The Mets finally have some thing going. You can see it in the way they are playing and the way they are getting along in the clubhouse.
Now comes word that Carlos Beltran is getting closer to returning to the majors as he begins a rehab assignment tomorrow at Class-A St. Lucie. Beltran can be a huge boost to the Mets if he comes back healthy and with a total team attitude.
The kind of attitude and ability that Angel Pagan is showing every game.
Mets manager Jerry Manuel cannot just hand Beltran back the center fielder’s job. Beltran should be the outfielder who is placed gently back in the mix. Pagan does not deserve to lose his position just because Beltran returns.
The last thing the Mets need now is for Beltran or anyone else to have a selfish attitude. The Mets have too much going to hand everything back to Beltran. Yes, he is a star, but he’s been an injured star for a long time.
Pagan, who turns 29 on July 2, has worked hard to become the player he is today, a player who dominated the game last night as the Mets pounded Justin Verlander and the Tigers 14-6 at Citi Field. Pagan lashed a career-high four hits and knocked in four runs, making a statement to Manuel and GM Omar Minaya. He is batting .304 and owns a 10-game hitting streak.
Pagan, who is close friends with Beltran, showed in his first at-bat that he is not going to sit for anyone, as he tripled home Jose Reyes.
“We’re looking forward to having him back,” Pagan said of Beltran. “What is in my mind is to help the team as much as I can. Offensively, defensively, it doesn’t matter. I’m taking advantage of the opportunity. I trust in my abilities. I feel more mature as a player.”
The Mets are looking forward to getting Beltran back because it makes them a stronger team, but Beltran needs to come back in a way that doesn’t disrupt team chemistry. There’s a fine line.
Essentially, Manuel will have four outfielders for three spots, but Beltran has to show he can withstand the rigors of playing not just any center field, but Citi Field center field, which is center field squared.
Pagan will be shifted to right and left, but right field at Citi may be the most difficult outfield position in all the majors because of the close wall in foul territory and the strange contours of Mo’s Zone. Jeff Francoeur could wind up odd man out, but Manuel has to be careful with that position.
Minaya already is setting it up for a star-studded return, saying, “There’s not going to be a better hitter in any kind of market” than Beltran. But it’s not just the physical side of the game. Beltran has to be willing to make sacrifices for the team. If he has to break up a double play to help win a game, so be it. If he has to slide at home, so be it.
These Mets are playing hard. They are not the most gifted team in the National League, but they are giving everything they have, like Jon Niese waiting 1 hour and 32 minutes between pitches last night because of a third-inning rain delay and the Mets’ eight-run outburst.
That was a dangerous move, but that is the way these Mets are going about their business. At home they are 25-10, the same home record as the Yankees.
The win moved the Mets to within 1½ games of first-place Atlanta. They’ve come a long way without Beltran. He can be a booster rocket to their attack, but he needs to do it in a way the entire team benefits from his talents.
Beltran is capable of doing all that. He can make the Mets stronger. It’s up to him to accept his role, go with the flow, not be moody, stay healthy and see where it takes him and the team.