Angel Pagan (Anthony J. Causi)
PORT ST. LUCIE — Carlos Beltran swallowed his pride yesterday and effectively told the world he prefers the title “Mr. Met” over “center fielder.”
The Mets’ center-field controversy — if you could call it that — ended with Beltran marching into the manager’s office around 7:30 a.m. to tell manager Terry Collins he wants to play right field this season. Angel Pagan will be the Mets’ starting center fielder.
“In my heart, I still feel I can play center field, but at the same time this isn’t all about Carlos — it’s about the team,” Beltran said, as he sat next to Pagan in the home dugout at Digital Domain Park during the Mets’ 9-3 exhibition loss to the Nationals. “In order for me to be able to play center field, I need more time. And I want to be on the same page with everyone here.”
Beltran, who has spent the last nine days testing his surgically repaired right knee in a supervised running program, expects to begin seeing Grapefruit League action at designated hitter by this weekend. He will likely make his right field debut in mid-March. Beltran said there is no question he’ll be ready for Opening Day.
Former Mets teammate Carlos Delgado and agent Scott Boras were among the people Beltran consulted for advice before reaching his decision.
“I didn’t want a decision like this to be made the last day of the camp,” Beltran said. “I wanted this decision to get over early, so we could get this over with this and focus and play ball. We have to focus on playing baseball, and that’s it.”
Collins said he breathed a sigh of relief that Beltran handled the situation with “class.” The manager said he thought Beltran might attempt to play several games in center field this spring, if not declare he wanted to remain in the position all season — regardless of how his knee felt.
“You’re hoping and praying it goes like this,” Collins said. “You’re hoping your star walks in and says, ‘This is what’s best for this team at this particular moment, and you’ll have no problem with me, now let’s get ready to play.’ That’s what you are hoping for. But you’ve got to get ready for them to say, ‘No, I’m the center fielder here.’
“From the first day on, he’s treated it right, and when he said [yesterday] morning that he wanted to talk, I wasn’t sure what it was about. He walked in and told me. I said, ‘You’re a pro. You are thinking about the team first. You’re a pro.’ ”
Pagan played center field for the first half of last season and excelled at the position. He moved to right field when Beltran was activated from the disabled list following the All-Star break.
“I feel really fortunate to be passed this torch from a player I always looked up to,” Pagan said. “Having him right next to me is going to be a great plus for me. I’m going to keep looking up to him and keep trying to pick his brain. He’s one of the best center fielders out there, and I’m trying to be like him.”
Beltran was grateful for the manner in which Collins handled the situation, allowing the player to have a major say on the issue.
“Giving me the confidence and being so honest with me, I think that’s why we handled this thing so professionally,” Beltran said. “He gave me the opportunity of choosing, [but] I’ve never been a selfish player in my career. Based on the condition of the knee, it’s better that Pagan handle center field.”