After Jerry Manuel threw out the idea of Luis Castillo leading off, the Mets manager came to his senses and Jose Reyes will be back at the top of the order where he belongs.

With his speed, Reyes is the prototypical leadoff hitter, perhaps one improvement Mets fans would look for is a higher on base percentage. Reyes, at .358 last season, was tied for 63rd in the major leagues. Far from awful, but with all the RBI-potential behind him in the lineup, getting that number up 20-40 points would make the Mets offense more productive.

And Jose Reyes may not be the only shortstop hitting leadoff in New York. Joe Girardi announced today that he is toying with the idea of hitting Derek Jeter leadoff and having Johnny Damon bat second. The Bombers manager will use this order throughout spring training with an eye towards the regular season.

It isn’t Jeter’s spot in the lineup that has come under some fire recently, it is his play at shortstop — a position he has manned for the Yankees since 1996. Joel Sherman wrote this in his Hardball blog following the USA’s elimination from the World Baseball Classic.

“Throughout the tournament, Jeter showed the world what those who have watched with their eyes – not their hearts – have known for a few years now: He is a defensive liability. His range to his left is just horrible and he made a key throwing error in the bottom of the eighth Sunday against Japan that pretty much sealed Team USA’s elimination. Here is the thing: (Davey) Johnson might be enduring some arrows now. But his time as a 2009 manager is now at an end. Joe Girardi has to play Jeter at shortstop all year. Whether the diehard loyalist to Jeter want to believe it or not that hurts the Yankees.”