Statcast of the Day: Beltran’s legs carry Rangers

1475047232921

Over a long and successful career, Carlos Beltran has won three Gold Glove Awards in center field and racked up more than 300 stolen bases. But at 39 years old, the nine-time All-Star is much better known for his bat these days than his defense or baserunning.

That changed, at least briefly, in the sixth inning of what became a 6-4 Rangers win over the Brewers at Globe Life Park on Tuesday night.

When Orlando Arcia started the top of the frame with a line drive to right field off Tony Barnette, it appeared Milwaukee might put its leadoff man aboard as it tried to extend a 4-3 lead. Arcia connected with an exit velocity of 95.9 mph and a launch angle of 15 degrees, according to Statcast™, traits that have led to a .612 batting average this season.

While Beltran has long since moved from center to right and is no longer lauded for his range, he gave himself a chance to make a play on Arcia’s liner by taking his first step in only 0.07 seconds. That turned out to be his fourth-quickest jump of the season on a putout.

Beltran then sprinted toward the right-field line at a top speed of 17.4 mph, with a solid route efficiency of 97.6 percent. The veteran closed on the low …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *