With the news last night that the Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran had knee surgery, possibly microfracture knee surgery, the first thought I had was "it's deja vu all over again for the Mets". With Beltran out until at least early May, the Mets will probably start the season with Angel Pagan as their Opening Day centerfielder.
Let's take a look at what Pagan did in 2009:
| Name | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | R | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
| Angel Pagan | 88 | 343 | 105 | 22 | 11 | 6 | 54 | 32 | 25 | 56 | 14 | 0.306 |
The 39 XBH's and 14 SB's in 343 at bats are what stand out to me. He seems like the perfect player for Citifield. He doesn't have much HR power, but he hits lots of doubles and triples, and he can steal a few bases to boot. Should Beltran be out longer than 12 weeks or so, Pagan would be a nice late round pick in mixed league drafts, and is a mid-"early late" round selection in NL-only leagues.
The Mets could elect to go to Omar Minaya favorite Fernando Martinez, but he needs to show he can stay healthy and is REALLY ready for major league action before he gets the call.
Head on over to the Mets SB Nation site Amazin' Avenue to see what Met fans are saying about the Carlos Beltran situation.