The Return of Carlos Voltron

Written by Benny B. | 15 July 2010

The second half of the season begins for the Mets in San Francisco tonight and it is with much anticipation and delight that Carlos "Voltron" Beltran returns and bats cleanup after missing nearly a full year of playing time.  There is sure to be a significant amount of rust for Carlos, and I don't expect him to start wacking homeruns from the get-go.  However, his mere presence is sure to change the way pitchers approach the Mets lineup, and that should surely equate to better production.

Unfortunately, we may not get to see a complete Mets lineup as there are questions relating to Jose Reyes' oblique. It would have marked the first time if over two years that the Mets fielded a fully healthy lineup.  There has been countless articles like here & here written about how unbelievably stupid it was to have Jose in the lineup the last week before the all-star break, so all I will say is that there is something obviously wrong with Mets management & the training staff when they put a star player of Reyes caliber needlessly in danger...especially when their rallying cry to begin the season is PREVENTION & RECOVERY, and it is David Wright that has to call out the manger/trainers to have Reyes removed from a game.  All we can hope is that Reyes heals quickly and that the injury the trainers said couldn't be made worse, hasn't been made worse.

The Mets will be tested right off the bat with a grueling 11 game road trip, and then match-ups versus St. Louis, Atlanta & Philly.  Thats the bad news, the good news is that the Mets schedule gets significantly better as they have been rated to have the 4th easiest in the second half.  Nevertheless, the Mets still need to win and simply take series. I don't put too much stock into schedule ratings anyway.  After all, Florida was supposed to be easy wins for the Mets in 2007 & 2008, and they knocked us out of the playoffs two years in a row.

So lets take a quick look back at what the Mets did right and what they still need to be a legitimate playoff contender:

• They cut loose Gary Matthews Jr. & Mike Jacobs in favor of Angel Pagan & Ike Davis.  It is a travesty that GMJ got the starting nod over Pagan who is rated 5th overall in hitting.  I could bash Jerry & Omar, but they ultimately did make the correct choice (even if was a simple choice at that).  Ike Davis has been good and has hit for significantly more power than I would have ever imagined.  He is going through his rookie learning curve, but I expect him to be a solid offensive player.  His defense is already the best we have seen at that position in a long, long time.
• Oliver Perez & John Main were removed from the rotation in favor of R.A. Dickey & Hisanori Takahashi.  It is no coincidence that after this move the Mets went on multiple long winning streaks.  The big question is, what happens when they are healthy and are required to be returned to the roster?  Maine may have some value, but at this point, I don't have any confidence in either.  They can stay in AAA purgatory as far as I am concerned. Dickey has been a revelation.  He is the only Knuckleballer I have ever seen that can vary speeds on his knuckler from low 70's to low 80's and sport a mid-80's fastball.  He had a couple of bad games, but for the most part has been outstanding.  Takahashi on the other hand, enjoyed early success but after a couple time through the order, he becomes very hittable.  Regardless, both have been HUGE upgrades.
• Manuel has indicated that Pagan will get the lion's share of playing time in RF over Francoeur when Beltran is in the lineup.  Again, an easy decision that was portrayed as difficult in the media.  Frenchy has been super hot and super cold this year, but that is the type of player he is.  But Pagan has been consistently great all year. All four outfielders are going to see playing time regardless as Beltran will not be ready for every-day play for a month or so.  That will be plenty of time to determine who will fill what roles.  I am firm believer that competition is a good thing and will bring out the best in them all.

Here's what the Mets still Need:

• A solid starting pitcher.  Period.  With Lee off the board, the drop-off is steep.  However, there are still pitchers out there that can really help this team.  The Cubs Lilly is the name that has been thrown around the most. He's a solid #3, has experience in NY, and would come considerably cheaper than Lee  (as a side note, Omar should be applauded for not getting dragged into the Lee sweepstakes.  Lee's a great player, but Ike Davis plus 3 other prospects for a player who has already said he would test free agency I felt was severely overpriced). With the acquisition of a Lilly-type, that would allow Takahashi to be moved back, and solidify the bullpen.  He can pitch anywhere from 1-4 innings and remain effective.
• Carlos Beltran to play like Carlos Beltran.  He needs to remain healthy.  Even if he is not the Carlos that hit 346 homeruns in a 7 game series.  A healthy Beltran at 75-80% is just as good if not better than any other outfielder at 100%.  The team needs you, we need you, and my Carlos Voltron icon needs you Beltran.  Don't let me down!
• Another Bullpen arm.  Not a necessity especially if Takahashi is moved back, but it would afford the Mets some breathing room should any injury crop up.  If they do acquire another arm for the pen and if Igarashi can work on some secondary pitches, that coupled with the re-emergence of Bobby Parnell (who is throwing upper 90's nastiness) would form one of the best bullpens in the league.
• Solid 2nd Basemen.  Again, not necessary and probably a pipe dream.  Castillo's horrible contract is still hamstringing the Mets. However, there is a huge list of available 2nd Basemen out there. If the Mets could figure out a way to get cheap rental 2nd basemen, it would really go a long way to solidify the offense and defense.  The young Tejada has been great defensively, but he is being exposed at the plate.  Even though it's a long-shot, 2nd base should be an area Omar takes a hard look at.