The New York Mets are hoping that Carlos Beltran’s arthroscopic knee surgery does not effect the success of their team in 2010. Is this a surgery something that will be a lingering problem, or will it be similar to the procedure to the one that New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez had done to his hip last off-season?
Beltran went into surgery this afternoon to get his knee “scoped and cleaned up”
because he was feeling discomfort from a reoccurring injury while he was doing pre-spring training workouts. Beltran is expected to miss close to four months. This all sounds routine if he was experiencing such pain to the point where surgery would be in his best interest in order to be healthy in 2010. However, some people including Mets commentator Kevin Burkhardt claim that Beltran did this without the approval of the organization and without it being done by team doctor’s. That’s all here say at this point, but the most important thing is what kind of effect with this all have on the Mets.
If all goes as planned, Beltran will miss a few weeks at the beginning of the season, but will be able to return at full strength, once again becoming an integral part of his team. The last thing the Mets could afford coming off an injury plagued 2009 campaign, is one of their All- Star and “core” players to miss significant time this season.
Carlos is looking to sit right in the middle of the batting order, sandwiched between David Wright and new addition Jason Bay. The Mets are looking to Carlos to be be one of the teams leading run producers and home run hitters, something the team desperately needs. After having a rough first season as far as the long ball goes in Citi Field, the Mets will rely heavily on Beltran and Bay to add power to a team that was dead last in that category last season. Beltran's versatility is what makes him so unique, and his speed enables him the opportunity to steal 30 bases in a single season. If this knee injury lingers into the season, Beltran will not be as effective on the base paths as not only he is one of the Mets smartest base runners, he's usually among the team leaders in runs scored.
Aside from his offensive presence, he is one of the leagues best defensive outfielders. The Gold Glove winning centerfielder has a tremendous amount of ground to cover in the very spacious Citi centerfield. Beltran is a gazelle in the outfield priding himself on his aggressive style of defense, where he plays shallow on hitters because of his uncanny ability to go back on a ball. Beltran also looks to assist his corner outfielders that don’t possess nearly as much speed. New acquisition Jason Bay was brought to New York for his ability to handle the bat and drive in big runs for this team, but certainly not for his defense. Bay’s defense is average at best, but is eager to play aside one of the best centerfielders in the game. With the outfield alignment of Bay, Beltran, and Francoeur, it's Beltran's job to get to every ball that he possibly can, but a lingering knee injury could hamper him in doing so.
While we try and figure out if Beltran did this without the knowledge of the organization, the only thing that matters is whether or not this was the right decision for Beltran and the New York Mets organization. It is a fair statement to say that Mets fans would prefer Beltran to miss a few weeks at the beginning of the season, and eventually get back into the full swing of things rather than Beltran gut it out in April and miss significant time during an important stretch of the season. Mets fans can be optimistic that this was the right decision for all parties involved, and Beltran will be back at full strength ready to help propel his team back to the playoffs. Remember Mets fans, you don't win the World Series in April and the team will need the core of their players healthy down the stretch.
Beltran went into surgery this afternoon to get his knee “scoped and cleaned up”
because he was feeling discomfort from a reoccurring injury while he was doing pre-spring training workouts. Beltran is expected to miss close to four months. This all sounds routine if he was experiencing such pain to the point where surgery would be in his best interest in order to be healthy in 2010. However, some people including Mets commentator Kevin Burkhardt claim that Beltran did this without the approval of the organization and without it being done by team doctor’s. That’s all here say at this point, but the most important thing is what kind of effect with this all have on the Mets.If all goes as planned, Beltran will miss a few weeks at the beginning of the season, but will be able to return at full strength, once again becoming an integral part of his team. The last thing the Mets could afford coming off an injury plagued 2009 campaign, is one of their All- Star and “core” players to miss significant time this season.
Carlos is looking to sit right in the middle of the batting order, sandwiched between David Wright and new addition Jason Bay. The Mets are looking to Carlos to be be one of the teams leading run producers and home run hitters, something the team desperately needs. After having a rough first season as far as the long ball goes in Citi Field, the Mets will rely heavily on Beltran and Bay to add power to a team that was dead last in that category last season. Beltran's versatility is what makes him so unique, and his speed enables him the opportunity to steal 30 bases in a single season. If this knee injury lingers into the season, Beltran will not be as effective on the base paths as not only he is one of the Mets smartest base runners, he's usually among the team leaders in runs scored.
Aside from his offensive presence, he is one of the leagues best defensive outfielders. The Gold Glove winning centerfielder has a tremendous amount of ground to cover in the very spacious Citi centerfield. Beltran is a gazelle in the outfield priding himself on his aggressive style of defense, where he plays shallow on hitters because of his uncanny ability to go back on a ball. Beltran also looks to assist his corner outfielders that don’t possess nearly as much speed. New acquisition Jason Bay was brought to New York for his ability to handle the bat and drive in big runs for this team, but certainly not for his defense. Bay’s defense is average at best, but is eager to play aside one of the best centerfielders in the game. With the outfield alignment of Bay, Beltran, and Francoeur, it's Beltran's job to get to every ball that he possibly can, but a lingering knee injury could hamper him in doing so.
While we try and figure out if Beltran did this without the knowledge of the organization, the only thing that matters is whether or not this was the right decision for Beltran and the New York Mets organization. It is a fair statement to say that Mets fans would prefer Beltran to miss a few weeks at the beginning of the season, and eventually get back into the full swing of things rather than Beltran gut it out in April and miss significant time during an important stretch of the season. Mets fans can be optimistic that this was the right decision for all parties involved, and Beltran will be back at full strength ready to help propel his team back to the playoffs. Remember Mets fans, you don't win the World Series in April and the team will need the core of their players healthy down the stretch.
