SEATTLE -- For as miserable as the season started for Adrian Beltre, you can bet that the Mariners third baseman wasn't ready for the 2006 campaign to end.
Not the way he swung the bat in the last month of the season and, really, the second half of the season.
Beltre enjoyed a spike in offensive statistics in his second season with the Mariners, as he finished with 25 home runs, 89 RBIs and a .268 batting average.
Not surprisingly, Beltre's gains could also be found in his slugging percentage (.465), his on-base percentage (.328) and his OPS (.792).
No, these statistics were nowhere near the monster numbers he put up for the Dodgers in 2004 -- a .334 batting average, 48 home runs and 121 RBIs -- but they were improvements from his first season in Seattle.
Credit a big second half, a new spot in the lineup and feeling comfortable with American League pitching for the rise in Beltre's production.
Beltre hit .280 in September, including a 16-game hitting streak, and hit 31 points higher in the second half of the season, with 18 of his 25 home runs and 54 of his 89 RBIs coming after the All-Star break.
"For some reason, I hit better in the second half," Beltre said. "You wish the season was a little longer."
Chances are Beltre probably didn't feel that way early in the season.
The third baseman hit just .189 in April with one home run. By May 29, Beltre's average stood at .221 and he had just two home runs. His swing looked long. He looked like he was pressing at the plate.
Adrian Beltre benefited from a move to the No. 2 spot in the batting order in June. (John Froschauer/AP)
Complete Article
Beltre hopes to build on strong '06 finish
Beltre hopes to build on strong '06 finish
Linear Mode
