11
2010
Should Beltran Or Pagan Take Center Stage?
An article by 
Earlier today, Carlos Beltran announced that he would like to finish his career as a New York Met, but would listen to trade offers if the Mets chose to deal him during the last year of his contract. He also said he would be open to moving to a corner outfield position if the Mets felt it was best, but preferred his customary center field position.Barring any off-season trades, the Mets outfield will feature Jason Bay, Carlos Beltran and Angel Pagan, who is coming off an excellent season both offensively and defensively. Assuming Bay has no lingering effects from the concussion he suffered in Los Angeles last July, he will be the starting leftfielder. Who starts in centerfield between Beltran and Pagan remains a mystery.
Both Beltran and Pagan can claim center field as their natural position. However, Pagan is only 29, while Beltran will turn 34 during the first month of the 2011 season. No other starting centerfielder in baseball is older than Carlos Beltran. Also, Beltran is coming off two injury-plagued seasons. His extended stints on the disabled list were due to injuries to his lower body.
A centerfielder should be the best athlete on the team. He needs his legs more than any other player on the field, except for perhaps the pitcher. When you consider that Beltran was already losing a step or two due to his age and combine that with his recent injury history, would it really be wise for the Mets to have him play the most demanding outfield position day in and day out?
Meanwhile, Angel Pagan filled in more than adequately for the injured Beltran in 2010. Pagan was thrust into the spotlight in 2009 when injuries to Gary Sheffield and Carlos Beltran caused him to become the Angel in the outfield. When Beltran was hurt, Pagan took over in center field. After Beltran returned and Sheffield was injured, Pagan moved over to left field and performed well, often taking pointers from Beltran as to where he should play certain hitters. This on-the-job education helped Pagan immensely in 2010, as he played the majority of the Mets’ games in center field, making the position his own.
Carlos Beltran should know that once his contract expires at the end of the 2011 season, very few teams will be looking for a centerfielder in his mid-30s. If he wants to get one final multi-year contract, it will almost definitely not be as a centerfielder. Therefore, for the team’s sake as well as for his own financial future, it would behoove Beltran to move over to right field for the 2011 campaign.
Right field at Citi Field is as spacious as most center field areas in other ballparks. At 415 feet, the deepest part of the ballpark is in right center. Therefore, playing right field at Citi Field might be exactly what Beltran needs if he’s going to transition from centerfielder to corner outfielder in the hopes of extending his career. It won’t be that drastic of a change, as far as covering ground goes. If he can stay healthy (which recently has been easier said than done), one full season in right field might be what he needs to continue to be a productive major leaguer.
Of course, if the Mets do move Beltran to right field, he’ll have to learn not to have a centerfielder’s mentality. Beltran should know better than anyone what could happen when a former centerfielder moves over to right field and doesn’t give way to the current centerfielder.
No matter who the Mets manager is in 2011, he’s going to have numerous problems to address. One of them shouldn’t be who plays center and who plays right. The Mets should make the younger and equally athletic Angel Pagan the centerfielder and move the older and more injury-prone Carlos Beltran to right field for the sake of everyone involved.
Carlos Beltran has spoken up about his desires to remain as the Mets’ everyday centerfielder. He may or may not get his wish to play in center, but one thing’s for sure. He’s becoming the center of attention and in this city, he who becomes the center of attention better be able to back up everything he puts out there.
About the Author: Ed Leyro
Ed Leyro was hatched in the Bronx, but spent most of his youth in Queens at Shea Stadium. Apparently, all that time spent at Mets games paid off as Ed met his wife (The Coop) for the first time at Citi Field during its inaugural season. Guess the 2009 season was good for something after all. In addition to his work at Mets Merized Online, Ed also owns, operates and is head janitor at Studious Metsimus, where he shares blogging duties with Joey Beartran. For those not in the know, Joey is a teddy bear dressed in a Mets hoodie. Clearly, Studious Metsimus is not your typical Mets blog.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 26 | 17 | .605 | - |
| Nationals | 25 | 17 | .595 | 0.5 |
| Marlins | 23 | 19 | .548 | 2.5 |
| Mets | 22 | 20 | .524 | 3.5 |
| Phillies | 21 | 22 | .488 | 5.0 |
Last updated: 05/22/2012
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It sounds like he is willing to do what is best for the team. Personally, I’ve always liked Beltran and hope that he has a great 2011 season….
Great post! Pagan should be the center fielder. Beltran’s days in center are done! Hopefully he’ll do what’s right for the team.
So, are you going to be a man now and RETRACT your statments where you said he is a selfish player and REFUSED to moved to the corner spot?
Proving once again how wrong you are and NEVER ever take the time to research anything before you make a comment?
Look to the Bronx. Hey Posada, you’re the DH next year. No big deal. Look to California.. Hey ToriiHunter, you’re a right fielder starting immediately. no big deal….. except in metsland.
BULL – Posada is the biggest crybaby ever. He has always questioned every move that team made. They wanted him to consider 1st base and REFUSED.
SO another bitter person that doesn’t have the heart to be a Mets fan is proving what little they no……..except in Metsland – what does that mean, the guy said he would do whatever it takes!
Good God – even when people put it in writing some of you genius’s question it.
I’ve been giving this a lot of thought in the last day. The reason that Pagan looked better than beltran is because obviously Beltran was still in recovery from his knee surgery. Not only was he weraing a heavy brace, but I’m sure he was playing tentatively and gingerly out there.
He got better in the last four weeks of the season defensively, and offensively too.
He batted .321 with 5 HR and 13 RBI in 21 games. Prorated over 160 games that would be 40 HR, 104 RBI, 100 rus, 16 SB, .967 OPS.
It wasnt his fault the Mets botched the original diagnosis and then rushed him back a month too soon after major knee surgery.
His defense improved as he went on and by the time the season was over he finished with a range factor of 2.61 not far from his career 2.79. It was higher than the league average of 2.59. Also, he made no errors in 150 chances and threw 4 runners out trying to advance on the bases including a great throw to the plate.
I think any decision should wait until after spring training at which time a proper determination can be made. Until then Beltran has deserved the respect of the benefit of the doubt to see if he really is back to the old Carlos Beltran he now says he is. That Carlos Beltran was a gold glove defender.
Well put, Squidoo.
even if it is just a sign of respect to the veteran, he gets to come into camp as the penciled in CF. But unless he looks like his old self, expect the RF switch to happen early in ST.
I think that’s fair. So long as he’s given the opportunity to prove himself.
He isn’t opposed to moving. However, he believes he can still play CF. I say wait until ST and see what he has….. There is no real urgency to move him to RF….
I think that’s the right way to take this. But it had to be addressed because it was so obvious last year that Pagan played a fantastic CF and Carlos, if he steps over, can play there once in a while too. Great job by Sandy and Carlos.
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[...] Mets Merized Online: Should Beltran Or Pagan Take Center Stage? [...]
I hope Beltran can come in next year and play center. If not move him to right. It’s pretty simple really. For him he acually might have more value as a Right Fielder. The right fielder is a dieing breed. I can only think of on guy that I’d rather have in right then Beltran(Hamilton.)
If he plays center or right, we are going to need Beltran to play better. Which I think most of us think he will. I agree with Skuidoo, he needed time to get his swing. He spent his “spring training” with the big club.
His normal years are still better than Pagan. But at this stage in his career he might be better to move to “left” not right.
I’m willing to give Beltran the benefit of the doubt here, let him come in and play some cf in spring training, if it doesn’t work out, let it be Pagan. He said he’d like to finish his career as a Met, and I’d like to see that too (don’t know if that’s a reasonable expectation though).
Beltran has gotten a bum rap from fans since the injury. There is something to be said of a guy that still wants to stay after the botched medical diagnosis and mistreatment.
As for Pagan, I don’t expect a repeat of last year at the plate, I hope there is, I just don’t expect it.