The Mets signed Carlos Beltran on January 5th, 2005 to a 7 year/$119 million dollar contract. Did the Mets get their money’s worth? Some fans would say no, mostly citing the called third strike in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. Fangraphs, however, tells a different story. Using Wins Above Replacement converted to dollars, Beltran provided the Mets with $129.5 million dollars of production. The Mets actually underpaid Beltran during his tenure.

This will no doubt go down as the best free agent signing in team history. It might go down as the best long term deal in the history of free agency.

Remember, these numbers include a subpar 2005, and missing half of the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Beltran played only played 5.5 years of the deal (Giants get roughly a half a season), yet still outperformed the contract. That goes to show you how valuable he was to the team in 2006 to 2008.

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Let’s address the strikeout in Game 7 of the playoffs. I believe the quote from David Wright after yesterday’s game says it all:

 “Carlos Beltran did not lose us that series. Carlos Beltran, if anything, kept us in that series longer than maybe we should have been.”

That series was lost when the Mets blew Game 2 at Shea Stadium. Their bullpen failed them in big spots, and the Jose Valentin strikeout in the sixth inning with one out and the bases loaded was crucial.

The 2006 Mets gave the fans a fun ride. When you look back that team wasn’t as good as their 97 win record. The bench was thin, the starting rotation was held together by 40 year old Tom Glavine. Oliver Perez and John Maine, no longer on a big league roster, stepped up and pitched in big games. The Mets got big performances from the aforementioned Valentin, Guillermo Mota, Endy Chavez, Paul Lo Duca, and the ageless El Duque. Considering that individuals like Jose Lima, Geremi Gonzalez, Dave Williams, Alay Solar, Brian Bannister, Victor Zambrano, and a not ready for the big leagues Mike Pelfrey received 35 starts, they were fortunate to win so many games.

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Now that Beltran has been traded you can really put a close to the Omar Minaya era. Sure, David Wright and Jose Reyes are still around. Yes, there are a ton of guys on the roster and in minors that were drafted or acquired by the Minaya regime. But Beltran symbolizes the passing of the baton to the Sandy Alderson Mets.

If Pedro Martinez was the jolt of energy the organization needed, then Beltran was the heart and soul of the “New Mets.” He may have been quiet, but the display of power, run production, and Gold Glove defense did all the talking necessary. Reyes was the engine, but Beltran was a bigger part of the heart of the order than perhaps we realized.

You don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone

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According to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff, Beltran took his teammates out on Tuesday night and spent $7,587 on his farewell dinner.

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Wouldn’t it be cool if Showtime was in the room during the Beltran negotiations and we got to see that on next week’s episode of “The Franchise?”

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Joel Sherman of the NY Post believes that dealing with San Francisco worked in the Mets favor:

It benefited the Mets that the Giants operate out of the major league mainstream. They do almost no statistical analysis. Their front office would not be described as particularly active in talking to many other teams. They are a rather reclusive organization that bases decisions heavily on their internal scouting — liking what they like with disregard how it will be viewed by the rest of the sport.

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Many don’t think “team leader” when it comes to Carlos Beltran, but Bob Klapisch describes this morning why he was exactly that:

His leadership was subtle, understated, but highly effective with the younger players. It took guts for Beltran to admit in spring training he no longer was the best center fielder on the team, gracefully deferring to Angel Pagan. The fact that Beltran didn’t fight his move to right — volunteering, in fact — helped Collins gain traction with players he’d never managed before.

Thanks in part to Beltran, the Mets listen to Collins today; they trust him. This is the most tenacious Met team since Bobby Valentine’s 2000 edition

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I broke down Zack Wheeler in a column yesterday. If you missed it, here is an excerpt:

Drafted in the first round in 2009, the 21 year old Wheeler is a hard thrower (91-94 mph) and has a curveball (72 mph) that’s described as elite. He does throw a changeup (82 mph), but it’s currently considered below average.  He still is working on his command, which explains the obscene walk rate (5.2 per nine) during his first two pro seasons. Despite the high walk rate, Wheeler is 10-8 with a 3.99 ERA in 29 career MILB starts. He’s struck out more than a batter per inning as well.

The red flag with Wheeler is his mechanics

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Our resident scout, Chuck Johnson, decided to help me break down Wheeler’s mechanics and address the concerns I posted in yesterday’s column. Here is what Chuck had to say:

Zach Wheeler in 2008, the year before he was drafted.

Notice the action in his feet, his right foot as he starts his wind-up and that weird left leg action as he starts forward (reminds me somewhat of Robb Nen).

At about the one minute mark there’s some game action, watch how he tucks his head almost under his arm then stretches it out as he starts forward.

Watch until he strikes out the batter then go back and watch the two or three pitches before the strikeout and then the last pitch again. Notice how much slower his delivery was on the last pitch, trying to get extra break on his curve.

This is Wheeler last year pitching for Team USA.

Big difference, huh?

The head tuck is gone, the dragging of the right foot is gone, and the leg hitch/kick is gone.

This is Wheeler this year on May 23rd.

Much better.

I read your article and have to disagree somewhat with the comment posted from Adam Foster.

What people sometimes forget, or don’t realize, is how much different it is to throw from flat ground then from the mound.

To the untrained eye, a pitcher looks like he’s doing something wrong because most people are used to only seeing infielders and outfielders throw, or played those positions themselves.

This comment from Adam is true’

“Ideally, a pitcher will generate energy with his core then bring his arm along for the ride”

Everything else he says is a contradiction to that sentence. The planting of the lower body supports the turning of the upper body and the arm follows. It falls into the “driveline” naturally, the pitcher shouldn’t be making a conscious effort to slot his arm.

A good pitcher throws from the same angle on every pitch, FB, change, whatever. That’s why they are so tough, because there is nothing for hitters to pick up on.

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Mike Newman of Scouting the Sally watched Wheeler in 2010 when he pitched for Augusta in the South Atlantic League.

Even with his so-so performance, I still came away feeling he had the second highest ceiling of any prospect I’ve scouted at the level behind Julio Teheran. And with the ability to reflect on other pitching prospects scouted, I’d place him amongst the top four overall alongside the aforementioned Teheran, Casey Kelly, Manuel Banuelos, and Julio Teheran.

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Andrew Fiorentino of NJ.com reminds us how difficult the California League (High-A) is for pitchers. Wheeler was pitching for the Giants San Jose affiliate, and is 7-5 with a 3.99 ERA.

Wheeler has pitched in High-A ball this year, in the California League, which is notoriously hitter-friendly (like, really hitter-friendly), and has put up a 3.99 ERA and 1.375 WHIP — uninspiring numbers, but again, the Cal League is known for its hitter-friendly environs. Wheeler’s team, the San Jose Giants, leads the league a 3.51 team ERA; the next-best team is at 4.26, and literally half the teams in the league have an ERA over 5. For his part, Wheeler has allowed only 74 hits in 88 innings, giving him a very fine .222 batting average against.

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Wheeler’s brother Adam pitched in the Yankees system. He wasn’t terrible, when he pitched, as he suffered injuries to his shoulder. For his career he was 4-5, with a 2.71 ERA and 1 save.

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Sky Andrecheck conducted an interview with Wheeler on a site called Baseball Analysts before the draft in 2009. It’s pretty lengthy and interesting, but one portion stood out to me:

BA: What’s your greatest strength as a pitcher? Something you’re really proud about?

Wheeler: I think my mound mentality. If something goes wrong behind me I just keep on pitching, you know, try to get more outs – don’t try let anything get to me really. I think that’s a good strong key to have.

Give me a mentally tough prospect any day of the week.

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Finally, if you want to follow Wheeler on Twitter his handle is @Wheelerpro45

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Carlos Beltran, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Zack Wheeler