Senior Perfeción

As Dayn Perry pointed out the other day, Carlos Beltran is going to come close to breaking the all time record for extra base hits by a centerfielder in one season. Hack Wilson set the all-time mark of 97 set back in 1930 when he hit 35 doubles, 6 triples, and 56 homers. Wilson never hit more than 39 homers in any other season and only topped 30 four times, but put together one hell of season in 1930.

This season, Carlos Beltran missed ten games due to leg problems. Overall, he has played in 117 of the Mets 129 games and started 114 of those games. With 33 games left, even if he plays all of those games he is on pace for 94. If Beltran does not go on a tear, it will be tough for him to make that number, though four more extra base hits than he is on pace for in 33 games hardly seems insurmountable.

The fact that Carlos Beltran is even on pace to top a record that has stood for over seventy years that is as hard to attain as this one speaks volumes about the season he is having. He has the chance to do something that no one else has done in the history of the game. Before anyone points out to me that Reyes has that chance too, the thing that separates them is consistency.

Out of four categories (AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS) for each month of the season (total of twenty categories), Carlos Beltran has been the model of consistency. Typically when a player hits .300, there are ups and downs. Hot months and cold months that even out to the players current average. Not so with Beltran. Out of twenty possible categories, Carlos Beltran has deviated 5% or less from his season averages fourteen of twenty times or 70%. He has deviated less than 10% nineteen of twenty times or 95%. That is absolutely staggering. Let's see how he stacks up against the other Met sluggers and one of the best in the game today:

                 5% or less     less than 10%
Jose Reyes      3 of 20 / 15%   5 of 20 / 25%
David Wright    9 of 20 / 45%  10 of 20 / 50%
Carlos Delgado  5 of 20 / 25%  11 of 20 / 55%
Albert Pujols   6 of 20 / 30%   8 of 20 / 40%

The fact that Carlos Beltran deviated 5% or less of the time more times than everyone above deviated less than 10% of time tells us just how solid he has been. He has played in six more games than Pujols and is tied in homers and has one more RBI. Then you throw in Beltran's steals and the tremendous value he adds in center and you have your MVP. Anyone that says Pujols should get it hands down is just being ignorant. A case can be made for both, but there is something to be said for being the most consistent and best player on the best team.

While other people slumped, Beltran just kept going. Carlos Beltran has remained the one constant thing from day through today for this Mets team that has gone through so many personnel changes and while other MVP candidates slumped, Beltran did not. Although he is getting MVP recognition, I do not think he is getting enough. When the discussion for MVP starts, it should end with Carlos Beltran as his accomplishments this season out shine anyone else's in the National League and maybe all of baseball.

* * *

Lastings Milledge went 2 for 4 in Norfolk's 3-1 loss to Louisville.

Portland beat Binghamton 10-0 and thanks to Carlos Gomez's 1 for 3 night, they did not get no hit.

Palm Beach beat St. Lucie 6-2 in the first game of their doubleheader. Fernando Martinez went 1 for 4 with a stolen base and Mike Carp went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

In game two, Jon Niese had a nice outing in his first start in high-A, but Palm Beach beat St. Lucie 4-1 and got three runs off of Niese. However, only one was earned as Jon went five innings with three hits allowed, one earned run, and three walks to go along with five strikeouts. Fernando Martinez went 0 for 4 in the game and Mike Carp went 0 for 3.

John Maine seems to have issues staying focused.

"I couldn't get going, it took me a while," Maine said. "I felt better in the fourth and fifth inning."

Maine allowed two runs on five hits, including a Pat Burrell home run, in 6 1/3 innings, his second-longest outing in 11 starts this season. He was taken out in the seventh after allowing a Chris Coste double and then walking Abraham Nunez.

Manager Willie Randolph isn't concerned so much about the length of Maine's outings as about his approach to each at-bat. At times he needs reminders to stay focused.

"Sometimes it seems like he takes his foot off the accelerator a little bit, and he needs to just keep firing at them, keep going," Randolph said. "Because when he does that, things work out better for him."

Despite his lapses in staying focused, he has went 4-0 in his last seven starts and the Mets are 7-0 in his last seven starts. If you cannot ignore how Steve Trachsel just manages to win, how can you ignore that?

Fucking swell...

They capped off the third-best homestand in team history by knocking off the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 at Shea Stadium yesterday, finishing their nine-game homestand with an 8-1 record. Only the 1969 Amazin' Mets and the 1988 squad fared better, each posting 9-1 marks.

I don't want to sound to Yankee-fanish, but anything less than a World Series trip will be very disappointing.

Any hopes and dreams for Roy Oswalt in a Mets uniform could be flushed down the toilet.

The sides also met on Aug. 9, when parameters of a contract were exchanged.

Since then, the parties have agreed to settle on a deal before the end of August or table the negotiations until after the season.

Oswalt will celebrate his 29th birthday Tuesday, and it would not be a surprise if his good friend McLane marked the occasion by locking him up to a long-term contract.

Oswalt wants to stay in Texas at the expense of him actually having a shot at winning a World Series, but at least he'll be rich for lifetimes to come.

The Red Sox are D-O-N-E, done.

Slightly more than a week after being admitted to Mass. General Hospital with an irregular heartbeat, Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz suffered a recurrence of the problem last night and will return to Boston today for additional testing.

Ortiz was scratched from the starting lineup just prior to the Sox’ 9-0 loss to the Oakland A’s because, according to a club spokesman, he was not feeling well. Until manager Terry Francona revealed the nature of Ortiz’ problem after the game, the assumption was that the player was suffering from a bug that has affected a handful of players on the team.

It was already on life support, but any games Ortiz misses is a nail in their coffin.