As trying to bring reason to the lackluster beginning of the Mets season, one huge scapegoat, who also has a huge contract and is paid to supply a huge bat, is Carlos Delgado. Delgado, the power hitting first baseman, is off to a slow start batting a little over .200 with three homeruns (including the two he hit yesterday) and the Met fan sees this is a continuation of the poor output in 2007. For those who followed the pattern of Delgado’s season in 2007, whenever he looked comfortable at the plate and was hitting the ball like the Delgado the Mets wanted and traded for, he would get injured which cooled him off. He never was able to get into a rhythm.
Now to address the myth of his slowing bat that’s spiraling him into mediocrity. He is batting .306 against power pitchers this season, which means one thing: he’s able to catch up to hard pitches. He can get his bat into the zone quick enough to hit a hard fastball. Mets fans rejoice. Delgado can still hit.
During the September debacle, one figure that went unnoticed was Delgado batted .321. After the all star break last season, he batted .288 which is higher than his career average.
Yes, there is a bad taste in your mouth from the end of last season and the Mets as a whole have not gotten into a solid groove yet, but it’s early. All your booing is almost tempting me to compare you to the kind of fans you despise: Phillies fans. Insulted yet? You can be passionate without being harsh.
We both know Delgado is not in the prime of his career. He won’t be the primary clean up hitter at any point this season. But he won’t maintain his status as the black hole in the lineup for the entire season. He will be there for you, Met fans. Sit back, relax, and watch Delgado drive in those runs.
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