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How Do We Know The Answer When We Don't Know The Question?

By Metstradamus
Posted Saturday, May 10, 2008

Lou Gehrig once said that he considered himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

Nowadays, when it comes to luck and baseball, look no further than Carlos Beltran.

Throughout Beltran's Met career it seems that every time Beltran has been overtaken by a slump, it's always been overlooked by a stronger force. In '05, when Beltran started out in Queens with not a bang but a whimper, the city was gripped by, of all things, Alex Rodriguez. Any slump that Beltran felt in 2007 was overshadowed by "the collapse." Now? Beltran is hitting a robust .218, is on pace for 11 HR's, and going into Wednesday's game against L.A., was 0 for 18 with two outs and runners in scoring position. Yet ... somehow ... the focus of all the Mets' problems has seemed to point alternately towards Luis Castillo's knees, Carlos Delgado's statue-like bat speed, and Aaron Heilman's uncanny ability to be Aaron Heilman.

For somebody who doesn't have the excuse of bad knees, advanced age, or rocks in his head, Beltran has certainly gotten a pass this year. Pretty unbelieveable for someone who was once vociferously booed on Opening Day.

Don't mistake this for a call to come to the ballpark with pitchforks and torches to come after Carlos Beltran. Far from it. For as lucky as he's been, Beltran gets a bad rap for not being a "gamer." Look no further than here to see the misconceptions surrounding Carlos Beltran.

"The Mets gave him $119 million to be the player they would build their team around. He's been unreliable, frequently missing time to injury and playing poorly in the playoffs. The Mets have shifted their focus to third baseman David Wright - an up-and-coming gamer."

The original author of that line apparently has never seen Beltran leap body first into the wall at Minute Maid Park to catch a fly ball and destroy his knees during a meaningless game while 15 games in first place ... or running up Tal's Hill the next season in extra innings, risking life and limb to save a baseball game. If anything, Met fans would probably prefer that Beltran not be such a gamer and take a couple of extra days off when he's trying to play through various injuries and such.

That being said, I worry about Carlos Beltran ... and his slump should probably receive a little more attention. Not for the sake of booing or belittling a man who is obviously trying his best, but to underscore the point that if the Mets are going to win anything this season, it's going to have to be Beltran who lives up to expectations, and plays up to that $119 million contract. Beltran's renaissance would mean more to this team that Delgado, Castillo, and Heilman combined (and throw in Willie Randolph suddenly learning how to manage a bullpen).

That point can't be underscored anymore by the city that the Mets just left: Los Angeles, where Andruw Jones is being booed louder and harder than any of the current Met "villians." Jones started last season slow while in Atlanta, and everyone expected that Andruw would eventually pick it up. One season later, the only thing Jones has seemingly picked up is a cheesburger or 300, and he's a shell of his former self. Beltran hasn't gone the route of fast food hell quite yet, but we sit and wait and assume that Beltran is going to snap out of this slump at some point. And one month into the season, it's time to start asking ourselves the question that nobody wants to ask because there's no answer: "What if Carlos Beltran doesn't snap out of it?"

What if Carlos Delgado doesn't snap out of it? Drop him in the order.

What if Luis Castillo doesn't snap out of it? Rest his knees every fourth day and hope for the best.

What if Aaron Heilman doesn't snap out of it? Pitch him in the sixth inning where he can't do any damage.

What if Carlos Beltran doesn't snap out of it?

???

Is there a viable answer to that question other than "pray"?

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The Musings and Prophecies of John "Metstradamus" Coppinger can be found ..... here ..... seven days weekly.