Carlos Beltran is better than Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the playoffs
St. Louis Cardinals' Carlos Beltran steps out of the dugout for a curtain call after hitting a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning of Game 2 of the National League division baseball series, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, in St. Louis. The Cardinals won 12-4. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chris Lee) EDWARDSVILLE INTELLIGENCER OUT; THE ALTON TELEGRAPH OUT Credit: AP
Carlos Beltran stands frozen, his bat unmoved, staring down to watch an Adam Wainwright curveball eek back into the strike zone and into the glove of Yadier Molina, a pitch that ends any hope the Mets have of advancing to the World Series.
That's the enduring postseason image of Beltran that Mets fans are left with after his six-plus season stay in Flushing. But had the Mets made the playoffs a few more times (or even one more time), they might have been left with a different impression: Carlos Beltran, postseason giant.
Beltran ranks No. 1 in on-base percentage and slugging percentage (minimum 100 at-bats) in postseason history. The two guys rounding out the top three in each category? Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
Let's repeat that: Beltran is a better during the postseason than Ruth and Gehrig.
Here are the rankings:
On-base Percentage
1. Beltran, .478 (115 plate appearances)
2. Gehrig, .477 (150 PA)
3. Ruth, .467 (167 PA)
Slugging percentage
1. Beltran, .819
2. Ruth, .744
3. Gehrig, .731
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