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Q: Why are the Mets hitting Carlos Beltran fifth instead of third?
— Angel Luis, San Juan, Puerto Rico
A: Funny you should ask, Angel. Because after the first 14 games of the season, when Beltran hit fifth and David Wright hit third, Mets manager Jerry Manuel just flip-flopped them for Thursday's game.
Beltran is very hot lately — he entered Thursday with a .385 average. Wright has cooled off after a hot start, and is at .302 — not exactly struggling. But Manuel decided to make the switch in an attempt to jump-start an offense that is 10th in the NL in runs scored.
And he smartly called both players into his office to explain the reasons behind the move before he made it.
As to why Wright began the season hitting third, you can look to a recent-year comparison of batting average and on-base percentage. Wright is a .309 career hitter with four consecutive seasons at .302 or above. His career on-base percentage is .389.
Beltran is a .281 career hitter with averages of .266, .275, .276 and .284 in the last four seasons. His career on-base percentage is .357, and his high in the last four seasons is .388.
You want to get as many runners on base as possible in front of cleanup hitter Carlos Delgado and your No. 5 hitter, and Wright gets on base more than Beltran.
But there are ebbs and flows in every player's season, so a spot in the lineup can be flexible.
Q: Do you see Tommy Hanson making a name for himself as the fifth starter for the Braves if Tom Glavine calls it a career?
— Joey Craft, Hattiesburg, Miss.
A: Hanson certainly raised expectations — and likely sped up his big-league arrival date — with a strong spring (1-0, 18 strikeouts in 17.2 innings).
He currently is pitching at Triple-A Gwinnett, and what happens there will be the major factor in determining when Hanson arrives in Atlanta.
In his first two starts for Gwinnett, Hanson allowed no runs and struck out 17 in 10 innings, but didn't earn a victory in either outing. He was hit around a bit in his last start, when he allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings, and sits at 0-2 with a still-impressive 2.45 ERA.
When the Braves feel he is ready, they will look for the right spot to slide him into, whether it's related to Glavine or not. The feeling is that could be as soon as next month, but they won't rush him. He is too important to their long-term future.
Q: Who do you think is the better long-term fantasy pickup — David Aardsma, Scott Downs or Octavio Dotel?
— Taylor, Atlanta
A: That's a tough call to make, not knowing your league's exact pitching categories, Taylor. But you've certainly keyed in on three setup men who are off to excellent starts. Here's my assessment of each:
Dotel is 35, and on the downside of his career. But he remains a big strikeout guy. He has been a closer in the past, of course, but won't get more than a handful of opportunities unless Bobby Jenks goes on the DL. Dotel's WHIP is usually very good, too.
Early in spring training, I thought Aardsma could win the Mariners closer role. But that was before the Mariners decided Brandon Morrow's best fit for now is as a closer rather than a starting pitcher. Still, given Morrow's health and control concerns, Aardsma should get a decent amount of save opportunities this season.
Downs, 33, has developed into a very effective setup man — much more than just a situational lefty. In the last two seasons, his ERA is right around 2.00. In the past, his WHIP and strikeouts weren't as good as Dotel's — although so far, Downs has 12 strikeouts in 7.2 innings.
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