In a little bit of a surprising move, New York Mets OF Carlos Beltran went to manager Terry Collins and suggested he be moved from center field to right field. Beltran sought advice from agent Scott Boras, his wife, his father and Carlos Delgado, and then approached Terry Collins on Monday morning and asked for a change.
The move to right will put less pressure on Beltran’s surgically repaired knees, but it’s also the right move as well. In his prime, Beltran was one of the best two-way players in the game. He could do it with the bat and do it just as well with the glove.
But now, it appears Beltran is a shell of his former self. At the age of 33, it appears father time has caught up with him. Over the past two years, Beltran has a -14.6 UZR/150, which ranks towards the bottom of all center fielders during that time frame.
This move by Beltran allows Angel Pagan to move back to center, and considering he is head and shoulders above Beltran defensively, this decision works out pretty well for the Mets. And let me say this about Pagan: There is not a more underrated player in the game than Angel Pagan.
Not only is he one of the better defensive center fielders in the game (14.7 UZR/150), but how many people know he hit .290/.340/.425 with 11 HRs, seven triples, 31 doubles and 37 SB in 151 games? Those are All-Star numbers any way you want to slice it.
With one little decision and one selfless move, the Mets just got a whole lot better defensively in the outfield in 2011.
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