We Need Delgado

By Ed "In Westchester" Semlies
Posted Tuesday, June 26, 2007

David Wright has started to hit. Carlos Beltran appears to be waking from his May/June quad-induced slump. Jose Reyes is, well, Jose Reyes. PLD, when he is not flipping out, gives us a good #2 hitter. But the key for this year remains Carlos Delgado, no two ways about it.

Now, I don’t know what is wrong with Carlos. He claims he isn’t hurt, and that the off-season surgeries he had cleaned up all ailments. Could it be fatherhood? Perhaps, as a two-time Dad myself, it can be quite tiring to have a little one. The bottom line though is that no matter the reason, he needs to get right.

Now, I am in the camp (as small as it may be) that thinks it is simply a matter of time before “it” clicks for Carlos. Then we will see the hitting machine from last year and year’s prior. The man who can drive the ball and drive in runs in bunches. Last year he had slumps, though none as prolonged or pronounced as this one. But when he was on, he simply carried the team.

The problem this year is that his struggles are being magnified. In April, he was joined in the dumps by David Wright. In May, Wright woke up, but Beltran started to fall back. In June, we had both Carlos’ in major slumps. Over the past week, we have seen Beltran start to hit and drive the ball well. This bodes well, as it will only help the team win games of course. But at the end of the day, we need Delgado hitting, if only to ensure that Wright does not get pitched around.

Due to injuries, the lineup is “short” going six deep if you count Shawn Green. Last year it went 7, sometimes 8 deep. This season, not so much. This year in the seventh spot, we have Jose Valentin, who is not putting up the numbers he did last season. ‘Stache is followed by Carlos Gomez, who, while he has been hitting for average, is not going to drive in many runs when a lot of his hits are bunts or infield singles. At various times, you can slot in Damion Easley and/or Rickey Ledee for Valentin and Gomez. Basically, the lineup is not as good as last year. Now add to that a struggling cleanup hitter, who has been moved to the #5 spot. When the 5th spot in the short lineup is struggling, the lineup is now 4 deep. Of course, a healthy Moises Alou would help, but I don’t expect him back anytime soon, so that is out the window. We need Delgado back, and we need him now.

So what can be done in the meantime, while we wait for his return? Should Delgado sit and have Green play first a couple of days a week? Considering the amount of heat Delgado gets for his defense, I hope people realize Green, who has not played 1st regularly in years, is probably not going to be an upgrade. Not only that, but Shawn Green is not a replacement for Delgado at the plate either (many were calling for Green to go prior to this season after a poor Spring Training. How quickly we forget) IMNSHO, Julio Franco is not suited to play a full game at this point. There are no alternatives. One game every couple of week fixes of Green at 1st with Easley in the outfield are just that, short term fixes. They are not the answer to the overall Delgado question. So, we will see Delgado out there, every day. This is something fans who are clamoring for change need to get used to. The Mets are not going to trade for a first baseman. They are not going to cut Delgado. It simply makes no sense that the guy would lose it overnight. Now, I grant that last season was not as good as previous years in terms of average, but his other numbers were right there. I simply think he compensated for his surgeries early on, and he needs to get back to his old swing. A day off yesterday and perhaps once in a while may help. But the key is him getting swings and getting it right, finding that sweet swing from the past.

And once that happens, as Willie said recently “Carlos has a lot of debts to pay”. I can’t wait to see him pay them in full by leading this team to the World Series.
 

Ed in Westchester thinks fans need to settle down a tad with all the trade talk. You can read more of his ramblings at FU every Tuesday or regularly at http://edinwestchester.blogspot.com/