.
Yeah im cuba i was german mesa
Beca use he was so young!
I saw him play a lot at Shea growing up what a gem 🔥🔥🔥
Artistic Play! Rey
Ufff this man was a horse, I didn't know some one that could make those kind of plays since ozzie smith!!💪🏾🔥🔥 we really need those kind of shortstops in this era!!
The Mets all time defensive team. 1B Keith Hernandez 2B Edgardo Alfonso SS Rey Ordonez 3B Robin Ventura LF Bernard Gilkey CF Tommie Agee RF Darryl Strawberry C Jerry Grote
What an underrated player
La bestia 🔥🔥 Cuba
Si él candelita iglesia
Defense up the middle wins games. Rey was a magician.
I like how you were able to put every hit Rey Ordonez ever got into this video.
Ordonez pimping that GS was amazing. I remember these games, and I've still yet to see a better defensive player. Making plays like that at SS in softball makes you think you're the shit, this guy made it look easy at the highest level. Such a treat watching his defense.
Hands down the best defensive shortstop I've ever seen by a wide margin.
@Lighthouse in the Storm Ozzie just did it longer which is why he is in the hall of fame.
Rey in his prime was better defensively than Ozzie in his prime. But unlike Rey Ozzie could also hit.
Rey Ordonez should be in the Mets HoF
Hitting isnt everything. He is absolutely one of the best athletes.
*What a player*
Ray Ordonez best defensive SS in history of major league baseball
I loved watching him what a player!!
If this guy could hit just .300 like an Ozzie Smith, he'd have been the GOAT shortstop. Not just the plays he made but the accuracy and power of his arm was other-worldly.
Smith hit .262. Ordonez hit .246. That's 8 fewer hits per season.
@@eldiesel4593 Smith hit that because of his awful hitting in San Diego - by the time he got to St. Louis he was improved. Hit best year he hit .303 and drove in 75 runs without hitting one dinger - Rey never hit like Ozzie.
@@marcoslaureano5562 A lot of guys have one great offensive year. Smith's 1983 and 1990 seasons were both worse than Ordonez's 1999 season in terms of average and RBI's. I can be selective about stats too.
@@eldiesel4593 Most of Smith's career stats seem low because he played too damned long and dragged down his average in his later years.
In Ozzie's prime he was a 300 hitter. Something Rey could never really do. Not to mention that in his prime Ozzie was a terror on the basepaths as well.
@@randomperson9187 He batted above .290 twice in 19 seasons. I don't know whose stats you're looking at.
quien esta aqui despues de la entrevista en swing completo jjjjj
Yo jej
Yo 😄
Yo creo que jerman se le fue ban ban uaoo
German era mejor señores que no te engañen
@@kingpedritobarber3419 EN CUBA
Great glove, was never the same after that arm injury
The Wizard of O!
3:45 and 4:06...incredible. Some of the best shortstop highlights ever.
Wish we had him now..wow
Ryan Murphy lol you're right..Gimenez is an amazing young player so far. Ordonez was good defensively that's the only reason why I want him now. I agree, his offense was terrible!
Great defensive player! What's the music background at almost at the end of the video?
Best defensive shortstop.
Glove was so good in those years, that you didn't mind that he was awful at the plate.
Way too many did care. It was bizarre. A player robbing a hit is just as good as getting one.
I swear he hit as low as .150 and couldn't be taken out of the lineup bc his glove was that good
@@dillond4709 I remember. The lineup at the time was good enough to carry him.
I never make it to the end of the video, once they start showing his batting higjlights I lose interest : )
I wish there was a thing that was designated fielders
No one will break his error less game streak of 103 games str8.
It's 101 games. Anyway, Mike Bordick has the MLB record at 110 games error free.
@@jontheroadagain damn.. i 4got abt mike bordick.. still miss me my rey.. im not a Mets fan btw, I also was not good enough to play ss as I got older, 2b, and ordonez was the best fielder I ever watched (didn't ever see Ozzie live)
It was ALWAYS fantastic watching the Mets D and Ordonez, offense and hitting, psshhhh. I find the amazing defense more entertaining personally
Haha Rey Ordonez! I haven't heard that name in 20 years. I'm a SF Giants fan but I wanted a black mets cap because of Rey Ordonez. I played shortstop and always loved Rey Ordonez.
Luis Guillorme could be Rey Ordoñez 2.0 If he gets enough playing time
I haven't seen great defense since rey and Omar vizquel that vizquel to Alomar double plays use to be magical
My favorite thing about Rey apart from his incredible defense was how he swung like a power hitter but never hit more than 3 home runs in a season. Watching him take batting practice was like seeing delusion in action and I loved it.
Best defensive SS I have ever seen with my own eyes in person. A wizard. He was robbed of multiple GGs.
I'm proud of Rey Ordoñes, Cuban 🇨🇺
REY ORDOÑEZ UN EXTRA CLASE DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS
Watched him since I was little all I remember was spectacular play after spectacular play was like a video game wish his bat could of been more active though.
The lettering on the back of his jersey is enormous!
Wow amazing this guy
I missed the entire Rey Ordonez era as I moved West and there was no streaming of audio or video. I would catch the occasional game on ESPN. What a fielder! Where are his hitting highlights?? Did he have any?
Not many. There are some in this video though.
Best defensive shortstop we ever had
Wow... Rey Ordonez...now that's a name I haven't heard a long time... a long time.
Not really much of a hitter but that’s okay. He contributed on another level defensively.
Artistic Defense Rey!
Greatness shouldn’t be under appreciated. Sadly, that was the case for Rey who felt the fans didn’t fully acknowledge his wizardry. All because his bat wasn’t equal to his glove.
A statistic can easily capture a home run or RBI. But I have always wondered how can a statistic capture the kinds of things that Ray Ordonez and other great defensive players can do
UZR DRZ
I knew his kid growing up. He and I would play and talk a little baseball back in the day. I never knew who his father was until later. Just knew he played in the big leagues. Lol, Rey was one of those little league parents that was too emotionally attached to the games if you know what I mean 😂
Funny seeing Seattle GM Jerry DiPoto pitching. 🐱 Also hearing the last great Tom Seaver. Gary Cohen on radio.
baseball and football are like disipline sports, while bball and soccer are creativity sports
@Bread And Circuses to do nothing, also matters
The man was a wizard
The only 2 shortstops in today's game I can think of that you can compare to Rey Ordonez are Andrelton Simmons & Jose Iglesias. Only difference between these guys is that Ordonez was a below average hitter. Iglesias can hit a bit. Simmons is the best hitter between these three guys.
My top infield
3B- wright
SS- ordonez
2B- reyes
1B- alonso
Gotta have Edgardo in there in place of Reyes
I will take Ventura over Wright defensively any day.
1B - Hernandez
2B - Alfonso
SS - Ordonez
3B - Wright
Nah
Olerud 1B
Alfonso 2B
Ordonez SS
Ventura 3B
Greatest infield of all time
Defense....he has it!! Top 3 ever!
You guys can’t forget about Omar vizquel when talking about GOAT shortstop
Rey was that dude!!!!
It's too bad he got hurt in 2003 when he had his best offensive start by far going.. maybe he had finally learned to hit. Alas, we will never know as it effectively ended his career.
He was the best since Ozzie. At his best ahead of Vizquel because of the stronger arm. Simmons is the best since all of them and may be Rey’s equal but I think Rey may have been more creative then them all. My sense is that if the Rey hadn’t gotten injured and the Mets hadn’t had to trade for Mike Bordick, they would have gone further and perhaps would have won the World Series. He was a lucky charm that way. He brought magic to that team. Special player who is missed by those who remember him. Should be missed by more. Too many didn’t see him or have forgotten him. Ozzie, Omar, Rey and Andrelton are in a class of their own. Anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t know what they are talking about. Not sure there’s a case for anyone else being on their level either.
I think Vizquel had a better arm than Rey.
Where Rey left Vizguel in the dust was his quick release which was absolute insanity.
Legendary
Smooth operator
Best shortstop NY has 🔥💪
Imagine what Rey Ordonez could have been if he could hit the ball the way he fielded it.
Then he would have been Ozzie Smith.
He was a back up in Cuban not because the other guy was a better hitter (He was). It was because the other man was called the Wizard. He was always compare to Ozzie Smith. German Mesa best defensive SS I have ever seen.
If he had a better bat, he’d be regarded as one of the best short stops ever.