Your 2011 Mets - Part 4 - I had no catchy line to describe ... Carlos Beltran

With Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo gone, the Mets fans will have Carlos Beltran to kick around. Unless he gets off to a hot start and is traded. Regardless, the Carlos Beltran era for the New York Mets will come to an end in 2011, as there is no way he will be resigned. 

I think part of the fans problem with Beltran is he doesn't look like he is hustling. He isn't diving all  over the place, "running through walls", getting really dirty. He is a much more nuanced ball player than that. He is more like a fine wine rather than a six pack of PBR.  I always thought he doesn't run to the ball like a wild man, because he knows where its going and he's gotten there already.  

During his career Carlos has proven himself as a five tool player. Probably the only one the Mets have ever had during the prime years of his career.

a five-tool player is one who excels at hitting for average, hitting for power, base-running skills and speed, throwing ability, and fielding abilities.

Yes this year will be sort of an experiment with Carlos in right field. I think the transition will be easy on him, being such a gifted outfielder.  He has such great instincts out there he is going to be such a huge help to Angel Pagan in center. I hope that his last year in Flushing will be a good one and that we can once and for all forget about the called strike three in the 2006 NLCS.

In addition to being such a fine overall player, he is such a valuable cog in the line up. As power hitting switch hitter he protects the righty David Wight before him and the lefty  Ike Davis behind him. He helps extend the line up out. 

     

Projected lineup with Carlos

1. Reyes (s)
2. Pagan (s)
3. Wright (r)
4. Beltran (s)
5. Davis (l)
6. Bay(r)
7. Murphy (l)
8. Thole (l)

Projected line up without Carlos

1. Reyes
2. Pagan
3. Wright
4. Davis
5. Bay 
6. Murphy
7. Thole
8. Duda (Seriously Lucas Duda would be replacing Carlos Beltran! F-Mart sprained an ankle just thinking about replacing Beltran)

I think without Beltran in the line up there is something lacking and you quickly get

unproven players in the line up. With him you have unproven hitters 7,8 and 9, without him your lineup drops off after the five hole. 

So Mets fans boo him while he is still here. But ask your self why. What did Carlos Beltran ever do to you?

Carlos is tied with Todd Hundley as the Mets single season home run leader with 41.

Your 2011 Mets - Part 2 – Hu’s on Second … or Emaus … or Murphy … or God forbid Luis Castillo

It’s a really rainy day here in New York and I’m working form home. Well I was this morning, now I’m taking a personal day.  So I went over to Metsblog.com and was watching some footage from SNY on Brad Emaus. He looked pretty slick out there. Its funny how they make a point of showing him catch a routine fly ball.

I think Second base is going to be an intriguing choice for Terry Collins.  I think you have three legitimate candidates.

Lets start with the incumbent … Luis Castillo who was the regular second baseman yesterday is a solid fielder (despite the image above) and when healthy is a valuable asset at the top of the lineup behind Jose Reyes. He is a patient contact hitter who can work the count allowing Reyes to get himself to second and then move him over to third giving the Mets a good chance to score. But he along with Oliver Perez became the face of everything that is wrong with the franchise.  I’m pretty sure he invested a chunk of that huge contract Omar gave him with Bernie Madoff.

Next we will look at the man without a position. Daniel Murphy. He can hit, and had he not gotten injured at the beginning of last year, perhaps he is the Mets starting first baseman right now. What he lacks in experience he makes up with determination. HE paled second base in the AFL and in the Dominican this off-season and hopefully he can get some extra instruction from two of the Mets minor league managers who happened to have won rings with the Mets while platooning at second. And with the plan of having Pagan hit after Reyes at the top of the line up, Murphy slots in better in the seven hole. 

Lastly we have Brad Emaus who admittedly I know very little about, other than watching that video.  From what I read he is a good hitter (albeit he hasn’t played in the majors yet) and a good fielder. Not as good a hitter as Murphy not as good a fielder as Castillo. Hopefully he plays this weekend in one of the games the Mets play this weekend, and I can get a fuller look.

Chin-lung Hu, and Reben Tejada are on the outside of the competition looking in.