Just like David Wright, part of the beauty of Jose Reyes’ game, is it can’t just be measured with statistics. How much does his worldclass speed scare defenses? How much does his smile and his energy relax his teammates and ignite the crowd?

“I think I’m Jose’s biggest fan,” Wright said after the Mets’ 7-3 win over the Padres. “I love the way he plays the game, the excitement and energy he brings every day. I’ve said it before, he changes the momentum of a game. He can do it in so many different aspects. Whether it is defensively, offensively or the way he runs.

The way he smiles, the energy that he plays the game with, I think it is infectious. I think it rubs off on the rest on the team.” In other words, Reyes is a difference-maker.

In the second yesterday, with the Mets down two runs, Reyes nailed a two-run triple to tie the game. Next, he gave the Mets the lead on Endy Chavez’ sacrifice fly.

In the seventh, after the Padres had tied the game at three, Reyes began the inning by going the other way, singling to left. After a Chavez bunt single, Reyes touched home with the go-ahead run on Wright’s RBI double.

This season, Reyes is still playing with the same energy as last year, but he is more in control of his game.

“He understands the game a little better,” said Carlos Delgado, who watched Reyes as a Marlin last year. “You don’t see him running with two outs or doing anything too crazy, even though he is very aggressive. He is a little more under control now, for lack of a better term.” Reyes is serious about improving even more. He said he heard people talking last year that he didn’t walk enough. He has upped his walk total from 27 in 161 games last season to 38 after 107 games this year.

“I’m starting to feel more confident,” Reyes said. “I know I have a lot to learn at this level.”