New York Yankees' Carlos Beltran surging into postseason

Survey a group of New York Yankees fans about Carlos Beltran and you still might get a rather lukewarm response. Last year his tenure in pinstripes began well enough. That is, until he took an awkward tumble over a wall at Tropicana Field in mid-April.

He never looked quite right after that and finished the season with some of the weakest numbers of his career: .233/.301/.402, 15 home runs and 49 RBI. A trip to the disabled list in May also limited the typically durable outfielder to only 109 games.

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For many fans, Beltran became an easy target at which to direct their ire over the team’s larger struggles. He was old, washed up, overpaid, emblematic of the franchise’s fixation on declining stars. To make matters worse, the 2015 campaign began much like the previous one ended, with Beltran slashing a pitiful .162/.216/.265 in April. It seemed like the Bronx Bombers were simply stuck with him and his waning skills for another two whole years.

If you thought the book was officially closed on Carlos Beltran at age 38, however, you were wrong. Whether fans wanted to recognize it or not, the veteran switch-hitter resoundingly turned a corner as the calendar flipped to May. Since the beginning of that month, Beltran sports a far more impressive .292/.352/.505 slash line. He has also swatted 19 homers and driven in 59 runs in that span.

Beltran’s quiet yet dramatic revival has been invaluable to the Yankees, particularly since the All-Star break. After two postseason-less seasons with a shockingly impotent offense, the Bombers’ lineup has been far more productive in 2015. Their 755 runs scored are second-most in Major League Baseball, and their 212 home runs are tied for third.

For the bulk of the year, the unexpectedly hot bats of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez were leading the charge. When Teixeira fouled a ball off his shin in August, fracturing it and ending his season, most wondered whether the Yanks could get by in his absence. And though A-Rod has added 15 home runs in the second half (for a current total of 33), his overall production has slowed noticeably since the All-Star Game. Since the break, he is slashing just .219/.324/.460.

The Yankees really needed someone to help pick up the slack, and Beltran answered the call. While the offense stalled at times over the past couple months, Beltran has been a consistent bright spot. He enjoyed a monster August, slashing .353/.431/.635 in 26 games during the month. 11 of his 19 home runs and 33 of his 66 RBI have also come in his last 55 games.

The Bombers finally punched their ticket last night for an AL Wild Card berth, and if they are to advance, Beltran will have to remain a significant part of the formula. Of course, October heroics are nothing new for the eight-time All-Star. He owns a .333/.445/.683 slash line in 51 postseason games with the Astros, Mets and Cardinals. His 16 postseason home runs are tied for ninth all-time.

Beltran’s presence is still not without a few complications, though. Watching him play right field can be brutal at times. In a perfect world, he would serve as a primary designated hitter, but A-Rod has that role tied up for the foreseeable future. But if Beltran keeps hitting like he has recently, the Yanks will take the spotty defense.

To his credit, the 18-year veteran has proved that there is still considerable life left in his bat. He has also proved to the New York Yankees and their fans that his contract won’t quite be the three-year albatross they feared.

Whenever he decides to call it a career, he will be a legitimate Hall of Fame candidate, but for now Carlos Beltran is focused on one thing: winning his first World Series championship.

Next: A-Rod pops cork on Yanks' WC berth

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