It’s not that Carlos Beltran was finished. His 2011 season wasn’t bad. It’s just that he was replacing one of the best players ever — in St. Louis or anywhere. Yet this is what he’s done: Made Cardinals fans forget Albert Pujols. OK, that’s probably not true. Technically, he also didn’t replace Pujols as Beltran is a right fielder and Pujols is a first baseman. Semantics. Once Pujols bolted for the Angels, the Cardinals signed Beltran.
But as Pujols struggles following his free agent departure, Beltran is flourishing. Yes, it’s only mid-May, but Beltran is among the early-season MVP contenders. He entered Wednesday night’s game vs. San Francisco with 13 homers, 32 RBI and a .295 batting average. Meanwhile, Pujols entered Wednesday with one homer, 14 RBI and a .212 batting average.
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“[Beltran’s] performance has been almost dominant in terms of helping our club,” Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak recently told MLB.com.
Another bonus: Beltran’s health. He played in 81 games in 2009 and 64 in 2010 because of a bone bruise and then offseason knee surgery. He made the All-Star team last summer, but had not yet returned to the elite status he once enjoyed.
That’s where he’s at these days.
“When I wake up in the morning, I feel no pain in my body,” he told MLB.com. “In the past years, you wake up in the morning and feel like your knee hurts. It’s a grind from the time you wake up in the morning.”
If this lasts, the Cardinals once more will be a factor in October.
– John Keim
