Valentin wowing Mets

Hal Bock at Mets.com writes about the tremendous job Jose Valentin is doing this year:

Valentin has become a main cog in the Mets' dash to their double-digit lead in the National League East race. Plugged in at second base -- a position he had played only occasionally in 13 Major League seasons -- he has bordered on brilliant.

At age 36, when he should be slowing down, a year after he thought his career was over, Valentin brought energy to the lineup. He hit two grand slams in a nine-day span, and on July 8, he followed one of them with a bases-loaded triple, just the third Major League player in the last 40 years to put together that perfecta.

"He's been outstanding," Minaya marveled. "Just great."

"Valentin's been huge for us," manager Willie Randolph said. "Not only has he gotten big hits, but he's played solid defense. He's responded to challenges."

"It's not like it was new, new, new to me," he said. "I played some games there. You try to do your best. It's easier when you play a lot of games at one position. You get to work on it. You get used to it.

"It's different when you're playing one game every three days, one day at third base, the next in left field. You play back-to-back days, you get more comfortable. When you know you're playing every day at the same position, you work on it."