Beltran Flips the Switch

Before he could experience the pride of slipping an All-Star jersey over his chiseled physique, before he could enjoy the thrill of taking the field for the National League championship series, Carlos Beltran had to endure the pain of being a Houston Astro.

It was late June, and the prized center fielder had just been acquired by the disappointing Astros from the even more disappointing Kansas City Royals. Beltran joined Houston before a three-game series against its cross-state rival, the Texas Rangers, and his initial impressions were akin to a traveler expecting to land in Paris only to arrive in Paris, Ky.

“It was hard for me to see the way we were playing,” Beltran said Tuesday. “We weren’t playing good at all, and we were like 10 games behind in the wild-card” standings.

The Astros lost two of three games to the Rangers, then went 6-8 over the final two weeks before the All-Star break. Beltran started to think he had been traded from one bottom-feeder to another, prompting concern that Houston might try to unload him before the trading deadline.

Turns out the only thing the Astros discharged was crates full of confetti after Beltran spearheaded a turnaround in which Houston went 48-26 after the All-Star break to clinch the wild-card berth and the five-tool player’s first postseason appearance.

“I just feel like this is a dream,” Beltran said on the eve of the National League championship series, in which the Astros will play the St. Louis Cardinals. Game 1 is tonight at Busch Stadium.

“I’m very happy being able to contribute to help the Astros win day in and day out, no matter how -- defensively, offensively.”

Beltran transformed an already formidable lineup into one that rivaled the Cardinals’ record-setting bunch, batting a combined .267 with a career-high 38 home runs and 104 runs batted in with the Royals and Astros.

The 27-year-old became the only player to drive in at least 50 runs in each league in the same season and was a perfect 28 for 28 in stolen-base attempts with the Astros.

“He was the missing piece they were lacking,” said Woody Williams, the Cardinal starter who will try to contain Beltran in Game 1.

“Obviously, one can take a look at their record since they got Beltran to where they are now. It’s amazing, the turnaround they had.”

St. Louis Manager Tony La Russa said of Beltran: “I wish they didn’t have him.”

In the division series, the switch-hitter belted two of his four homers and drove in five of his nine runs against the Atlanta Braves in the series-clinching Game 5 on Monday. For the series, Beltran batted .455, including .526 from the left side.

“He’s been as good as you can be,” Houston Manager Phil Garner said. “Take a look at [Monday] night. Now, that’s a great game, but he’s done that a couple of times.

“I think now the word’s out. I think the world knows he’s one of the greatest players in the game. There isn’t anything he can’t do, including throwing the ball. We’ve seen him throw guys out from center field. You don’t see that very often in today’s game.”

Beltran credited Tony Pena, his manager in Kansas City, for accelerating his development by moving him into the No. 2 spot in the batting order this season for the first time in his six-year career.

Jimy Williams dropped Beltran to his more accustomed third spot when Beltran joined the Astros, but Garner moved Beltran back to second when he took over for Williams at the All-Star break.

“I prefer hitting third, but hitting second, it’s a good spot for me,” Beltran said. “I can do my thing, I can bunt the ball when I got guys on second base, I can play my game.”

His game is one of the most envied in baseball, putting him in a class with Cardinal first baseman Albert Pujols as one of the best young players around.

“The guy can play,” St. Louis second baseman Tony Womack said of Beltran.

“He can play defense, he can run, he can hit, steal bases. For guys like me who haven’t seen him much until he came over here [to the National League], you really appreciate his ability.”