Ruben Gotay is the 2007 Version of Timo Perez

Man do I like Ruben Gotay.

He's got pop in his bat. Plays solid in the field. And I've got this sense that he provides some energy to the lineup.

But he reminds me a lot of another guy I loved back in 2000: Timo Perez.

Do you remember Timo Perez? He was last seen within the Detroit Tigers system, but I remember loving this kid at the top of the lineup when he was called up in September of 2000. He would slap bunt for base hits. He hustled. He had energy. I really thought he was going to be a sparkplug for the the future of the team.

But after a great few months in 2000, he slowly lost favor with the organization.

Now I'm not one who's going to tell you that Ruben Gotay is the future of the Mets. I don't know what to make of him yet for the future, but I do know that we need to play this kid while he's still hot. Right now Ruben Gotay is batting a ridiculous .342 with 4 home runs and .553 slugging percentage. It's not like Jose Valentin or Damion Easley are just too good to sit on the bench.

Plus there's something about Mets' second baseman that seems you need to enjoy the good times while it lasts. Look at Valentin last year compared to this year. Remember how good Jeff Keppinger looked and then he got hurt and we traded him. Anderson Hernandez was a starting second baseman and now he's all but forgotten. And of course there's Kaz Matsui, but I won't even go there.

Let's see if Gotay can continue his performance at the plate. I don't think anyone is dying to see Valentin and Easley. But I've very curious to see what Gotay can do in an every day role.

And if he turns out to be more than a Timo Perez one-year type of player, that's just icing on the cake.