Beltran Fights Slumps With His Bedside Bat

Feb 26, 2014; Bradenton, FL, USA; New York Yankees right fielder

(36) at bat against the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Whether it’s the white foul lines, fried chicken, animal teeth or Jobu’s rum (To wake up bats!) every baseball player has their superstitions. The little boy’s game is filled with all sorts of colorful characters who’ve never really wanted to grow up. As kids they turned their caps inside out and now as adults… nothing has changed and clubhouses still sport the famous “Rally Caps.” Many use their routines to try and muster up some luck. Others gain confidence from their little quirks so that they’re better prepared for the game at hand. In the case of the Yankees newest outfielder, Carlos Beltran, he uses his superstitions as defense from a potential slump. Beltran says he keeps one of his bats at the side of his bed in order to cool his head at night.

“When I’m home, I can put a smile on my face and act like nothing’s wrong,” he said. “But then at night, when I’m in bed, everything comes to my head: ‘Man, I was horrible today. How come I’m in this slump? Why am I hitting .220 this month? What’s wrong?” Beltran said.

The 16-year veteran said that in these times he’ll grab his bat placed at his bedside and hold it in hands and search for answers. “I’ll just feel my grip, work my grip, thinking, thinking. Sometimes, a thought will come to me, an answer.”

Beltran’s meditation time with his bat doesn’t always work. He doesn’t always find the answers he’s looking for and when that happens he dives deeper into it. According to the man who was recently branded with the nickname “Señor Octubre” he’ll step to the side of his room, and get into his stance looking for an answer to his hitting woes. Does it always work? No. Does he find it helpful? It sure seems like it. Is it entertaining? I think so.

Carlos Beltran signed a 3-year $45 million dollar contract with the Yankees this past off season. He has said that this is most likely his last contract and is looking to finally win the World Series. After seven seasons with the crosstown Mets, Beltran is happy to return to New York after being traded to the San Francisco Giants back in 2011 and spending the 2012 and 2013 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees are hoping that a veteran like Beltran will be a leader on a team that is going through a transition. He’s been a very consistent overall ballplayer despite facing a few injuries throughout his career. The switch-hitter should benefit from the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium as well as the designated hitter in the American League that should provide him with some rest from the strenuous position of right field. Beltran and the Yankees are hoping for a big year and hopefully he won’t have to take too many swings next to his bed.