Taking It To Another Level CARLOS BELTRAN Wants To Be A Major League Star

Baseball Digest, July, 2000 by Dick Kaegel

Rookie of the Year in '99, Royals center fielder seeks to polish his skills in hitting and on defense

CARLOS BELTRAN WON'T BE satisfied with Rookie of the Year. Royals bench coach Jamie Quirk is certain of that.

"Some kids just want to make it in the big leagues. He wants to be a star. He has the goal to be a star," Quirk said.

"A lot of us just wanted to be in the big leagues, but he wants to take it to another level. You can see that from the way he goes about his business. When he's done with this game, he wants people to remember him."

Baseball writers made Beltran, 22, a near-unanimous selection as the American League's top rookie last year. He received 26 of 28 votes; Seattle pitcher Freddy Garcia and Boston first baseman Brian Daubach each got one.

No wonder that's all they got. Beltran, the Royals' center fielder, drove in 108 runs and scored 112. He had 22 home runs, seven triples, 27 doubles and 27 stolen bases. His batting average was .293.

And he was all over the outfield, stealing would-be homers and doubles and amassing 16 assists.

"The last time I can remember any body having a year like that was Fred Lynn," Toronto manager Jim Fregosi said. "And Beltran signed out of high school, didn't he? Fred Lynn was out of a major college program."

Indeed, Lynn's first year with Boston netted him not only honors as Rookie of the Year but also the Most Valuable Player Award. Of course, the Red Sox won the pennant that season. A contending club is almost a prerequisite for an MVP, something Beltran obviously didn't have last year. Even though voters can list 10 players on MVP ballots, Beltran didn't get a mention.

That could change this year.

If the Royals play well, Beltran could have a shot at duplicating the feat of Cal Ripken Jr., who was Rookie of the Year in 1982 for the Baltimore Orioles and MVP the next season.

"If we can make the playoffs, that's real important to me," Beltran said. "I'm not trying to be the Most Valuable Player of the American League. I want to have a good year and play hard, that's it.

"I think I can play in the big leagues 10 or 15 years. If I play that long, maybe I'll get the chance to win one of those awards. But more important to me is win--win, make the playoffs."

Beltran had a busy winter. He married his wife, Jessica, in Puerto Rico, won the rookie award, was honored at dinners in Kansas City and New York and played winter ball on his island homeland, Puerto Rico.

When he came to spring training, Beltran didn't slow down. He was hitting, fielding and running well. He showed m) indication of a sophomore slump.

"The sky's the limit for him," teammate Joe Randa said. "He's got all the tools, no doubt about it."

Beltran began last season as the leadoff hitter but quickly showed he could be productive in the crucial No. 3 slot. So he was switched with left-fielder Johnny Damon.

"I was leading off, and in the beginning, I wasn't comfortable because that was my first year at leading off," Beltran said. "I started thinking I can take advantage of this because I'm going to have a lot of at-bats and a lot of opportunities to do things. When the first month passed, I was still uncomfortable being leadoff.

"When I batted third, what I did was think to do the same thing I was doing batting leadoff, take the pressure off myself."

But, in fact, Beltran thrives on pressure. He likes being in clutch situations, always the mark of a great player.

"I think if he set his goals to do what he did last year, he would still have a great year," pitcher Blake Stein said.

True enough. What Stein likes is that Beltran doesn't let a slump, rare though it may be, bother him.

"Every hitter goes through it. He'll have some peaks and valleys during the year. But the good thing about him is if he gets into that valley, it doesn't affect him. He comes right back strong. He may have an 0-for-10 stretch, but he'll come back and get four or five hits in the next two days and be right on track again," Stein said.

"Nothing seems to rattle him. He can go right after guys, and he doesn't tense up or anything. He just stays relaxed and produces when he has to."

Beltran, like Damon, jumped from Class AA Wichita to the majors without wavering.

"I was surprised at the power he showed. I didn't think he'd show that right away," Quirk said. "The other thing that surprised me: I didn't know he had that good an arm."

Coach Frank White has been working with Beltran on one weakness, the ability to come in on sinking liners and ground balls.

"He has the tendency to look up before he gels to the ball," White said.

Beltran is making progress on that problem, and when he does get the ball with runners moving, he unleashes a throw with such force that he sprawls to the ground, a move that White calls "the ultimate follow-through."

Why don't more outfielders do that?

"I don't know," Beltran said. "Maybe they don't feel comfortable, they don't know how to do that. Maybe you're born with that. Nobody taught me that. I just got that by myself."

Beltran's hitting draws the most attention, though. And he has a Hall of Fame admirer in George Brett, who worked with Beltran during spring training.