Wednesday, October 13, 2004
I am in the process of creating and posting my wish list of players the Cubs should do themselves a favor by acquiring this offseason. But the short version is that, if they do nothing else, the Northsiders should do everything they can to acquire Carlos Beltran, who has raised his asking price again tonight with a first-inning home run against the Cardinals. Why do I say this? It's pretty straightforward:
First and foremost, his success at Wrigley field has me positively giddy about the prospect of #15 patrolling left field for the Cubs next year. In 7 games there this past season, Beltran hit .520, slugged 1.400, got on base 65% of the time, and posted a ridiculous OPS of 2.057. To give you an idea, an OPS of 1.000 is exceptional, a feat reached by only a few players each year. It's impossible to maintain Beltran's Wrigley level of production for an entire year, but it certainly bodes well for a full season's work at the Friendly Confines. I'd love to see that happen.
Secondly, the man is exactly the type of player the Cubs lineup needs. He plays a great outfield (left would be a cinch for him, as is center), he bats lefthanded nearly as well as he bats righthanded, hits lefties better than he hits righties, steals lots of bases at an 89% clip for his career, and--most importantly--seems immune to streaks. With the exception of Aramis Ramirez, this year's Cubs team was a frustratingly streaky bunch, and it would be nice to have a steady .285 guy in there at all times. And plus he's 28--he's going to be good for awhile. There are other free agents out there, but none who would be as instantly juvenating as Carlos Beltran. Be nice to see our boys pony up for the right guy, for once. I'm not holding my breath.
First and foremost, his success at Wrigley field has me positively giddy about the prospect of #15 patrolling left field for the Cubs next year. In 7 games there this past season, Beltran hit .520, slugged 1.400, got on base 65% of the time, and posted a ridiculous OPS of 2.057. To give you an idea, an OPS of 1.000 is exceptional, a feat reached by only a few players each year. It's impossible to maintain Beltran's Wrigley level of production for an entire year, but it certainly bodes well for a full season's work at the Friendly Confines. I'd love to see that happen.
Secondly, the man is exactly the type of player the Cubs lineup needs. He plays a great outfield (left would be a cinch for him, as is center), he bats lefthanded nearly as well as he bats righthanded, hits lefties better than he hits righties, steals lots of bases at an 89% clip for his career, and--most importantly--seems immune to streaks. With the exception of Aramis Ramirez, this year's Cubs team was a frustratingly streaky bunch, and it would be nice to have a steady .285 guy in there at all times. And plus he's 28--he's going to be good for awhile. There are other free agents out there, but none who would be as instantly juvenating as Carlos Beltran. Be nice to see our boys pony up for the right guy, for once. I'm not holding my breath.
