Don't Be Nosy; Beltran Pays Niese's Rhinoplasty Bill

Last July, before Carlos Beltran was traded by the Mets to San Francisco, he suggested to Jonathon Niese that he should so something about his proboscis.  Beltran went so far as to offer to pay for the procedure, which Niese underwent in October.

After months of speculation on whether or not the former Met kept his promise, it appears as if Carlos Beltran has put the "pro" in proboscis.

Today it was revealed that Beltran did indeed foot the bill for Niese's rhinoplasty procedure, a bill that cost the new Cardinals' rightfielder $10,000, or approximately one-eighth of what Beltran is due to earn per game in 2012.

The procedure, which was originally supposed to be for cosmetic reasons, ended up helping Niese tremendously, as the Mets' lefty was able to breathe easier, allowing him to focus on cardiovascular exercises during the offseason.  These exercises helped Niese come to training camp 10 pounds lighter.

I can't speak (or smell) for Niese, but his control has been impeccable this spring.  Is his improved schnoz responsible for his 13 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio in Grapefruit League action?  Can he continue this pace during the regular season?

We won't know until the season starts on April 5, but one thing's for sure.  Jonathon Niese is healthier and stronger this spring.  He also has $10,000 more in his bank account because his former teammate agreed to keep his promise.  For all those who wondered whether Carlos Beltran would stay true to his word, you can stop being nosy.  We can all breathe easier now that Niese's bill has been paid.

I Will Always Love Carlos Beltran, But...

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Newsday

Recently, Brian Joura at mets360.com posted an interesting piece on whether Carlos Beltran would wear a Mets hat when elected to the Hall of Fame.  The thing that struck me the most about the title was the word "when".

Now, don't get me wrong, I love Carlos Beltran and was hoping the Mets would re-sign him to an incentive-laden short-term contract, but at the same time, I am a realist.  I knew the Mets would never bring him back.  So being the realist that I am, I'd also like to say that as things currently stand, I don't think Carlos Beltran will ever be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

There have been many players who have boosted their Hall of Fame credentials after their 34th birthday.  One player who comes to mind is Paul Molitor.

At the end of the 1990 season, Paul Molitor was a 34-year-old with the Milwaukee Brewers.  At the time, he had enjoyed a good, but not great, career.  His career numbers (.299 batting average, 1,870 hits, 337 doubles, 66 triples, 131 HR, 626 RBI, 1,053 runs scored, 362 SB, three All-Star appearances and two Silver Slugger Awards) were those of a very good player, but no one expected him to be a Hall of Famer, especially with his injury history.  Molitor missed at least 44 games a year in three of the five seasons from age 30 to 34.

But beginning in 1991, the year he turned 35, Molitor enjoyed a baseball second wind.  Over his final eight seasons in the majors, Molitor hit .316.  After his 35th birthday, he had three seasons of 200 or more hits, scored 100 or more runs twice (missing a third time when he scored 99 runs in 1996 - the year he turned 40), drove in 100 or more runs twice (the only two times in his career he accomplished the feat) and hit at least 29 doubles in all eight seasons.  He also stole 142 bases after 1990, a rare feat for someone in the supposed twilight of his career and made four more All-Star teams to go with two additional Silver Slugger Awards.

What was once an okay career became a Hall of Fame one, as Molitor finished his career with a .305 lifetime batting average, 3,319 hits, 605 doubles, 114 triples, 234 HR, 1,307 RBI, 1,782 runs scored and 504 SB.  He also was a seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger Award recipient.

This brings us to Carlos Beltran.  Sure it's possible for Beltran to return to his 2006-2008 form with the Mets, but even doing that wouldn't get him anywhere near the numbers put up by Paul Molitor.  However, there is one player whose career numbers are very similar to Carlos Beltran's.  And no one is expecting this player to make the Hall of Fame once he becomes eligible in 2013.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the case of Steve Finley.

Steve Finley was a very good player who had a long career in the major leagues.  For 19 seasons, he was a dependable outfielder who won numerous Gold Glove Awards while not being a slouch at the plate.  Let's compare Carlos Beltran's career numbers with those of Steve Finley to see how similar they've been.

• Carlos Beltran: 14 years, 1,917 hits, 390 doubles, 73 triples, 302 HR, 1,146 RBI, 1,184 runs scored, 293 SB, 831 BB, six-time All-Star, three Gold Gloves, two postseason appearances, no pennants, no World Series titles.

• Steve Finley: 19 years, 2,548 hits, 449 doubles, 124 triples, 304 HR, 1,167 RBI, 1,443 runs scored, 320 SB, 844 BB, two-time All-Star, five Gold Gloves, seven postseason appearances, two pennants, one World Series title. 

They look pretty similar, don’t you think?  As of right now, Finley leads Beltran in most categories.  Beltran will more than likely surpass Finley in HR, RBI and walks this year.   He also might pass Finley in doubles in 2013.  But he might never pass him in base hits, triples and runs scored.  After stealing only four bases last year, it might take a few years for him to pass Finley in stolen bases, if he ever does at all.  It will also take him a minimum of four years to pass Finley in runs scored.

Now let's look at some sabermetric numbers, a category I don't use much here, but feel compelled to do in this comparison.  Carlos Beltran’s 60.8 WAR (53.6 oWAR, 7.2 dWAR) is better than Finley’s 40.5 WAR (42.5 oWAR, -2.0 dWAR), but Finley’s dWAR numbers took a dive in his final three years in the major leagues, as should be expected from a player once he turns 40. His dWAR over his final three years was -2.6, meaning he was above zero through age 39.

Carlos Beltran has had quite a career in the major leagues.  Unfortunately, he's been plagued by injuries for most of the past three seasons.  However, after having a bounceback campaign in 2011, he might be returning to his All-Star caliber self.  Still, that doesn't mean he's going to put up the type of numbers Paul Molitor put up after turning 35.

Beltran will turn 35 in April, just three weeks after the season begins.  He appears on track to have a career comparable to Steve Finley.  That's not a Hall of Fame career.  That's just a very good career.  And that's not such a bad thing.  As I said before, I'll always love Carlos Beltran, but he's not a Hall of Famer in my mind.  He has a lot of work to do if he's going to become one.

Joey's Small Bites: Mets Re-Sign Scott Hairston

Greetings and a happy new year to everyone!  This is Joey Beartran and I'm here to give you some small bites on what's going on with the Mets these days.

If you recall, last April I had the opportunity to take the field with a member of the Mets before the first Saturday night game of the season.  I was hoping to meet either Jose Reyes or Carlos Beltran since I was named after both of them.  But then I saw the starting lineup and feared I'd get Chin-lung Hu.

I didn't get to take the field with my namesakes or the man named after two body parts and a question.  Instead I got to meet the starting leftfielder for the night.  I wanted it to be Jason Bay so we could discuss the finer things in life, like Canadian bacon, poutine and Tim Horton's.

Unfortunately, Bay was on the disabled list to start the season so I got his replacement du jour.  That's right, my friends.  I got to meet Scott Hairston.

Scott Hairston was in awe that the world's preeminent bear blogger was taking the field with him.  Either that or he was checking out my colleague's wife.  (Photo by Sharon Chapman)

Hairston was very polite and seemed happy to see us keeping his position warm for him.  He even gave me a high five before we ran off the field to head for our seats.  Although he didn't do very well in the game (0-for-3, 2 Ks, HBP, one run scored), I still enjoyed my first meeting with him and rooted openly for him during the season.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I was overjoyed when word came out that the Mets had re-signed Hairston for the 2012 season.  At first, I was a little skeptical about the news.  After all, the Mets aren't signing anyone these days.  They're leaving that for the other teams in the NL East.

But then I checked Twitter and scanned through Jon Heyman's tweets and found confirmation of the news (because everything Heyman tweets is true, right?):

scott hairston will get $1.1M from mets in '12, give or take a few pennies
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) January 5, 2012

So one of the Mets' key bench players will be returning to Citi Field in 2012 at a bargain basement price of $1.1 million (or less than 10% of what they paid Oliver Perez not to pitch for the Mets in 2011).

Although Hairston only hit .235 last year, he excelled at producing extra-base hits.  Of his 31 hits, 16 went for extra bases (eight doubles, one triple, seven home runs), giving him a .470 slugging percentage.  In addition, Hairston picked up 24 RBI in 149 plate appearances.  His rate of one RBI every 6.2 plate appearances was better than Carlos Beltran (6.3 PA/RBI), David Wright (7.3 PA/RBI) and Lucas Duda (6.9 PA/RBI).  Jason Bay?  He drove in a run every 8.9 plate appearances in 2011 and will be paid approximately 15 times the amount Hairston will be earning in 2012.

Scott Hairston hit three of his seven home runs as a pinch-hitter in 2011, leading all Mets in that department, despite the fact that he didn't play after August 23 because of injury.  No other Met hit more than one pinch-hit homer in 2011.

The Mets didn't hit for much power in 2011.  For the second time in the three-year history of Citi Field, no Met hit more than 15 HR.  The team's leading home run hitter (Carlos Beltran) played the final two months of the season as a member of the San Francisco Giants.  Scott Hairston was one of the few players on the team who could actually hit the ball out of the ballpark with some regularity.  Therefore, I believe it's a good thing that he's returning to Citi Field in 2012, especially with the walls being lowered and moved in.

A healthy Scott Hairston will provide the Mets with a legitimate home run threat on the bench, as well as a utility player who can play in the infield and outfield when needed.  The Mets might not be big spenders this offseason, but at least they're keeping their inexpensive talent.

Jose Reyes is gone.  So is Carlos Beltran.  Maybe I should change my name from Joey Beartran to Scotty Bearston.  At least that way I know I'll have my namesake around in 2012.

Studious Metsimus Presents The Happy/Crappy Recap For 2011

We've reached the end of another year.  It was a year in which the Mets missed the playoffs for the 43rd time in 50 seasons.  It was also a year in which New York finished in last or next-to-last place in the division/league for the 25th time.  You don't need Antonio Alfonseca to tell you that the Mets have accomplished that feat in half of their seasons.

The year began with Johan Santana supposedly being out until August, but it was never specified in what year he would make that late-summer return.  Mike Pelfrey was supposed to fill in for Santana as the Mets' ace.  He pitched more like Ace Ventura.  Jason Bay was supposed to prove that 2010 was a fluke.  Mission not accomplished.

On the bright side, Oliver Perez didn't get to throw ball four for the Mets in 2011 and Luis Castillo didn't get to hobble his way around Citi Field in search of a glove that didn't drop crucial Subway Series pop-ups.

The year was happy.  The year was crappy.  But how happy and crappy was the 2011 season for the Mets?  That's what this post is all about.  Let's start with what went right.

Terry Collins was not the fans' first choice to be Mets' manager in 2011.  Fans who wanted to see Wally Backman as the skipper of the Mets got their wish, sort of, as the former spark plug was promoted from Brooklyn to manage the AA-Binghamton Mets.  Collins did not get off to a fast start, to say the least, as the Mets lost 13 of their first 18 games.  However, he quickly got his players back on track and by late July, the Mets were four games over .500 and had fans thinking about meaningful games in September.  The ride didn't last for the full 162-game journey, but it showed that Collins could handle this team and gave fans hope for better things to come.

It was expected that the Mets were going to trade Carlos Beltran at some point during the 2011 season.  But Beltran had not played an injury-free season since the Mets said sayonara to Shea.  The odds of getting anything of value in return for Beltran did not appear to be great as the season got underway.  But something funny happened on the way to the trade deadline.  Beltran played.  And played.  And played.  Not only did he play, he played well, hitting around .300 for most of the season and leading the team in home runs and RBI.  The highlight of Beltran's season came on May 12, when he hit three home runs in a game against the Rockies at Coors Field.  That caught the eye of the offensively-challenged San Francisco Giants, who parted with their top pitching prospect in July to acquire Beltran.  Carlos Beltran was not going to be a Met in 2012, but Zack Wheeler might make an appearance at Citi Field within the next year or two.  Who would have thought the Mets could acquire such a top prospect for a player who was one injury away from not being worth a bag of baseballs and a used jock strap?

Like Beltran, Jose Reyes had also spent more time checking himself into the DL Hotel than on the field prior to 2011.  Reyes still made two trips to the disabled list in 2011, but when he was on the field, he was brilliant.  For most of the season, Reyes was leading the league in multi-hit games, triples, runs scored and one other category.  It was a category that no Met had ever led after Game No. 162 prior to this season.  Notice my use of past tense in the previous sentence.  By collecting a hit in his final at-bat, Reyes finished the season with a .337 batting average, becoming the first Met to win a batting title.  And I can't think of a better segueway into the crappy part of our season recap.

"Now batting for the Miami Marlins, number 7, Jose Reyes."  Admit it.  You never thought Reyes would ever play for a team other than the Mets, let alone a division rival - a division rival that Reyes watched from the Shea Stadium dugout as they eliminated his former team from postseason contention in consecutive seasons.   The departure of Reyes marked the biggest free agent defection of a homegrown player since Darryl Strawberry switched coasts following the 1990 season.  Back then, the Mets responded to the Straw Man's departure by finishing with a losing record for the next six seasons.  That doesn't bode well for the 2012 Mets.

The injury recovery time prognosticator at Citi Field failed again in 2011.  David Wright was only supposed to miss a few weeks with his injured back.  He ended up taking a two-and-a-half month paid vacation.  Ike Davis was day-to-day when David Wright danced the forbidden dance with him near the Coors Field pitching mound.  We're still waiting for Ike's return.  Johan Santana?  Apparently, his injury is causing major league baseball to consider changing the 15-day-DL to the 15-month-DL.  Ever since moving into Citi Field, no one has been immune to the injury bug.  Expect Mr. Met to go on the DL in 2012.

Hey, buddy.  Can you spare a dime?  How about a couple hundred million dimes?  That's what the Wilpons are probably asking right now, as the Mets' financial woes continue to get worse and worse.  As a result, Sandy Alderson hasn't been able to pursue big ticket free agents, while his division rivals have not hesitated to add star power.  The Phillies signed closer Jonathan Papelbon.  The Nationals traded for starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez.  The Marlins got whoever they wanted not named Pujols.  Season ticket holders get special perks.  Potential minority owners will get their own set of perks.  The only perks fans really want are spelled with a W, an I and an N, and the Wilpons seem more interested in spelling "NO SALE" than a much shorter word like "WIN".

Well, there you you have it, my friends.  It was another year full of happy moments as well as crappy moments.  There were times to cheer, times to boo and times to complain about there not being more chicken nacho stands at Citi Field (although that might have been more Joey doing the complaining than me).

As always, we'd like to thank you, our faithful readers, for making it a blast to write about our favorite team, whether they make us smile or make us hide our heads under paper bags.  Your continued support, as always, is very much appreciated.

We'd also like to thank our fellow bloggers, from Greg Prince and Jason Fry at Faith and Fear In Flushing, to Joe D at Mets Merized Online and the ever-wise John Coppinger (a.k.a. Metstradamus), your sites have inspired us at Studious Metsimus to be better bloggers.  We can't thank you enough for your contributions to the Mets blogosphere, but we sure can try!

Other blogs worth reading include Remembering Shea, Kiner's Korner, The Real Dirty Mets, Mets 360, On The Black, MetsBlog, Random Mets Thoughts, Kranepool Society and The Daily Stache, to name a few.  (But there are many other outstanding Mets blogs out there!)

Oh, yeah.  There's one more blog I forgot to mention.  Perhaps you've heard of A Gal For All Seasons (and if not, shame on you - but if you click on the link above, all will be forgiven).  The author of that site inspires the Studious Metsimus crew more than any other blogger in the Mets blogosphere, and I'm not just saying that because she's my wife.  Really.  I'm not kidding.  Ya Gotta Believe (me).  Let's just say that she's the reason the Studious Metsimus team will always have happy recaps, even if one of us asks for a $106 million box of chocolates.

From all of us to you and yours, we hope you have a happy and healthy New Year.  Then again, as long as we remain fans of the Mets and not players on the Mets, we shouldn't have a problem with health issues.  Let's Go Mets!

Photo by Jason Bornstein (Remembering Shea).  He brings out the blue and orange in all of us.

Colorado Carlos

In 2011, Carlos Beltran had his finest and healthiest season in three years, combining to hit .300 for New York and San Francisco.  He also added 39 doubles, 22 home runs and 84 RBIs between the two teams.  Despite those impressive numbers, Beltran wasn't attracting much attention in the free agent market.  Until now.

According to Jon Heyman, there is one team that's putting Beltran on top of their wish list this offseason.  Heyman's tweets say it all:

#rockies are making a push for carlos beltran. they also made an offer to cuddyer. want 1 or the other.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 13, 2011

#rockies goal is to sign either beltran or cuddyer. they offered cuddyer more than the $25M for 3 the #twins bid
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 13, 2011

#rockies a terrific fit for beltran. they are interested in cuddyer too but figure it might be hard to get him out of minny
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 13, 2011

If Colorado doesn't get Michael Cuddyer from Minnesota, they will go all out for Beltran.  You may recall that in a game at Coors Field this past May, Beltran swatted three home runs for the Mets against the Rockies.  All three blasts came with a man on base, making Carlos the first Met to ever hit three multi-run homers in the same game.

Although Beltran only has a .276 career batting average at Coors Field, more than half of his hits have gone for extra bases.  As a result, Beltran's lifetime slugging percentage in Denver is .552, which is well above his career mark of .496.

Colorado could be a good fit for Beltran offensively, but Coors Field's spacious outfield could be difficult on his ailing knees.  Carlos has publicly stated that he would not want to be a DH, so staying in the National League would afford him the opportunity to remain an everyday outfielder, although it would be a risk for any team to sign him to a long-term deal.

Stay tuned for more news on Carlos Beltran as it breaks.  Hopefully, Jon Heyman will have his Twitter finger ready to go should Beltran sign with the Rockies soon.

Where Are The 2006 Mets Now?

Don't let the title mislead you.  This post is not meant to inform you on what members of the Mets' last playoff team are up to.  On the contrary, it's meant to show you why that team might not have been as good as we thought they were at the time.

A total of 49 players suited up for the Mets in 2006.  As of this writing, only four of those players played for the Mets in 2011.  Those players were Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Mike Pelfrey.  However, Carlos Beltran was traded to the San Francisco Giants in July and Jose Reyes might have played his last game as a Met, leaving Wright and Pelfrey as the only two members of the '06 NL East champions who stand to be Mets in 2012.

Let's put it this way.  If Wright and Pelfrey are the only players left come Opening Day 2012, that'd mean the 2006 Mets would have the same number of players on the 2012 team as they have on the DL.  That doesn't stand for disabled list.  That stands for deceased list, as Jose Lima (four starts in '06) and Geremi Gonzalez (three starts in '06) are no longer with us.

The potential for having only two players left out of 49 a mere five years after that team steamrolled their way through the 2006 regular season is unusual in baseball, even in this day and age when free agents leave their teams frequently.  The 1996 Yankees, a team that won a World Series ten years before the Mets failed to get to one, had more players left on their 2011 roster (Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera) than the Mets might have next April on Opening Day from their 2006 team.

But contrary to what it appears to be, this post is not about the few players left on the team from the 2006 roster.  It's not just that most of the players from 2006 are no longer members of the Mets.  It's that these players are no longer in major league baseball, period.

Of the 49 players who played for the 2006 squad, only 14 played in the major leagues in 2011.  Of those 14 players, two of them finished the season in the minor leagues (Aaron F. Heilman, Lastings Milledge) and another (Chris Woodward) collected only ten at-bats in the majors after spending the majority of the season playing at the Triple-A level.

It would take longer for you to read the list of 35 players from the 2006 Mets who did not make an appearance at the major league level in 2011 than it did for Steve Trachsel to deliver a pitch to home plate when there were runners on base, but we're going to do it anyway.  Here they are, in alphabetical order, with their current whereabouts and/or statuses.

• Brian Bannister (retired)
• Chad Bradford (retired)
• Carlos Delgado (retired)
• Victor Diaz (out of majors since 2007; played in Mexico in 2011)
• Mike Difelice (out of majors since 2008; managed Kingsport Mets in 2009 and 2010)
• Pedro Feliciano (signed two-year deal w/Yankees in 2011; might never pitch for them due to injuries)
• Cliff Floyd (out of majors since 2009; broadcaster for FOX Sports Florida)
• Bartolome Fortunato (out of majors since 2006; played in Canada in 2011)
• Julio Franco (waiting for Omar Minaya's call from San Diego)
• Tom Glavine (retired in non-devastating fashion)
• Geremi Gonzalez (R.I.P.)
• Shawn Green (retired; on book signing tours for his new book)
• Anderson Hernandez (played w/Astros' AAA team in 2011)
• Orlando Hernandez (played w/Nationals' AA team in 2010, left the team to walk the Earth)
• Roberto Hernandez (retired)
• Jorge Julio (out of majors since 2009; bouncing around in Pittsburgh's minor league organization)
• Ricky Ledee (retired)
• Jose Lima (R.I.P.)
• Paul Lo Duca (out of majors since 2008; serves as a horse racing analyst)
• John Maine (left Rockies' AAA team in 2011; might be walking the Earth with Orlando Hernandez)
• Eli Marrero (out of majors since 2006; serves as batting coach for Reds' rookie affiliate)
• Pedro Martinez (retired 10 minutes ago)
• Kaz Matsui (out of majors since 2010; played in Nippon Professional Baseball league in 2011)
• Henry Owens (out of majors since 2007; suspended for HGH in 2009 and hasn't played since)
• Oliver Perez (played w/Nationals' AA team in 2011; not good enough to make AAA team)
• Royce Ring (played w/Mariners and Red Sox AAA teams in 2011)
• Duaner Sanchez (out of majors since 2009; played in Mexico and Independent League in 2010)
• Alay Soler (retired)
• Kelly Stinnett (retired)
• Steve Trachsel (retired)
• Michael Tucker (out of majors since 2006; played for various independent teams since 2009)
• Jose Valentin (out of majors since 2007; player-owner for Santurce Crabbers in Puerto Rican league)
• Billy Wagner (retired)
• Dave Williams (out of majors since 2007; last played professionally w/Nationals' AAA team in 2009)
• Victor Zambrano (don't ask)

Aaron F. Heilman and Lastings Milledge both ended their seasons at the minor league level in 2011.  Chris Woodward was lucky to get a late September call-up.  That leaves only 11 players from the 2006 Mets who played exclusively in the major leagues in 2011.  One of those 11 players (Ramon Castro) only played in 23 games with the White Sox in 2011, missing the majority of the season due to a right hand fracture.

That leaves only Heath Bell, Carlos Beltran, Endy Chavez, Philip Humber, Guillermo Mota, Xavier Nady, Darren Oliver, Mike Pelfrey, Jose Reyes and David Wright as the only players from the 2006 NL East champions to play exclusively in the majors only five years after they were teammates on the Mets.

Most of the players from 2006 are either retired, dead or Victor Zambrano.  It's also stunning to note that a large number of players who were good enough to be part of a division winner in 2006 were no longer worthy of playing in the major leagues just five years later.

If you recall, both Pedro Martinez and Orlando "The Dookie" Hernandez were scratched from the postseason roster in 2006 because of injuries.  Neither pitched well after 2006 (we don't recognize Pedro's renaissance with the Phillies in 2009 because that would be saying something positive about a member of the Phillies, which is taboo here).

Also, for those who blame Beltran for the Mets' failure to advance to the World Series in 2006, let me remind you that he wasn't the only Met to strike out with the bat on his shoulders in the ninth inning of Game 7.  Before Beltran, Cliff Floyd took strike three as a pinch-hitter with the tying runs on base and nobody out.  That's the same Cliff Floyd who was too hurt to start any of the games in the NLCS after Game 1.

The 2006 Mets steamrolled their way through the 162-game regular season.  But that team was full of players who were either one injury away from ending their careers or no-names who had no business being in the majors.  What do you know?  Only five years later, a great number of those players have suffered career-altering injuries or haven't sniffed the major leagues since Shea Stadium was still around.

A winning team needs a mix of veterans to guide the kids along.  But the 2006 Mets depended too much on veterans.  Now, those veterans are no longer around, succumbing to injuries and Father Time.  That has forced players who are still kids themselves (see Reyes, Jose and Wright, David) to be the team leaders.  Given those facts, is anyone surprised that the Mets have now trudged their way through three consecutive losing seasons? 

David Wright Hasn't Been The Same Since Matt Cain

Ever since Shea Stadium closed its doors for the final time in 2008, David Wright has not been the same player.  At least that's what I hear from many Mets fans.  Although I do think the move from Shea Stadium to Citi Field has hurt Wright's power stroke, I don't think the ballpark is to blame for his overall decline at the plate from All-Star hitter to strikeout-prone former slugger.

As a matter of fact, I believe I can pinpoint the exact moment David Wright went from a hitter that was always among the league leaders in batting average to the current player that's become so divisive among Mets fans.  It all began on August 15, 2009, when Wright wore a blue and orange target for Matt Cain's head-seeking missile.

This is where the poop started hitting the fan for David Wright.

The 2009 season was difficult for fans and players alike.  The Mets were coming off four consecutive winning seasons, although they had fallen one win short of the playoffs in each of the previous two campaigns.  Still, one couldn't hope but think that the 2009 season would be different, especially with the Mets moving into a new ballpark.  Then the season began and the DL Hotel opened for business.

Within a short period of time, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran all went on the disabled list.  Reyes didn't play again in 2009.  Delgado didn't play again...ever.  Beltran came back late in the season, but was a shell of his former self.  While Reyes, Delgado and Beltran were on the sidelines, David Wright was forced to become the main offensive threat in the lineup.

Wright was not hitting home runs in 2009 the way he had in the past, but then again, no Met was.  However, Wright was getting on base.  A lot.  And it didn't stop when his teammates started dropping like flies.

 

Ouch.                    Ouch.                    Ouch.

Carlos Delgado played his last game as a Met on May 10, 2009.  At the time, his hip injury was not deemed to be serious, and he was listed as day-to-day.  Jose Reyes played his final game of the season ten days later after he aggravated a calf injury.  Carlos Beltran was forced out of the lineup with a knee injury after playing on June 21, 2009.  He spent the next two and a half months on the disabled list.

David Wright was hitting fifth in the lineup prior to Delgado's injury.  The first baseman's trip to the disabled list forced Wright to move into the cleanup spot for a number of games (sharing the spot with Gary Sheffield), where he thrived.

Before May 10, Wright was hitting .304 and had an on-base percentage of .391, both excellent numbers and on par with his career averages (.309/.389 through the 2008 season).  But with one less offensive weapon in the lineup (two if you count Reyes, who was disabled shortly after Delgado), Wright reached base at a frenetic pace.  In the 36 games between the injuries to Delgado and Beltran, Wright batted .387 and reached base at a robust .472 clip.  In the 49 games following Beltran's last game, Wright's batting average slipped to .287, but his .384 on-base percentage was still quite respectable.

That brings us to August 15, 2009.  In the fourth inning of a nationally televised game, David Wright was felled by a 93 MPH fastball delivered by the Giants' Matt Cain.  As a result, Wright suffered a concussion and was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career.  When he returned to the lineup on September 1, Wright was a completely different player.

I spy with my little eye ... nothing ... probably because I have a concussion.

From September 1 to season's end, Wright played in 29 games, batting .239 with a .289 on-base percentage.  More importantly, he struck out a whopping 35 times while drawing only nine walks.  Prior to his concussion, Wright had played in 115 games, striking out 105 times and taking 65 bases on balls.

Let's look at Wright's strikeout totals from year to year prior to his close encounter with Matt Cain's heater, beginning with his first full season in 2005 and including his 2009 season totals up to August 15.  In addition, let's also consider his batting average and on-base percentage:

• 2005: 160 games played, .306/.388, 113 strikeouts
• 2006: 154 games played, .311/.381, 113 strikeouts
• 2007: 160 games played, .325/.416, 115 strikeouts
• 2008: 160 games played, .302/.390, 118 strikeouts
• 2009: 115 games played, .324/.414, 105 strikeouts

Even though his power was dampened by Citi Field in 2009, Wright's other numbers were very consistent and in line with his career averages.  He also averaged fewer than one strikeout per game in every season prior to August 15, 2009.

Now let's look at what Wright has done since returning from the disabled list on September 1, 2009.  The numbers aren't pretty:

• 2009: 29 games played, .239/.289, 35 strikeouts
• 2010: 157 games played, .283/.354, 161 strikeouts
• 2011: 102 games played, .254/.345, 97 strikeouts

Before his concussion, Wright played in a total of 818 games (he appeared in 69 games for the Mets in 2004) and had a .311/.392 cumulative split in batting average and on-base percentage.  He also struck out a total of 604 times over those 818 games.  Post-concussion, Wright's numbers have taken a hit across the board.  The third baseman has batted .268 since September 1, 2009, while reaching base at a .344 clip.  He has also averaged over a strikeout per game, fanning a total of 293 times in 288 games.

Looks like Matt Cain's head-seeking missile has caused David Wright to fear approaching baseballs.  (Notice how he's running away in fear of the baseball to the right of his right foot.)

The Mets are moving in the fences at Citi Field in the hopes that players like Jason Bay and David Wright can hit for more power.  But the power isn't the only thing that's been missing from David Wright's game.

Since August 15, 2009, everything has changed for David Wright at the plate.  Even without the homers (although he did recover to hit 29 HR in 2010), Wright has been getting fewer hits, while striking out more and drawing fewer walks, giving the team no indication that he's figured out how to become the player he once was.

Regardless of what many people might believe, the dimensions at Citi Field haven't had as much of an impact on David Wright's game as has been publicized.  His batting average and on-base percentage was very consistent with his career averages over the first four months of the 2009 season, even without Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado in the lineup and with Wright playing half of his games at cavernous Citi Field. 

Citi Field isn't the problem.  It's what happened at Citi Field on the afternoon of August 15, 2009.

Concussions are no joke. A person with a traumatic brain injury (i.e. a concussion) can suffer long-term effects to his health.  This can include difficulty in concentration and aslower reaction to stimuli.  Usually, once a pitch leaves the pitcher'shand, a hitter only has about four-tenths of a second to judge whattype of pitch he's seeing, where that pitch is going and whether or nothe's going to swing at it.  That's not much time to make an educated decision and it's certainly not much time for a person who's suffered from a concussion.

Although David Wright might be loath to admit it, his career has taken a downward turn since he was introduced to Matt Cain's fastball in 2009.  It's amazing what a concussion can do to a promising player's career.

Jason Bay Says "Let Them Eat Crow!"

Longtime readers of Studious Metsimus probably know that Jason Bay has been a target of our wrath for the better part of his two seasons in New York.  We called him a human windmill last year, a benchwarmer this year, and have advocated booing him at Citi Field.

Despite all his troubles at the plate, Bay has continued to be a professional and has done other things to help the team win.  He has played a very good left field, has been patient at the plate (Bay's 50 walks lead all current Mets - Carlos Beltran drew 60 bases on balls before being traded to San Francisco), and has been an intelligent baserunner (11 stolen bases in 12 attempts), hustling on every play, both on offense and defense.

Earlier today, Jason Bay was named National League Player of the Week, becoming the second consecutive Met to win the award (David Wright took home the honors last week).  For the week ending Sept. 11, Bay hit .481 (13-for-27) with five doubles, two home runs (including a grand slam) and 10 RBI.  Bay also had five multi-hit games for the week.

Up until recently, you had to have knowledge of Photoshop to use a picture like this.

For the year, Bay is now hitting .246 with 12 HR and 56 RBI, numbers that are still far below expectations.  Despite that, Bay still has a chance to lead the Mets in both home runs and RBIs.  Carlos Beltran collected 15 HR and 66 RBI before he was dealt away.  Bay leads all current Mets in RBIs and is tied with David Wright for the team lead in home runs.  With four more homers and 11 additional runs batted in, Bay would surpass Beltran's totals.

Who would have thought that Jason Bay would be mentioned in a sentence about team leaders in the power categories?  Certainly not us.  But over his past 63 games (since June 28), Bay has picked up 13 doubles, 9 HR and 40 RBI, striking out only 49 times in 262 plate appearances.  Prior to June 28, Bay had a mere four doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI.  He was also victimized by strike three 52 times in only 219 plate appearances.

It's time to eat the proverbial crow on this one.  Jason Bay has finally arrived in New York.  It may have been almost two years too late and not exactly during a pennant race, but it sure makes things interesting for 2012.  Bay might not be a question mark entering next season the way he was this past April.  Who'da thunk it?

Duda Mets Give Lucas An Everyday Job In 2012?

Prior to 2010, Lucas Duda was a fringe prospect. From 2007-2009, Duda played in a total of 310 minor league games and combined to hit .277 with 24 HR and 151 RBI in 1,112 at-bats. Despite the relatively low amount of home runs and the so-so batting average, Duda showed a good eye at the plate, drawing 161 walks over the three seasons to give him a .374 on-base percentage.



That all changed in 2010, when Duda exploded upon the scene. He combined to hit .304 for AA-Binghamton and AAA-Buffalo, with 23 HR and 87 RBI. He improved his on-base percentage to .398, while slugging at a .569 clip.



Upon his promotion to the major leagues, Duda's production suffered, as he had difficulty adjusting to major league pitching, hitting .202/.261/.417 in 92 plate appearances. He did, however, continue to hit with power (when he did hit), picking up six doubles, four home runs and 13 RBI.



Duda began the 2011 season at the major league level but continued to disappoint at the plate, hitting a measly .100 and slugging a paltry .150 over his first month with the Mets. He was then sent back down to Buffalo and rediscovered his stroke, mashing minor league pitching while displaying a keen eye (.302/.414/.597 in 157 plate appearances).



But once July rolled around and the trade deadline approached, it became obvious that Carlos Beltran was going to be traded, opening up a spot for Lucas Duda to play every day, an opportunity that Duda has taken full advantage of.

Lucas Duda should be at the center of more celebrations for the Mets in 2012 and beyond.

Since the All-Star Break, Duda has played in 30 games (24 starts). In 95 plate appearances, Duda's batting average (.333), on-base percentage (.426) and slugging percentage (.577) have all improved exponentially. He has also made excellent contact while continuing to be selective at the plate (12 strikeouts, 12 walks).



Most importantly, Duda has taken Carlos Beltran's place in the batting order and has produced Beltran-like numbers. At the same time, Beltran has struggled in San Francisco, producing a .244/.261/.356 line in 11 games for the Giants. He has failed to hit a home run and has only driven in a pair of runs, after leading the Mets with 15 HR and 66 RBI. The injury bug that he escaped in New York in 2011 caught up with him in San Francisco, as a hand injury has kept Beltran out of the lineup for the past week.



The right field position has been like a game of musical chairs for the Mets since Darryl Strawberry left the team following the 1990 season. In the two decades since Darryl's departure, no Met has played more than 290 games in right field (Jeromy Burnitz has the honor of most games played in right since 1990). In fact, although third base used to be considered the revolving door of positions for the Mets, with 145 different players manning the hot corner, it's right field that has seen the most players. Including the 2011 season, a total of 205 men have played the position for the Mets, with seven of them doing it this year alone (Beltran, Duda, Jason Pridie, Scott Hairston, Mike Baxter, Willie Harris, Fernando Martinez and Nick Evans).



Lucas Duda is only 25 years old. He is just beginning to spread his wings in the major leagues. He hits with power, doesn't strike out much and knows how to take a walk. In other words, he is exactly the type of player Sandy Alderson likes (and that's not even including his low salary).



The Mets haven't had stability in right field in over two decades. Why not give Lucas Duda a shot to make the position his own? Ike Davis will be back at first base in 2012 (he is coming back, right?), leaving right field as the only position available for Duda to play. Duda has filled the hole in the batting order left by the departure of Beltran exceptionally well. Now it's time for him to fill the hole in right field as well.



"Now starting in right field for the New York Mets - Lucas Duda." Get used to it, Mets fans. You should be hearing plenty of that at Citi Field in 2012 and beyond.

Zack Wheeler: Is He Nolan Ryan Or Oliver Perez?

The trade of Carlos Beltran to the Giants became official earlier today, as the longtime Mets' outfielder agreed to join the NL West leaders. In return, the Mets received top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, who was the sixth overall pick in the 2009 Amateur Draft.

Wheeler was ranked No. 55 among all prospects prior to the 2011 season, but moved up to No. 35 in the recently released mid-season rankings. Clearly, Wheeler is expected to someday produce at the major league level or else Sandy Alderson wouldn't have asked for him when he traded away his All-Star rightfielder.

Right now, Wheeler has a slight problem controlling his pitches. Okay, slight might be an understatement when you consider his career minor league numbers.

Since playing in his first professional game in 2010, Wheeler has pitched in 37 games (29 starts). In 146.2 innings, he's walked 85 batters, averaging 5.2 walks per nine innings. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Wheeler has also thrown 19 wild pitches and hit 11 batters.

Let's put these numbers in perspective. There are six pitchers in the National League who have already surpassed 146.2 innings this season. Therefore, it's fair to say that Wheeler has pitched the equivalent of what some National League pitchers have pitched this year.

Currently, J.A. Happ is leading the National League in walks, handing out 60 free passes this season. That's 25 fewer than Wheeler.

Those 19 wild pitches thrown by Wheeler? That's almost twice as many as the National League leader, Hiroki Kuroda, who's uncorked 11 wild ones. No one else in the NL has more than nine.

Wheeler's 11 hit batsmen would also be pacing the National League, as that total surpasses NL leader Randy Wolf by one.

Of course, Wheeler still has plenty of time to work on his control, as he is only 21 years old and will be pitching for the St. Lucie Mets. Still, one can't help but wonder if Wheeler is going to someday challenge for the Triple Crown of Pitching (leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts, as Dwight Gooden did for the Mets in 1985) or the Triple Crown of Wildness (leading the league in walks, wild pitches and hit batsmen).

Nolan Ryan was also wild in the minors, walking 200 batters in his first 291 minor league innings. Then again, so was Oliver Perez, (you thought you'd never see his name in a Studious Metsimus post again, didn't you?) who issued 150 walks in his first 322 professional innings.

Of course, Nolan Ryan learned how to harness his talent and translated it into a Hall of Fame career. Oliver Perez has used his talent to teach his minor league teammates which fast food restaurants are the best in and around Harrisburg, PA, which is where he has toiled as a member of the Washington Nationals Triple-A squad.

Hopefully, the Mets won't promote Wheeler through their minor league system until he has shown improvement with his control. Yes, he's managed to strike out his share of batters (168 Ks in 146.2 innings), but so did Ollie (554 Ks in 517.1 career minor league innings).

It is imperative that the Mets take their time with Zach Wheeler. In a few years, Wheeler might be part of a young pitching staff that includes fellow prospect Matt Harvey, along with 10-game winner Jonathon Niese and nine-game winner Dillon Gee. That staff could rival the 1986 staff, or it could be the second coming of Generation K.

Zack Wheeler is expected to be a big part of the Mets' future. For that to happen, he'll have to put his wild past behind him and focus on improving his control in the present. Nolan Ryan was able to do it. Oliver Perez was not. It's up to Zack Wheeler to figure out if he wants to take a limo to Cooperstown or a bus to Harrisburg.

Carlos Beltran Is Out Of The Lineup...For Now

According to a tweet by the New York Post's Joel Sherman, Carlos Beltran will not be in today's starting lineup because of flu-like symptoms. Those flu-like symptoms must have found their way into Beltran's body overnight, because they surely were not evident when Beltran smoked his 14th home run of the season last night over the center field fence, just slightly to the right of the home run apple.

Sandy Alderson may or may not be actively showcasing Beltran for other teams (wish he would just come out and say it instead of beating around the bush when approached with the topic). Having Beltran out of the lineup for however long these flu-like symptoms fester in his system will clearly hurt the team in more than one way.

Is this an example of "flu face"? No, it's probably just gas.

First, if the team was looking to make one last push for the wild card, putting out a lineup that has no Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, David Wright and Ike Davis will not cut it. Reyes and Wright should be back next week. Beltran will hopefully only miss today's game. The Mets are dangerously close to being double digit games back in the wild card race. The team must stay together if they hope to play meaningful games in September.

Second, no team is going to trade for Beltran if he's out for too long or can't produce once he comes back. We already saw what Beltran can do (or not do) when he comes back before he's ready. Last year, Beltran returned to the Mets after the All-Star Break sooner than he should have and the team suffered as he struggled to return to form.

Carlos Beltran is going to help the Mets one way or another this year. He will either stay on the team and help them in their quest to win the wild card, or he will be traded to a contender for a top-notch prospect or two, giving the Mets hope (and salary relief) for a brighter future. But if he's only playing at 85% capacity, he's not going to help anyone.

Perhaps these flu-like symptoms are just that, and don't turn into a full-blown case of the flu or something worse. With the Mets' recent history of players missing significantly more time than originally expected (hello, Ike Davis), it's easy to be concerned anytime a player is out of the lineup. One of these days, a player is going to miss an entire season because of a paper cut. Let's hope that "paper cut" isn't Carlos Beltran's flu-like symptoms. The Mets need him to stay on the field for more reasons than one.

17 Games To Decide The Season

In 2007, the New York Mets were sitting pretty atop the National League East, owners of a seven game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies with 17 games to play. They failed to make the playoffs.

The following year, they held a 3½ game lead in the division when the season was down to its final 17 games. Once again, the Mets did not advance to the postseason.

Everything changed for the Mets in 2007 and 2008 during those two 17-game stretches. Hopes were dashed as seasons crashed. Now the Mets are heading into another critical 17-game stretch. Although this one won't decide the outcome of an individual season, it might end up determining the direction of the entire franchise for years to come.

Beginning with tonight's second-half opener against the Phillies, the Mets play 17 games between now and July 31, the date of the trade deadline. The Mets have already traded away closer Francisco Rodriguez and have numerous teams interested in rightfielder Carlos Beltran.

Sandy Alderson has publicly stated that whether or not the Mets trade Beltran by July 31 rests on the performance of the team between tonight and the trade deadline. Should the team do well and inch closer to the Braves in the race for the wild card, Beltran might remain with the Mets past July 31. Should the team falter over the next two and a half weeks...well...you get the picture.

The Mets have already failed on two occasions when all they needed to do was play decently over a do-or-die 17-game stretch. Had the Mets gone 6-11 over the last 17 games of the 2007 season, they would have won the division title. Instead, they went 4-13 and found their way into the darkest pages of the history books. If they had only gone 8-9 over their final 17 games in '08, Milwaukee would have come to Shea Stadium for a one-game playoff to determine the NL Wild Card. Instead, the Mets went 7-10 and we Shea'd Goodbye earlier than we would have liked.

Failure over the next 17 games won't end the season. The Mets will still be playing baseball over the next two months. But losing over the next 2½ weeks would be tantamount to raising the proverbial white flag. If the Mets don't do well, Carlos Beltran will be traded for a prospect who may or may not be a part of the Mets' future, Jose Reyes might entertain thoughts of packing his bags once the season ends, and fans will come to Citi Field in August and September dressed as empty seats.

The Mets haven't had a winning season since they moved to Citi Field. They haven't won when the games have mattered the most for longer than that. Isn't it time for the Mets to scratch that 17-game itch?

Beltran vs. Kobayashi: Wiener War III - For All The Mustard

Two years ago, Carlos Beltran took down Takeru Kobayashi in their initial hot dog eating contest by pulling the hidden bun trick on the legendary competitive eater. Last year, Kobayashi vowed to have his revenge on Beltran. However, Beltran was prepared for Kobayashi's chicanery, which involved using the Phillie Phanatic to shoot hot dogs at him at a high speed. Kobayashi then chose to blame a contract dispute for his failure to appear at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, when in reality, he was just embarrassed that Beltran had found a way to thwart his plans.

This year, the sauerkraut-stained gloves are coming off. This one's for all the mustard. In the most eagerly-anticipated finale to a trilogy since Major League: Back To The Minors, it's time for Wiener War III between Carlos Beltran and Takeru Kobayashi!

Let's get ready to mumble! (Especially if they talk with their mouths full.)

Before we continue, let's fill you in on what the competitors have been up to since last year's Wiener War.

Carlos Beltran has once again become a threat in the middle of the Mets' lineup, leading the team in home runs and RBI. With a diet rich in hot dogs, Beltran is 100% healthy and will get the opportunity to show off his skills in this summer's All-Star Game.

Takeru Kobayashi has not been as fortunate as Carlos Beltran over the past 12 months. When he found out that Sandy Alderson was retooling the bullpen, Kobayashi decided to try out for a middle relief job with the Mets. However, during spring training, the former wiener winner was released before he threw his first pitch. His release was not due to the fact that he couldn't actually pitch, but because fellow relievers complained that their sunflower seeds were constantly missing. Kobayashi was then given a job as a hot dog vendor at Citi Field, but was relieved of his duties on Opening Day for undisclosed reasons.

Both athletes have seen their share of highs and lows during their respective careers, with Beltran currently living the high life and Kobayashi trying to eat hot dogs via satellite. But this year it will be different. Kobayashi will not be allowed anywhere near the stage, thereby allowing Beltran to compete without the possibility of a potential distraction. Instead, Joey Chestnut (see photo, right) will be wolfing down the wieners in Kobayashi's seat.

It's time to begin the Wiener War! Let's go down to Studious Metsimus roving reporter/culinary expert Joey Beartran for the play-by-play.

Joey? Um, Joey, are you there?

Okay, we seem to have a change in plans, as Joey doesn't seem to have his headset on. Wait a minute. What's this? Oh, no.

Apparently, Joey Chestnut has been arguing with the celebrity judges over something. While he was arguing, our own Joey Beartran jumped into Chestnut's seat and is apparently about to compete against Carlos Beltran.

A dozen hot dogs? That's just an appetizer for Joey Beartran.

Well, while you were busy looking at the photo above, we learned that Joey Chestnut had a slight problem with his entrance application. It appeared that his last name had been altered from Chestnut to Beartran, allowing our roving reporter/culinary expert to add competitive eater to his job description.

Chestnut was enraged by this and argued vehemently with the panel of judges, with one judge disagreeing with him, one judge willing to allow him to participate and the celebrity judge too busy to notice. Then again, due to budget constraints, the organizers of the contest also hired the celebrity judge to be the event's official photographer and to handle the official Twitter play-by-play.

That might have been their mistake, as they hired former U.S. Representative from New York, the appropriately-named Anthony Weiner, to be the celebrity judge/photographer/head Tweeter. Apparently, background checks were not included in the event's budget as well.

Celebrity judge Anthony Weiner got a little emotional after his involvement in the Chestnut/Beartran name-switch snafu.

While all this was happening, the contest had already begun, with both Beltran and Beartran chomping away on dozens and dozens of frankfurters. Takeru Kobayashi was doing the same via satellite, hoping to take down the Mets player and the Mets bear. A few minutes later, this reporter was given a tip to watch closely on the monitor broadcasting the feed from the Kobayashi Kamp.

The feed being shown was running on a continuous loop.

Of course, the two non-celebrity judges were arguing amongst themselves over the two Joeys and the celebrity judge was busy apologizing for not being a responsible photographer/Tweeter for the event, so no one else seemed to notice that Kobayashi was not actually eating his hot dogs on live TV.

So where was he? What was he doing? And why would he ever stop eating hot dogs for any reason?

It was at that moment that everything stopped. Carlos Beltran stopped eating. The judges stopped bickering. Even Joey Beartran took a break to burp. What had made this event come to a complete standstill?

Apparently, Carlos Beltran had just been traded.

Even Carlos Beltran appeared to be disgusted that he was traded away at a most inopportune time.

A hush came over the crowd, especially from the Mets fans in attendance. It had been expected that Beltran would be traded to another team at some point this season. But did it have to come during the final Wiener War? And to make matters worse, was he traded to a contending team? Was he going to the American League to be a DH? No, my friends. It was far worse than that.

He was traded to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League.

Of course, this reporter knew something was wrong with the trade immediately after it was announced. Granted, Beltran was traded to a contender, as was widely expected. (Fukuoka was tied for first place with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters with identical 38-20 records as of last night.) But the Hawks already have three outstanding outfielders in Nobuhiko Matsunaka, Seiichi Uchikawa and Hitoshi Tamura. In fact, centerfielder Uchikawa is currently leading the Pacific League with a .363 batting average. Surely, Beltran was not going to displace him in the outfield.

Not only that, it was never announced who he was being traded for. It was just said that Beltran was traded for a player to be named later, which would have been the first trade in Japanese baseball history for the dreaded PTBNL.

So let's put all the facts together. Beltran is traded to a Japanese baseball team during the hot dog eating contest. Kobayashi (who just happens to be Japanese) is nowhere to be found, with his live satellite feed running on a continuous loop. The team he is traded to has "SoftBank" in its name. Who needs the Scooby Gang when unraveling this mystery was so easy?

Takeru Kobayashi had sabotaged the contest. AGAIN!

Takeru Kobayashi would've gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling Studious Metsimus kids!

So this is how it all went down. Takeru Kobayashi was on Twitter one night, going through numerous tweets, trying to find out tips on how to finally defeat his nemesis, Carlos Beltran. He came across a particular hashtag that was being repeated as if on a loop. That hashtag was #beltranissoft.

At the same time, Kobayashi noticed the Twitter chatter on the possibilities of Beltran being moved at the trade deadline. So he came up with the plan to have Beltran traded as far away as possible so that he would never win another hot dog challenge again. And since apparently, Beltran was soft, he should be traded to a team where being soft is not only acceptable, it's part of the team name, hence the trade to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The #beltranissoft hashtag being repeated ad nauseum also gave Kobayashi the idea to put his satellite transmission on a continuous loop so that no one would notice the machinations going on behind the mustard curtain.

But how exactly did we find out about Kobayashi's evil plans for world hot dog domination? It looks like our own competitive eater had something to do with it.

Let's hear it for Joey Beartran, whose keen eye (and full stomach) helped expose Kobayashi's plot.

You see, after that first dozen hot dogs, Joey Beartran came down with a bear-sized tummy ache. Apparently, no one had bothered to tell the culinary expert that having a pre-contest appetizer was not the best of plans for someone who was about to enter the Wiener War. By the time Joey had bowed out of the contest, the other Joey (Chestnut) had already decided it was too late to continue pleading his case to the judges in an effort to enter the contest. That left Carlos Beltran as the only competitor left standing, and the Wiener War winner, provided he didn't drop out of the competition.

As Joey Beartran walked away from the stage, he got bored so he decided to watch a little TV while he was waiting for Beltran to finish his last hot dog. Of course, he got frustrated when the TV he was watching kept "skipping". The TV he happened to be watching was the Kobayashi so-called "live" feed and the "skipping" was the repetition of the same hot dog being eaten over and over again. To the naked eye, it appeared as if Kobayashi was eating numerous hot dogs, but to a trained eater's eye such as Joey Beartran's, he noticed the tomfoolery immediately.

It was then that Joey came over to his colleague (yours truly) and reported what he had just witnessed. (Remember that "tip" I mentioned 17 paragraphs ago? That was Joey Beartran saving the day.) Needless to say, the two remaining judges (Anthony Weiner had been relieved of his duties due to excessive tweeting on topics not related to what he was hired for) declared Carlos Beltran the undisputed Wiener War champion of the world and the trade to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks was rescinded, making Beltran one happy Mustard Belt recipient.

Carlos Beltran relishes the moment as he shows off the Mustard Belt he received for his victory in Wiener War III.

That concludes the final Wiener War between Carlos Beltran and Takeru Kobayashi. Let's give you a happy recap of today's events.

Carlos Beltran remained the undisputed hot dog eating champion of the world, although the term "undisputed" might not be entirely accurate, as disputes were rampant during this year's Wiener War.

Joey Beartran finally had to push food away from him, as his pre-contest appetizer denied him the opportunity to finish the competition. He also was not available for the post-war interview, claiming he had some papers to shred. (Speaking of which, we never did find out what happened to Joey Chestnut's application to enter the competition. Hmm. It makes you wonder...)

Joey Chestnut decided to drown his sorrow at not being allowed to participate in the event by having some Nathan's beer-battered onion rings. And some hot dogs. And some french fries. And some more onion rings. And a burger or two. Or ten.

Anthony Weiner. Who cares? He's just a d*ck in Wiener's clothing.

As for Takeru Kobayashi, as of last check, he was posting bail and working on getting a reality show with the Food Network. There was also a rumor started on Twitter that he was planning to go to Arizona for next week's All-Star Game, but Kobayashi rebuffed the rumor, claiming that he was not attending because fellow countryman Ichiro Suzuki failed to make the All-Star team for the first time in his 11-year major league career. We think his denial had something to do with the restraining order placed on him by Carlos Beltran, who will also be in Arizona as a member of the National League All-Star team.

Well, that does it for this year. We hope all of you have a wonderful Fourth of July, doing everything that makes you proud to be an American (even if it includes stuffing your face with hot dogs). Carlos Beltran is proud. Joey Beartran is proud (and full). And so am I. Have a great holiday, everyone!

Carlos Beltran Campaigns For Jose Reyes' Return

According to Mike Puma in today's New York Post, Carlos Beltran has expressed his desire to see Jose Reyes in a Mets uniform in 2012 and beyond.

After the Mets scorched the Pirates for seven runs over the final three innings of yesterday's 7-0 victory, Beltran had this to say about the front office and his teammate:

"They should make the effort and try to sign him, for sure. He grew up in this organization. I don't know what's in his mind, but players like him, they don't come too often. He's had nothing wrong with him. He's playing the game and having fun every day, so you want to have a player like that."

Carlos Beltran has always been a quiet leader on this team. His words are few and far in between, but when he says them, they're meant for people to listen. Beltran has been in the league for many years and knows a good player when he sees one. But Jose Reyes is more than just a good player. He's a great player, the type of player you build a team around, the type of player you win with.

Although Carlos Beltran might not be patrolling the outfield at Citi Field next season, he knows that the Mets shouldn't part with Reyes. Supposedly, Jose Reyes' agents have not been contacted by Sandy Alderson as of this time. It would behoove the Mets' GM to begin the conversation with Team Reyes soon. Any time wasted is time ticking away towards Reyes' departure from the only organization he's ever known.

Alderson might shy away from long-term deals, but we're not talking about D.J. Carrasco and R.A. Dickey here, who both got two-year contracts during the off-season. This is Jose Reyes, the "real" face of the franchise. (Sorry, David Wright, but this team is winning right now without you. The same would not be the case if Jose Reyes were on the DL.)

Carlos Beltran can see it. I can see it. Heck, Stevie Wonder could probably see it. Hopefully, the Mets' front office will see it as well. Jose Reyes should be a Met in 2012 and beyond.

Tom Seaver will always be known as "The Franchise". But Jose Reyes is "The Franchise" for a new generation of Mets fans. If the front office truly wants to do what's best for the team, they must re-sign the new version of "The Franchise". The Mets already had a dark time from 1977-1983 after Tom Seaver was let go. Re-signing Jose Reyes would ensure that the light of hope will continue to flicker at Citi Field for many years to come.