El Pasoan Omar Quintanilla Back in the Majors
Omar Quintanilla had a crazy day. He was called up to the Mets from Buffalo and arrived at Citi Field just prior to their game against the Phillies. The El Paso native was in New York's starting lineup playing shortstop and wearing his familar #6. What the Mets did not expect from their 5th different shortstop this season was a three hit performance, including two doubles. Quintanilla helped the Mets defeat the Phillies 6-3.
The Mets hope Quintanilla can stabilize a postion that has been decimated by injuries. Ruben Tejada, Ronny Cedeno, Jusstin Turner, Jordany Valdespin and David Wright have all taken turns at short, but injuries forced the Mets to give Quintanilla a shot . The former Socorro star has never been known for his bat (career .217 hitter), but the thruth is he's played sparingly in six Major League seasons. If Quintanilla can continue to hit, there is no reason why he cannot find a permanent place in the Mets lineup.