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underwhelming Mets All Stars

old original jb Jun 26 2005 11:57 AM

Is anyone else very underwhelmed by Carlos Beltran so far? I'm not saying he's bad. I'm not saying he won't be better. I'm not saying that I don't want the Mets to have him. But if I showed you his stats this year and told you that the Mets should pay him what they are paying him, I'm sure I'd catch a lot of flack. That he is running away with All Star votes over Cliff Floyd (who along with Pedro should probably be in consideration for MVP votes if the Mets get anywhere near a wild card berth this year) shows what a farce All Star balloting is. Bottom line: Cliff Floyd should start in the All Star Game, and Carlos Beltran should watch it on television. I initially had the same feeling about Mike Piazza's showing, until I realized that the dissapointment is only in comparison to what he has done in the past. He is, depending how you measure things, about third to fifth best offensive catcher in the league this year, and none of the others at the top have accomplished anything near what he has in their careers. So the fact that fans vote for him in the All Star balloting in droves still makes sense. to me.

cooby Jun 26 2005 01:23 PM

If you still have this issue of Sporting News lying around your house, look on page 59 at the little "Caught Stealing" chart of catcher performances. Of regulars, Piazza isn't in at least the top five, at least at that issue date: Charles Johnson: CS%: 14.3 Chad Moeller: 18.2 Mike Lieberthal: 19.0 Johnny Estrada: 19.0 Jason Phillips: 19.2 Not exactly what jb is talking about, I know, but I've been meaning to mention it for weeks and keep forgetting; I'll put it here

SI Metman Jun 26 2005 02:00 PM

Piazza is still in the upper tier of catchers, it's just that he's not the same Piazza we saw 4 years ago. That being said, the Mets could be sending a large contingent to Detroit: Piazza, Beltran, Pedro and Cliffy. I just hope LaRussa doesn't pull a Bobby V on Floyd.

KC Jun 26 2005 02:20 PM

The whole process is a joke. Between the commercials from teams imploring people to vote for Jimmy Greatleather and Joey Grandbat, the players get- ting in on old reputations and popularity, and the fact that it's nothing but a great big clusterfuck of an advertisement for MLB that really doesn't need one, it's no wonder fans such as ourselves pay it little regard. The fact that an ex- hibition game decides who has home field advantage in the WS is stupid too. Let the players select their peers and I'll be happy. I'm holding my breath, starting ......... now.

Yancy Street Gang Jun 26 2005 02:34 PM

I really don't think I'd mind at all if they abolished the All-Star game. It's been years since I've had any interest in it.

Johnny Dickshot Jun 26 2005 02:56 PM

I know it suxx but as an American it's your right -- and privledge -- to vote for who you think would be best. On-line voting is easy: You can give Cliff 25 votes like I just did. Go to the link, make your selections (don't forget to UNcheck the PLEASE SPAM ME buton each time). If you're comfortable with your selections, they stay pre-selected, so you can fill out 25 ballots in no more than 10 minutes. Make sure your wife & kids vote too. Linky: [url]http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050619&content_id=1095878&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb[/url]

Spacemans Bong Jun 26 2005 05:53 PM

Beltran has pretty consistently gotten better as the year gets on. His best OPS months are September, followed by August, IIRC. It's probably why they think he's a god in Houston. Don't forget that he's also played hurt part of the year.

metirish Jun 26 2005 05:58 PM

I'm not worried about beltran, he says his legs are great now and his play in the field would back that up, swinging a better bat as well. I like Johnny stuffed the ballot for Floyd online, and for Pedro.