Carlos Beltran doesn’t have to look at the back of his baseball card anymore.
During his seemingly never-ending rehab during spring training, Beltran was left behind in Port St. Lucie when the team went on the road. After yet another day of working out alone, he talked about the frustrations of not being able to perform up to his superstar abilities because of knee problems.
Then, in a most revealing moment, Beltran reached into the top shelf of his locker and pulled out his baseball card.
“When I feel down, that’s what I do — I look at my numbers,” Beltran said, the emotion of the moment clearly in his voice as he stared at the back of the bubble-gum card. “I see how many times I have driven in 100 runs. I say, ‘You know what? I’m a good player.’ ”
Beltran, batting right-handed, showed just how good he can be last night, blasting two long home runs off Tom Gorzelanny in the Mets’ 8-4 victory over the Nationals at Citi Field. His first was a two-run shot deep into the left-field stands in the first inning on a 3-2 pitch that scored Jose Reyes, who had walked and stolen second.
Beltran’s second home run was another shot into the left-field stands in the fourth inning.
“I feel great,” he said after the game. “I feel like all the time I put in at spring training is paying off. My legs are working.”
Perhaps just as vital, Beltran, a free agent after the season, is showing that he could be a valuable piece for a contender with money to burn come July and the trade deadline.
As part of the plan to take it slow, Beltran won’t start today’s game against the Nationals.
With Washington leading 4-3 in the sixth, Beltran lifted a towering fly to left that drove Jerry Hairston Jr. back to the warning track, near the 384 sign. David Wright was on first base. Hairston missed the ball for an error and Beltran wound up on second as Wright scooted to third.
After Scott Hairston struck out and it looked as if the Mets were going to leave more runners in scoring position, Ike Davis drove a pitch to right-center for a two-run triple, and the Mets were on their way to snapping a three-game losing streak.
The other day Beltran told manager Terry Collins, “Don’t worry about me. Everything is going to be fine. My time will come.”
“Sometimes the stars get a bad rap,” Collins said. “People said [Beltran] doesn’t like spring training. This guy, the only thing he did every day was get himself ready to play a baseball season. He knew spring training is a process.”
Beltran’s time came last night. The two home runs marked the 28th multi-home-run game in Beltran’s career. He did it last Sept. 26 against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. It’s much different hitting two home runs in this Grand Canyon of a ballpark.
Beltran, who turns 34 in two weeks, is stronger than he was last year. Because of the surgery on his right knee before last season he was not able to work out in the winter to build up strength leading into the 2010 season. This winter he worked hard on building upper-body strength and he showed that strength last night.
The road has been long. To keep his spirits up, Beltran would visualize success on the field.
“But I didn’t visualize something like this, two home runs,” he said with a smile. “When you are not playing, you have to think about good things, you have to come to the ballpark every day and hope that everything will change for the good.”
Beltran showed last night that he can be that No. 4 hitter again. On this night the numbers on the back of his baseball card came to life.
After the crowd of reporters left his locker, I told him, “You don’t have to look at the back of your baseball card anymore.”
Beltran smiled and said, “I still look.”