Angel Pagan arrived in Met camp today assured of a regular spot in the outfield this season--the only question is will it be in right or center? Of course, that remains to be seen with the health of Carlos Beltran the overriding factor in that decision.
On that topic Pagan said, "If Carlos Beltran is healthy no doubt he will be the centerfielder." Remember Pagan has a long standing friendship with Beltran dating back to before they were teammates in New York. "Carlos taught me so much", says Pagan, "and his advice has clearly helped me to succeed on this level." In many ways, 2010 was a breakout year for Angel as he finally had a fully healthy season and his numbers supplanted the notion that he could be a core player in years to come.
But the evolution of Angel Pagan as a person has been as interesting as his evolution as a player. He is very much a go to guy in that clubhouse for both his teammates and the media. And if you think the centerfield decision could affect his friendship with Beltran, forget it. "Whatever happens we will have 2 centerfielders out there at the same time, and that will only makes us better defensively," says Pagan.
In years to come, Pagan will patrol centerfield for the Mets but he knows it is in the best interest of the team to keep Beltran there if he's healthy for no other reason than Pagan has played rightfield and Beltran has not. That is the true definition of team leadership and the evolution of Pagan in that role on this team has been great to see.
To hear the entire interview session click here:
It is nice to hear that Pagan is developing into a leader on a team that has lacked leadership the past few seasons. It may not be a vocal type of leadership that he is displaying, but it is the type of leadership where he is putting the welfare of the team before himself. And he's right, if Beltran is healthy he should play center.
Last season we did not see the Beltran we were accustomed to, the Beltran who glided to balls with the greatest of ease as if he wasn't even exerting any energy. Maybe that's why Mets fans have mistakenly been to hard on Beltran since he came to New York seven years ago, but the truth is, when healthy, Beltran is one of the best center fielders in the game and the Mets' best all-around player.
He gets an unfair rap from fans because he doesn't outwardly show his emotions like "New York-big stage" players should, which is a fallacy. David Wright doesn't show emotion, unless he's bashing a bat on the dugout bench after a strikeout as we've seen, but he gets a pass. Adversely, when Jose Reyes does show emotion -- something that galvanizes and inspires his teammates - he gets attacked because it riles up the other team. In the end, you can't win.
If Beltran is healthy you know you can get a .285 average, 30 homers, 100 RBI, 25 steals and Gold Glove-caliber defense. With Pagan you now have a ceter fioelder's speed and range in right field. Throw in Jason Bay, who is solid in left, and you have a good defensive outfield. Lastly, if the Mets expect to surprise people and compete for a wild card at the least, their success hinges on Beltran, who is unfortunately remembered more for watching a knee-bucking curveball in Game 7 of the NLCS by misguided fans than for being a four-time All-Star who plays hurt without saying boo in the Big Apple.
Posted by: Tom G. | 02/19/2011 at 01:29 AM
If you shed tears when you miss the sun,you also miss the stars.
Posted by: Cheap Jordans | 03/12/2011 at 01:13 AM
A bad workman always blames his tools.
Posted by: Sports Apparel | 08/17/2011 at 10:11 PM
I think that Angel Pagan has had what in literature we call a ride of passage, he has changed for better and has become a better baseball player, I'm so happy he has achieved and happier that he is in my favorite team :D
Posted by: becoming a bookie | 05/10/2012 at 08:04 PM
My first time seeing the Mets in peorsn was in 2006 in Cincinnati. What a squad. Carlos Beltran, Delgado, Jose Valentin, Cliff Floyd, Heath Bell, Wright, Reyes. When did things go bad? lol.
Posted by: Drew | 05/19/2012 at 06:19 AM
those 10-15k fans are what the As are trying to draw from the Fan that deosnt really care about baseball the fans that want to have a good time andhave great experience.I love the coliseum but i can see how someone who compares both parks choses att,im not saying that the new park will be 35k every night but if it was 22-25k onaverage that would help the teams payroll to have a chance to compete,i know that most fans in baseball areas dont know how it feels to have their team in such a sad state
Posted by: Michael | 05/19/2012 at 12:33 PM