Blame Beltran For Me Wanting Johan Santana To Take His Time

The Mets have announced that Johan Santana will not break camp with the Mets when the team heads north next weekend.  Santana has still not been able to pitch off a mound and only today will begin long-tossing, albeit from a distance of just 90 feet.

As much as I would like to see Santana tantalize hitters at Citi Field with his signature change-up, I wouldn’t mind if he took a little extra time before joining the team in New York.  Why would I ever want the Mets’ ace to take it slow when the Mets could use his services in Flushing?  The answer to that can be summed up in two words.

Blame Beltran.

Even now, Carlos Beltran might still be able to give a hand to the recovering Johan Santana.

In 2011, Carlos Beltran was entering the final year of his seven-year, $119 million contract.  The outfielder had not played a full season in the major leagues since 2008 because of an assortment of injuries.  When the 2011 campaign opened, the Mets didn’t expect much from Beltran.  They were just hoping he could stay healthy so that he would have some value at the trade deadline.  Beltran went on to post outstanding offensive numbers, collecting 32 doubles, 15 homers and 66 RBIs by late July.  His power and run production were far and away the best of any player on the team, as he remained the team leader in home runs and RBIs at season's end even though he played the final two months of the year as a member of the San Francisco Giants.

Despite missing large chunks of the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Beltran was able to put together several good months in 2011.  Those months of solid production made Beltran a valuable trade chip and netted the team über-pitching prospect Zack Wheeler at the trade deadline.

Fast forward two years later.  Now it’s Johan Santana’s turn to be in the final year of his lucrative multi-year contract.  Like Beltran, Santana is coming off a number of injury-plagued seasons.  And like Beltran, the Mets are hoping Santana can provide some flashes of his former brilliance so he can become a valuable trade commodity come late July.

After missing the entire 2011 campaign, Santana was excellent for the first two months of the 2012 season.  The southpaw pitched the team’s first no-hitter and was among the league leaders in ERA and strikeouts through early June.  But everything began to unravel for Santana prior to the All-Star Break and he was shut down for the season in mid-August.

If Santana were ready to pitch for the Mets on Opening Day, he could break down once again before the trade deadline.  Then he would have no value at the trade deadline.  But by slowing him down and not pushing him back into the starting rotation too soon, it might keep him healthy, and most importantly, productive through the All-Star Break.

No one thought the Mets would be able to trade Beltran because of his injury history and his high salary.  But Beltran was able to stay healthy and productive through the first half of 2011, and San Francisco was desperate to defend their 2010 World Series championship.  Desperate times called for desperate measures.  And desperate times forced the Giants to call Sandy Alderson, giving in to the general manager's demands for the outfielder.

Don't look back, Carlos.  Sandy Alderson might be there.

With the addition of a second wild card in each league, more teams will think of themselves as contenders as the trade deadline approaches.  Those teams will be looking for anything to push them over the top.  Some teams will be looking for hitters, while other teams will be inquiring about bullpen help.  But all the Mets need is one team to have a hole in their starting rotation – a hole that can be plugged by a healthy and productive left-handed veteran.

Zack Wheeler was pitching in A-ball when the Mets acquired him in the Carlos Beltran deal.  Two years later, he is within a few months of earning his first call-up to the major leagues.  If all goes well, perhaps he’ll receive that call in late July.  Perhaps Wheeler will be called upon to replace Johan Santana in the rotation because the Mets found a suitor willing to part ways with a prospect for his services.  And perhaps it’ll all happen because Santana was able to give the Mets a few productive months in 2013.

The Mets have capable starting pitchers in their starting rotation.  They do not need to rush Johan Santana back before he’s 100% ready to go.  In 2011, Carlos Beltran gave the Mets a productive four months.  Because of it, the Mets might get a productive decade from Zack Wheeler.  All the Mets need from Santana is a few productive months and they might get another Zack Wheeler type from a team that believes it has a shot to play in October this year.

Former Mets general manager Jim Duquette once traded away his team’s top pitching prospect for the never-an-ace Victor Zambrano.  Even a less-than-100% Johan Santana is better than Zambrano ever was.  Imagine the prospects the Mets can fleece if Santana is anywhere near 100% in June and July.

Carlos Beltran has been unfairly blamed for everything that has gone wrong for the Mets since Game 7 in 2006.  But if Johan Santana can follow his example and become healthy and productive at the right time, perhaps other teams might blame Beltran for something.  Better them than us.

#BlameNoOne

In 2006, Carlos Beltran came up to bat in the ninth inning of the National League Championship Series.  After hitting a franchise record-tying 41 HR during the season, all he needed was to hit a ball in the gap to score the three runners on base and give the Mets the National League pennant.  He was facing rookie pitcher Adam Wainwright.  The crowd was on its feet, screaming, praying, rally capping - doing whatever they needed to do to help Beltran and the Mets.  Wainwright threw two strikes to Beltran.  The crowd got louder.  Then came a Lord Charles straight out of the Dwight Gooden playbook.  Beltran got a good look at it.  So did the home plate umpire.  Strike three.

For the rest of his Mets career, Beltran was unfairly blamed for anything that went wrong with the team, even if it was kinda sorta tongue-in-cheek.

Second and third, less than two out, rally-killing pop-up?  #BlameBeltran

Relief pitcher giving up another walk-off homer?  #BlameBeltran

Finish the toilet paper and don't have an insurance roll at your disposal?  #BlameBeltran

It was very easy to pin the Mets troubles on Beltran.  After all, prior to this year's re-signing of David Wright, no everyday player had ever earned as much money than Carlos Beltran did as a Met.  Plus, everything was going right for the Mets prior to Strike Three.  Nothing has gone right for the team since then.  Although Beltran was a great player during his time with the Mets, he came up short once in a big spot.  But that "once" unfairly became his legacy.

That brings me to the Seattle Seahawks.

Mets jersey?  Check.  Mets cap?  Check.  Seahawks shirt and carpet logo?  Check, check.

As many of you may know, I have been a Seahawks fan almost as long as I've been a Mets fan.  I've been a fan long enough to have watched their previous road playoff victory (December 31, 1983) prior to last week's win at Washington.

The Seahawks lost today to the Atlanta Falcons in heartbreaking fashion.  Down by 20 points entering the fourth quarter, the Seahawks scored three unanswered touchdowns in the final 15 minutes, taking the lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch with 31 seconds remaining.  Unfortunately, that lead did not stand, as the Falcons completed two passes to set up the game-winning 49-yard field goal.

In the second quarter, the Seahawks were at the Falcons' 11-yard line and went for it on 4th-and-1 when they could have attempted a short field goal.  They were stopped short.  At the end of the first half, the Seahawks were once again in field goal range when Russell Wilson was sacked.  Without a time out at their disposal to stop the clock, they did not get their next snap off in time.  No field goal attempt.  No touchdown pass.  No points.

But wait, there's more.

After Lynch scored his go-ahead touchdown and the Falcons drove down the field, Pete Carroll called a time out to "ice" Atlanta's field goal kicker.  Matt Bryant ended up missing the field goal wide right.  But because the play was blown dead because of the time out, Bryant got another chance to be the hero.  This time, he kicked it right down the middle to give the Falcons a 30-28 lead.  Seattle tried one final Hail Mary, but their prayers were left unanswered.

I could place the blame on the play-calling during the two deep second quarter drives into Falcons territory that resulted in no points.  I could blame the rule that allows an opposing team to call a time out a split second before a last-second kick is attempted (a rule I've always disliked).  I could blame Pete Carroll for taking advantage of that rule.

But I'm not.  Instead, I #BlameNoOne.

The Mets were supposed to be the dominant team in 2006.  They steamrolled their way to the NL East title.  They won 97 games when no one else in the National League won more than 88.  They had a lineup that could overcome any deficit the so-so starting rotation gave them.  They had a pretty good closer in Billy Wagner.  But they lost.  And we were left to blame Beltran.

But this year's Seahawks weren't supposed to be much of a factor.  They were coming off four consecutive losing seasons (even if one did produce an unlikely division title) and were trusting their offense to a rookie quarterback - one that was overlooked by every team in the NFL before being drafted by the Seahawks in the third round.

The San Francisco 49ers were the class of the division.  The Green Bay Packers were the perennial favorite to come out of the NFC.  The Seattle Seahawks?  They had pretty-looking new uniforms.  And not much else.

But after a 4-4 start, Russell Wilson played with the poise of a veteran and the heart of a champion.  The rest of the team, especially their frighteningly good Legion of Boom secondary, would not let the team lose.  Seattle finished the season with an 11-5 record, the third-best record in team history.

The Seahawks, much maligned for their inability to win games on the road, won three consecutive road games against the Bears, Bills and Redskins.  Two of those three teams went 10-6 in the regular season (Chicago, Washington).  One of those games came in the playoffs (Washington).  And they came within a last-minute drive and a last-second Hail Mary of winning their fourth straight road game to send them to the NFC Championship Game.

Many things could have been done differently in this game.  Just one of those things could have given Seattle the victory.  But there is no one to blame for this loss.  Not even Carlos Beltran.

The future is bright in Seattle.  And before long, it will be opposing teams that will be finding people to blame after every loss to the Seahawks.  It's a good time to be a 12.

Let's Enjoy Carlos Beltran While He's Still Here

Carlos Beltran has never been many things. He's never been the most popular player on the Mets. He’s never been a media darling. He’s never been the vocal rah-rah type of leader some teams have. He’s never had to be any of these people because for years, Beltran has let his play on the field do the talking for him. Yet he still has his critics.

There are some fans who will never forgive him for keeping the bat on his shoulders against Adam Wainwright. Others have difficulties with Beltran for getting injured and playing when he’s only been 85% healthy. Some fans blame him for anything they can think of, hiding behind the hash tags of #BlameBeltran on Twitter (even though the hash tag was originally created to be ironic).

The Wilpons’ financial problems? #BlameBeltran. Angel Pagan’s poor start before getting injured? #BlameBeltran. Chicken nacho stand at Citi Field out of nachos? #BlameBeltran.

It has almost gotten to the point that Beltran has become the scapegoat for any little negative blip on the Mets’ radar. Yet through all this, the Mets’ rightfielder has continued to give his best effort on the field, not allowing the negativity surrounding the team and their fans affect his production.

The latest example of this came last night in Colorado. With a lineup featuring Willie Harris as the No. 2 hitter, slumping Jason Bay batting cleanup, and Daniel Murphy and Justin Turner hitting fifth and sixth, respectively, the Mets appeared to lack punch. So what did Carlos Beltran do about it? He blasted three home runs off three different pitchers, with one coming from the left side of the plate, one from the right side and one from the mole side.

Carlos Beltran traded in his Wheaties for Rice Krispies and it showed against the Rockies. Snap! Crackle! Pop!

Beltran now has 20 extra-base hits on the season. His 12 doubles lead the league (tied with Jose Reyes, among others) and his eight home runs are one more than he hit last year after he returned from the disabled list at the All-Star Break. He has done this despite the fact that he missed most of spring training (playing in only three Grapefruit League games) and had to adjust to a new defensive position on the field.

Carlos Beltran is playing for a new contract in 2012. The last time he was playing for baseball security was in 2004 when he split his season between the Kansas City Royals and the Houston Astros. That year, he finished the regular season with 38 HR and 42 SB and then put up the type of dominant numbers in the post-season that are usually reserved for the 14-year-old mustachioed kid on a pre-teen Little League team.

Some might say that Beltran’s quick start for the Mets in 2011 is because of the walk year factor. If that’s the case, then what was his motivation for the 2006 to 2008 seasons, which rank among the best three-year stretches of any player in franchise history? In 2009, Beltran was hurt for most of the season, but still managed to play 81 games (exactly half the season). Even with his extended stay at the DL Hotel, he still reached double figures in home runs and stolen bases, while hitting a career-high .325, scoring 50 runs and driving in 48. In other words, he was on pace for a typical Carlos Beltran season.

Last year, he was hurt again and might have returned too quickly from his injury. However, he turned his game up a notch in September, hitting five of his seven home runs in the final month of the season and raising his batting average from the Mendoza Line to .255 at season’s end.

So yes, playing for a new contract has brought out the best in Carlos Beltran (as it would for any major leaguer), but so has good health. He didn’t have that in each of the past two seasons. Mets fans are now being treated to a healthy Carlos Beltran for the first time in three years.

There will always be people out there who will never like Beltran even if he saved their one-of-a-kind John Cena action figure from a house fire. I feel bad for those people. Instead of bad-mouthing a player who has been through all the ups and downs of the past seven seasons, giving his best on the field whenever he’s been healthy enough to play on it, they should be enjoying watching him play during his renaissance season.

More than likely, this will be Beltran’s final season (or half-season if he’s traded) with the Mets. Over the years, he has been one of the most complete players to ever put on the orange and blue, but at the same time, he has also been one of the most underappreciated players. It’s time to give Carlos Beltran the appreciation he deserves. Let’s stop trying to find new ways to #BlameBeltran and enjoy our rightfielder while he’s still here. You never know. It may be some time before a player of his caliber graces our outfield again.