New York Sports

Beltran: Will It Be Right or Center?

 

For most of Carlos Beltran's Met career, his critics have focused on two things: his injuries and the called third strike he took in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS.  But to focus on ONLY those things is both misguided and unfair to the Met outfielder.  Of course, in New York you never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

If the truth be told, Beltran has played hurt much more than his other injured Met teammates.  In 2005, rather than sit out the season with a concussion he sustained in a collision with Mike Cameron he played hurt and did the same at the end of the 2007 and 2008 seasons suffering with extreme knee pain.  In that 2008 finale, he nearly dragged the Mets out of the fire with a game tying homer in the Shea finale before Scott Schoeneweis gave the lead right back to Marlins.  That should not diminish the importance of the Beltran homer but in many people's eyes it does.

In 2009, Beltran again played hurt hanging on as long as he could but when he did finally succumb to a deep knee bruise, the Met season went right down the chute.  After returning last year after the All Star break, Beltran was criticized for his play but he was still in "rehab mode" and it was hard to discern if he had fully recovered from surgery.  So, once again all of the Carlos Beltran bashers lined up saying he could not play center field and would make an issue about it in spring training.

When he arrived in Port St. Lucie, Beltran was very composed in his session with the media and acknowledged he'd have to consider moving to right field if it is best for the team.  That's a far cry from the reaction that most Beltran bashers would have you believe.  I can tell you for a fact that he has lots of baseball left in him and is in great shape because I talked to people who know him best.

Most people know I am closer to Beltran than most of the beat guys and the thing most people don't know about him is this: He is as competitive as they come, has a burning desire to win, and deeply cares about his New York legacy whether he is here in 2012 or not.  He is chomping at the bit to get back on the field because the last 2 seasons have been hell for him--he could not perform at the level he was accustomed to because of injuries. 

So, it does not really matter to him whether it is right field or center field--as long as it is on the field. Sometimes, the perception of Hispanic players in this country really annoys me and for the record, I am not Hispanic.  The feeling among some is they have a cavalier attitude and do not care.  Let me tell you baseball in all of the Hispanic countries is revered almost like a religion and when baseball seasons end, the people in those regions don't gravitate to other sports like we do here--they eat, sleep, and drink baseball--it is in the DNA.

Players like Carlos Beltran are symbols in their country of successful athletes who have never forgotten where they came from as evidenced by all of the money and time he devotes to Puerto Rican baseball development.  And just for the record, Beltran's involvement in Harlem RBI proves his genorosity has no geographical boundaries.

I know this is a results business and many view the off the field stuff as window dressing but I can tell you Carlos Beltran does not just write out a check and pose for a picture--he spends time with the kids and talks baseball but more importantly, how to play within the rules of the greater game of life.  And he does it flying way under the radar.

He will be flying under the radar on the field this year as well until he proves he is healthy.  And if he does, the baseball world will notice whether he is in right field or center field.

The Evolution of Angel Pagan

 

 

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:

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What Does The Future Hold For Jose Reyes?

 

Click Here to listen to Sandy Alderson's comments on Met shortstop Jose Reyes:

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I remember coming to my first spring training here in Port St Lucie in the late 80's as a twenty-something reporter and much has changed in Port St Lucie--more hotels, more homes, less swamp land--but once again we are still trying to figure out how good the Mets will be this season.

In those days, there was talk about reclaiming a title and today there is just talk of the organization surviving amid a potential financial scandal.  Still, the 2011 Mets have talent-more than you might think--and with a few breaks they might be an exciting team to watch despite all of the off-the field nonsense.  One of those talented players, Jose Reyes, was the topic of conversation today even before he arrived.

He is entering the final year of his contract and some may suggest his final year as a Met.  Reyes has experienced a plethora of down time in the last few years whether it has leg miseries or a malfunctioning thyroid. General Manager Sandy Alderson shot down theories that he is lukewarm about Reyes because his philosophy generally shoots down the theroy that speed is a huge part of the game. "Speed is only one part of what he does and thats makes him a dynamic player.  People who say I do not value that type of player are reading things incorrectly."

The quandry that the new GM has is a simple one--If Reyes is performing well and he wants to sign him, it will cost more than it would now and money could be a factor come July when the Madoff legal war could heat up.  If he can not sign him, can he trade him if the team is playing well and Jose is the healthy and vibrant shortstop he was in 2008?  Ironically, it might be easier for the public to swallow trading Reyes if he is not performing but of course you will never get fair market value in that scenario.

Now I am no money expert and do not know how the Madoff mess could inhibit the ability to spend, and any beat reporter that tells you he knows is either lying or should be in a much more lucrative profession.  But I do know this--if I were starting a baseball team Jose Reyes would be on my short list of players I'd want to play shortstop for me.  I think players with his talent and passion are hard to find.  Is he the perfect player? of course not--he makes mistakes but Jose has that "secret sauce" that I personally like in players--he is not afraid to take a base and more importantly, not afraid to let the world see what is on his mind.

Take a long hard look at what the Mets do when he scores a run--they win close to 75% of the time and that's got to mean something. This might be the first tough decision of Sandy Alderson's regime and he must think it through carefully.  Could you imagine if Reyes walked to free agency and went across the river to the Yankees with Jeter moving to the outfield.  That might be too much for the Met fan base to swallow and a bad first misstep for the new head man in charge.

What Can Mets Expect From Jason Bay?

 

For Jason Bay, 2010 was a year he'd like to forget.  In fact after crashing into the wall at Dodger Stadium and suffering post-concussion syndrome, he might have been forced to forget alot of it.  It was not supposed to be that way for Bay who signed a multi-year contract with the Mets amid speculation he really did not want to sign here.  That was a notion Bay later refuted but the sense was there the Mets were not his first choice.  And talking to Bay in spring training last year, he really felt there was talent on the Mets and thought the team could surprise.

And the team did surprise in the season's first half topping out at 11 games over .500 at one point before the second half meltdown after the All Star break.  But Bay never seemed to get untracked offensively while ironically proving to be a much better defensive player than advertised.  You also got the sense Bay got a little spooked by the dimensions of CitiField as his power numbers were not up to snuff.  He was starting to feel better at the plate by mid-season but then that fateful day in Los Angeles ended his season prematurely.

Bay spoke to me at the end of last season and expressed regret that he got to play so little alongside Carlos Beltran.  "We were like ships passing in the night this year-just when he got back I got hurt and so I do not think we ever got a chance to get things going.  I still feel in 2011 with myself, Beltran, and Pagan we have a real good trio of outfielders."

If the truth be told, there may not be a better trio in the league if they are all healthy and producing.  The back of Bay's baseball card indicates the Mets can expect big things from him in Year 2.  In fact, a middle of the lineup featuring Beltran, Wright, Bay and youngster Ike Davis could be pretty productive even in the spacious alleys of CitiField.

My thought is Bay will return to his 90-100 RBI efforts of seasons past and 2010 will just be a speed bump for him.  If that is the case, the Met offense could have a much different look than it did in 2010.

 

Tomorrow: Beltran and Reyes in Contract Years--Good Or Bad For The Mets?

Court Documents To Be Unsealed: Litigation Ahead For Mets?

 

 

 

So, the next step in the Madoff scandal has begun to come into focus: Both sides have dug in and settlement talks are, at the least for the moment, done.  The defendants in the case have agreed to drop their motion to keep lawsuit documents sealed and so they may be unsealed as early as Friday morning. 

What does it all mean?  In the short term, not much as most of this stuff has likely been revealed with the apparent leaking of information to members of the media.  Rightfully so, the Wilpons felt what's the point since most of what is inside the documents have already been unveiled for the world to see? But now the real chess match begins as the sides seem destined to be embroiled in a long court case that could take years to litigate. 

My sources indicate that the Wilpons have cooperated fully with the Madoff investigation from jump and have provided hundreds of pages of documents to aid in the inquiry.  What you must remember here is the documents that will be unsealed are merely contentions of the plaintiff and should not be construed as evidence until they are presented in court just as the defendants refuting the claims are contentions as well.

Ok enough legal babble--what does this mean for the Met fans? Well, a couple of things.  First and foremost, this issue will not go away any time soon as a court case of this magnitude could drag on for 2 years or more.  Secondly, it makes the prospect of a minority owner a remote possibility because they will not need the money until this case is settled (unless of course they re-enter settlement talks) and more importantly, any minority owner will want this resolved before he jumps in. 

The biggest thing though is this will hang over the Mets like a dark cloud every single time they don't make a trade or not sign free agents or shy away from a top draft pick because he is represented by say, Scott Boras for instance.  The litmus test might very well be if the Mets are in contention by the All Star break are they buyers, sellers, or neither?  Whatever words are said, their actions will speak volumes as to where their finances are at that crucial point in the season.

Sandy Alderson's track record is to do more with less so he may desire to take that route anyway but the public perception will be that he may be hamstring by the organization's cash flow or lack of it.  The ironic thing is if the Mets are out of contention by July 31, the proper course would be to become sellers which will send flares up that the Mets are dropping salary to curb costs.

The moment these documents are unsealed, it will set into motion a series of events that could have this case linger in the minds of Met fans for years to come and that is why I think the Wilpons wanted to settle.  And the plaintiff in this case might have missed a window of opportunity because you get the feeling the Wilpons just wanted this to go away but with the contents of the lawsuit leaked, the repuation of Fred Wilpon is at stake making him more apt to take this to the finish line in court.

My question remains this: If the Mets made $ off the Madoff scandal, why would they hold salary this off-season and why would they be seeking a minority owner to bail them out?  Secondly, how could the Wilpons be held accountable to have known the true story behind the Ponzi scheme if the SEC, who is trained to spot these issues, missed it?  And the fact that the Mets fully cooperated with the authorities by providing over 700 pages of evidence would refute the statements that they knew what was going on? All good questions that will now be answered in court in the next 30 months or so. That is unless a settlement alternative can still be reached.

Are The Wilpons Getting A Fair Shake From The Media?

 

I know all about the media in this town as I have both been a New Yorker all my life and have covered the Mets for over 20 years but it must be said the hatchet job being done on the Wilpons is both unfair and misguided.  I can not say I am surprised but enough is enough already.

Is it so hard to understand that a lawyer in a lawsuit brought against the Wilpons would try to exert pressure by leaking details of the lawsuit in order to either extract a settlement or a much richer one?  Yet, until this morning no one in the media even entertained that notion.  I know very little about the legalties of this case but it would be hard for me to believe that the Wilpons would get a fair shake in court if those sealed documents were released on February 9.  They are high profile public figures and as such, it would be hard to try this case in court after it has been litigated in the "court of public opinion."

So, the question remains why would Wilpons offer to settle here?  Simply put, these stories are damaging their ability to do business because of all the negative publicity.  It stands to reason this has hurt their ability to pursue players, sell tickets, and even generate revenue for advertising both inside the stadium and on SNY.  I am sure they want this resolved for those reasons and a variety of others including the care and concern for families affected by this.

The offer to pursue minority ownership is to defray the cost settling these cases might have on the Mets ability to conduct business in the way a New York franchise should.  While we are on that topic, lets be clear that the Met payroll is still one of the highest in baseball and while you may quibble on how they spent it, make no mistake their payroll levels are more than enough to win.  This notion that the Wilpons do not invest in their team is pure nonsense fabricated by people who never let facts get in the way of a good story or have an ax to grind with either the Wilpons or the past general manager who was treated very unfairly in many corners of the media as well.

My sense is the Mets tactic of letting a new general manager advocating a wait and see approach once he can truly evaluate his players is a sound strategy.  And more to the point, it is a strategy that would have been employed whether the Madoff case wreaked its ugly head or not.  But if you hear the media tell it, the case has been tried and completed before we even have all of the facts.

I wrote in this blog just a few days ago that we should all take a wait and see approach whichever side of the fence we sit on and let the evidence guide you once it comes out.  You can not do that when info about the case is leaked to the media by a lawyer who has a hidden agenda and because of that, so much is being assumed before we know all the facts.

And that is just flat out wrong.

 

2011 Mets Might Be Better Than You Think

 
 

When you bring up the topic of the 2011 Mets,most baseball experts say they are a .500 team at best and were even picked to finish last in the NL East in some circles.  I say stop the insanity--they were pretty much a .500 team last year without some of their core parts and with a new manager, you have at least give Terry Collins a chance to put his stamp on this team.  Sandy Alderson has assembled a very impressive roster in the front office whose baseball acumen might very real re-define the "mission statement" of the team.

The team does have question marks and will reside in a division that houses some of the best pitching in the sport.  The strategy to stay put, evaluate what you have, and wait until you have more economic flexibility is a sound one which should not be surprising knowing what a solid baseball man the new GM is.  And my sense is there is serious talent on this roster--I mean All-Star caliber talent like Wright, Reyes, Bay, Beltran and K-Rod and budding stars like Angel Pagan and Ike Davis.  This team will hit plenty even in spacious CitiField and so the 2 big questions will be: Is there be enough starting pitching and who is the bridge to K-Rod?

One scout told me, "If Young does for them what Dickey did last year, they will be OK especially if Pelfrey duplicates 2010 and Santana returns for the second half.  They will hit and they are pretty solid defensively."  The 8th inning question is a tough one but not an uncommon issue around the league--that is why the Yankees paid so much for Rafael Soriano.  So, the rotation is the rub here and more specficially, how they perform on the road where the Mets lost in walk-off fashion too numerous times to mention a year ago. 

Many experts pinned that on the bullpen but you could make the argument that an anemic offense put the team in those positions due to the loss of injured players.  And then there is the question of in-game managing.  It is no secret that I was very critical of Jerry Manuel and the way he handled this team but let me be very clear--I personally liked him alot and always said that I'd want him to manage my son in high school or college but at this level, I think he misstepped quite a bit.

 Terry Collins will do a better job of communicating roles to the players and will do less tinkering with the lineup.  This is a group that needs that and needs to play with passion.  My sense is that Jerry sometimes tried to think too much "out of the box" when a simple approach would have served the team better.  Trying to bat Jose Reyes not once but twice indicated to me his stubborness clouded his judgement and in the 2009 season his opposite field hitting drill proved counter productive especially with his big power hitters.

When I look at this team its pretty simple, Reyes is the catalyst, Wright is your fulcrum, Beltran when healthy is your best all around player and Jason Bay, aside from last year has been an RBI machine.  Pagan and Davis are great complimentary pieces and so what will decide the Mets fate is health and starting pitching.

Which makes them very similar to a handful of NL teams aside from the Giants and Phils.  Lets remember the Mets were 10 games over .500 midway through the season last year before that fateful West Coast trip after the break which for all intents and purposes, ended their season.  With a little luck, (which they are overdue to receive) they just might surprise the naysayers.