Omar Minaya announced yesterday that despite Beltran still having a limp, he's going to play in his first rehab game on Thursday with the Port St. Lucie Mets. So barring any set-backs, he will be playing for the Mets within 3 weeks (position players have 20 days, pitchers have 30 days for rehab assignments). But again, that's barring any set-backs. Three weeks puts him coming back right after the All-Star Game (July 13). No one knows how his knee will respond to playing center field or playing every day, so get ready for the daily Beltran updates.
And I've been talking about for a month or two that most likely Beltran would be shifted to the corner outfield (RF), but Jerry Manuel disagrees with the rest of baseball world, basically saying he thought it was harder to play right field than center field. He never ceases to amaze me. I guess Manuel has never heard of the defensive spectrum which has been around for 100+ years and made popular by Bill James in the 1980s. Center-field is the 4th hardest defensive position (2B, SS and catcher are harder), while Right field is 3rd easiest (1B and LF easier).
Maybe "keep it gangsta" means I have no idea what I'm doing but let me make you guys laugh and you won't criticize my every move. That doesn't work Jerry.
I'm with you. I have no idea why Jerry wouldn't consider moving Beltran to a corner outfield spot when he finally gets back. I mean, if there is a great righty on the mound (i.e. Josh Johnson), why not give Bay or Francoeur a day off and let Beltran play a corner spot.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting part of Beltran returning, is what to do with the lineup...Where do you bat Beltran? Are you going to completely reorganize the lineup depending on who's resting that day? If Pagan is in, he bats #2. But what if Beltran is in, who bats in the 2 hole?
I would bat Beltran 4th, drop Ike to 5th and Bay to 6th. That way you go Reyes, Pagan, Wright, Beltran, Ike, Bay and you have switch, switch, right, switch, left, right--good balance. If Pagan sits, 2b can bat 2nd (a stretch I know) or let Beltran bat 2nd and move Ike back to 4.
ReplyDeleteLet's get him back first though and see where we are at. This is the Mets after all and we all know how injuries go...
it is going to be hard to sit Pagan right now with his consistent performance over the 1st half of the season.
I'm at a conference so I wont touch the projected line-up tonight (in the terrible city of brotherly hate), but I will try to write a post tomorrow after with this discussion
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