Over the past few weeks, I've engaged with a few people who make their living in the game of baseball; a scout, someone who works for MLB and a former coach, and all three said the same thing - they think the Mets made a great choice in selecting Carlos Beltran as their new manager.
We discussed the things that you'd expect - fear of fans not forgetting the '06 strike-out; lack of managerial experience; low success rate of top-level players transitioning to the managerial ranks; and each time, all three people said the same thing - Carlos Beltran is NOT your typical superstar!
Now let's back up a minute - maybe I'm in the minority, but I have NEVER held it against number 15 that we didn't get past the Cardinals in 2006, because, quite frankly, we would never have gotten that far in the FIRST PLACE if he doesn't have a season for the ages!!! And over the years I've had the opportunity to discuss that strike three call and to a person each one said that Wainwright's stuff at that point was practically unhittable!
We all know the adage that good pitching will beat good hitting, and in this case, that is exactly what happened. So let's all get over ourselves and give this Hall of Fame worthy player his due and NOT simply reference one strike-out regardless of what you think it cost us- because there were 2 other outs made in that same inning!!!
We all know the adage that good pitching will beat good hitting, and in this case, that is exactly what happened. So let's all get over ourselves and give this Hall of Fame worthy player his due and NOT simply reference one strike-out regardless of what you think it cost us- because there were 2 other outs made in that same inning!!!
Okay- now that I've got that off my chest, let's move forward to the last 2 years of Beltran's career so far; as an Astro, and in spite of the recent cheating allegations (and I have heard that Commissioner Manfred is steaming mad over the Astros and now the 2-time cheating Red Sox and HUGE penalties are in the offing), Beltran helped as a virtual player-coach in guiding the team towards their first World Series Championship.
Beltran worked with both the young players and the veterans, in English and in Spanish, to unite their team as never before. He took players out to dinner, came in early to help players in slumps, shared his "book" on pitchers with everyone who asked and helped to calm players new to contention during the hardest parts of the season.
Beltran had a unique ability to see when pitchers were tipping their pitches, and he shared that info with his teammates instead of just using it for himself. He also knew when opposing pitchers just didn't have their best stuff and was happy to take pitches simply to provide his teammates with a close-up scouting report, so to speak. Finally, Beltran's sharp eye was able to help his own pitchers when they themselves were tipping their pitches as well.
Beltran worked with both the young players and the veterans, in English and in Spanish, to unite their team as never before. He took players out to dinner, came in early to help players in slumps, shared his "book" on pitchers with everyone who asked and helped to calm players new to contention during the hardest parts of the season.
Beltran had a unique ability to see when pitchers were tipping their pitches, and he shared that info with his teammates instead of just using it for himself. He also knew when opposing pitchers just didn't have their best stuff and was happy to take pitches simply to provide his teammates with a close-up scouting report, so to speak. Finally, Beltran's sharp eye was able to help his own pitchers when they themselves were tipping their pitches as well.
As a close friend of then-bench coach Alex Cora, Beltran worked hard to be another coach on that team, one who was still "one of them" - a player that was respected for his results but even moreso because he was a superstar who was 100% approachable, happily giving of his wisdom and time. Beltran wasn't like those superstars on the way out who were simply interested in maintaining their own stardom; he was more concerned about giving back to his teammates rather than simply padding his stats. That meant a LOT to that team, and their victory (in spite of the cheating allegations) was a perfect end to Carlos' playing career.
Following his final season as a player, Beltran was hired by Yankee GM, Brian Cashman, to be an assistant in their front office. In this position, Beltran brought all of the aforementioned skills to the organization, and his information was disseminated throughout their dugout, again helping players young and old via small details that only Beltran seemed to pick up on.
Now don't take this to the extreme- Beltran doesn't have Superman's X-Ray vision or even Ted Williams' 20/10 pilot eyes; what he did, and DOES, have is the singular ability to spot little, important details that most professionals in the game do not. He pays attention; he has a sharp eye; he's extremely intelligent; he maintains a great work ethic; and he's happiest to share that info with his teammates.
THESE things are USUALLY what makes a player a superstar, minus the sharing part. And that's why, so I've been told, Beltran will make an excellent manager. His clubhouse will be one of camaraderie, perhaps the only positive thing that could be said of his predecessor's two years in the Flushing dugout. And Carlos speaks the player's language, every word of it, and has the credibility to back up what he says.
Now don't take this to the extreme- Beltran doesn't have Superman's X-Ray vision or even Ted Williams' 20/10 pilot eyes; what he did, and DOES, have is the singular ability to spot little, important details that most professionals in the game do not. He pays attention; he has a sharp eye; he's extremely intelligent; he maintains a great work ethic; and he's happiest to share that info with his teammates.
THESE things are USUALLY what makes a player a superstar, minus the sharing part. And that's why, so I've been told, Beltran will make an excellent manager. His clubhouse will be one of camaraderie, perhaps the only positive thing that could be said of his predecessor's two years in the Flushing dugout. And Carlos speaks the player's language, every word of it, and has the credibility to back up what he says.
There's one other thing to think about; in a time when managers are less a part of a team's success then ever before (hello, Sabre-metrics!), perhaps their most important roles are keeping a united clubhouse and having the trust of his players so that they'll be honest with him when they are either hurting or just don't have their best stuff that day. Don't underestimate that word, trust, because Social Media allows details to leak out almost as fast as words can fall out of your mouth.
Beltran's proven clubhouse leadership as a player, someone who has seen all of the best and the worst this game can offer, knows when things should be said and when they shouldn't. Again, his predecessor simply didn't have that aspect of the job in hand, and unfortunately at times it made a good man seem less than intelligent.
Beltran's proven clubhouse leadership as a player, someone who has seen all of the best and the worst this game can offer, knows when things should be said and when they shouldn't. Again, his predecessor simply didn't have that aspect of the job in hand, and unfortunately at times it made a good man seem less than intelligent.
Okay- if the 2020 Mets players don't perform up to expectations, if they don't stay healthy, the man in the dugout won't matter one iota; here's hoping that this team, a mostly homegrown and still a relatively young group of guys plays smart baseball, responds well to their new clubhouse leader and the blend of Beltran's hand and an even better usage of advanced statistics combine to bring us back to the play-offs this season!!!!
As of today, Pitchers and Catchers report in a mere 32 days - and the sweet sound of a ball cracking off a bat will ring in our ears once more...so let's forget 2006 and focus on 2020!!!!!
Next Week: A Look at the Mets Front Office
Excellent piece David.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are right.
I don't have an issue with the strikeout like many do. What I do care about is the lack of ANY managerial experience and the fact he's so wealthy that I can't believe he'll put as much effort into the role as would someone who actually needed the paycheck to cover his mortgage.
ReplyDeleteA ringing endorsement of Beltran, David, and I hope you are prescient. And right, too!
ReplyDeleteHe'll have to prove himself, of course.
That Wainwright curve was a thing of true beauty - I, however, have to not give him a 100% free pass on it - in that situation a called strike ends the playoffs, so he should have been 100% ready to swing at a strike, fastball or curve. You can't hit a strike you don't swing at.
Nice work, David.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is foolish for anyone to dismiss Carlos Beltran's ability as a manager, largely because his career record is 0-0 and that novel has yet to be written. He does bring a massive amount of intangibles to the dugout that will help the team on a daily basis and how can anyone question his baseball IQ?
I am excited for the 2020 season and having Carlos Beltran back in the organization is one of the reasons why.
Reese- simply BECAUSE he doesn't need the money, his commitment is that much greater. He wanted this job more than anyone, and he does not NEED to work- his desire is one of the best things about his personality, in my opinion, and in one of my conversations about Beltran I was told that his baseball IQ and his commitment to the game were the things that set him apart from both his contemporaries and also the other candidates for the job. Also, the role has changed so much that simply having experience is no longer the biggest necessity for the job- being a great communicator open to receiving sabre-metrics and front office suggestions IS.
ReplyDelete