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Adrian Beltre has an idea what Carl Crawford is going through 08.22.11 at 9:39 pm ET
By Rob Bradford

Adrian Beltre can understand what Carl Crawford is experiencing. (AP)

ARLINGTON, Texas – Adrian Beltre can sympathize with what Carl Crawford has experienced as a high-priced free agent switching teams for the first time.

The former Red Sox third baseman not only lived the life of a big-name who signed a big contract with a new team when he inked a five-year, $64 million deal with the Mariners, but also experienced the pressures that come with signing a deal in Boston.

“My first year in Seattle was the toughest year of my career,” said Beltre, who is currently on the 15-day disabled list (hamstring) with the Rangers. “I was trying to live up to the contract and I tried to do too much. It didn’t work out. I learned after that to just go out and play baseball.”

Like Crawford – who was hitting .155 with a .431 OPS after his first month with the Sox – Beltre struggled out of the gate after switching teams for the first time. The third baseman, who had hit .334 with 48 home runs with the Dodgers the season before, was batting just .242 with three homers and a .633 OPS by May 9 of his initial year in Seattle.

By the time he got to Boston, Beltre learned his lesson. Playing on a one-year deal, he hit .338 in April during his initial month with the Sox.

“I was just one of the guys. I wasn’t the main guy. And it also helped that I started the season playing good,” he said. “Sometimes it’s not easy to play in a setting like that.

“If you start well it’s easier because you just go along with it. You don’t have to worry about catching up. When you start thinking about living up to your contract and then you’re trying to catch up, you don’t let your talent take over. That’s what I went through in Seattle.”

Beltre surmised that better things are coming for Crawford, who entered the Monday night’s game hitting .251 with eight homers and 17 stolen bases.

“Definitely, because it’s not only him, there are a lot of guys,” explained Beltre, who is hitting .276 with 20 homers and carries a .823 OPS. “Look at [Jayson] Werth. Look at [Adam] Dunn. It’s always the first one. When you sign a contract like those in a city where they expect a lot of things from you a lot of times you struggle trying to live up to that. When you try and do too much it doesn’t help you.”

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  • ExiledInCalif

    I am sorry. This is pathetic. Was a complete disappointment. ESPECIALLY with Yuk, Papi, and Ellsbury down. You’d think he’d step up.

  • Bo

    People… Wake up … Please God let these brain washed jock sniffers think for themselves. We would not have been shut out if Carl hit in the 2nd spot tonight. I think the 3 hits from Pedroia, Gonzo, and Lowery are not wasted by Scuttoro and McDonalds 0 for 8 combined effort tonight. Oh yeah Carl’s been seeing mostly left handers of late and he is still getting tough hits.
    I am about ready to encourage Boston to trade Carl in hopes that NYY pick him up and show this funky manager and city how you cultivate and nurture someone with the experience, talent, durability,and athleticism like CC 504. I think it is a shame that a man who has averaged 653 plate appearances over his 10 years of baseball has 386 on August 22. Terry Francona couln’t manage the Cumberland R.I. little league, let alone a professional ball club. Players won in 2004 and again in 2007, I believe an chimpanze could make better personnel decisions than Francona. Really I am not kidding, or my 3 year old nephew could pick the starting lineup from a grab bag and do as well. Give up the ego and get the line up right.
    I say put him on waivers after the yankees kick our asses this year and we scapegoat Carl Crawford right into pinstripes and we forgoe a World Series for certain for a decade to come.

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... Dan

    Suck a thin one u fat pig. Francona is the best manager in baseball and the yankees are gonna lose in the first round cuz there starting pitching is the worst of all playoff teams!

  • DibIbblmyer

    Bo cries when he poops.

  • Bo

    “Playoffs? you wanna know about the playoffs?” Jim Mora as Saints coach…
    Another Sox fan who forgot the legendary collapses…. 8.5 game lead with 35 games remaining 7 agianst Tampa Head to Head, 6 against the NYY, and 6 against Texas.

    And please spare others from your meek attempts to disparage, as a principal of sound argument, slander not backed with logical fact in support of a premise is ALWAYS considered erroneous liable always discrediting any possible Truth that may occur before or after the personal attack.

  • Awwww Snap

    Seriously Bo, I see the attempt in the last paragraph at sounding intellectual but then after actually reading the whole paragraph I realized a few things. At first I was going to say the last sentence sounds like a 3 year old wrote it, but then I realized that the whole paragraph is not actually a paragraph at all, but one long run on sentence. Weird…

    So you’re obviously a Yankee fan, congratulations. Welcome to the site of Boston sports teams, not sure how you got here, my guess is through fear, an undeserving feeling of self worth, and lack of vagina in your household. I see that you like talking about collapses huh? Lol, I mean really? Did you come to a Red Sox article as a Yankee fan and bring up the point of collapses? You must really not watch all that much baseball, I’ll make this short and sweet:

    2004. Have a great day Bo.

  • skippy

    Bo Jim Mora was with the Colts when he made that comment. So get a clue

  • McNab

    Bo – your fumblings with the english language rival those of your attempts at removal of the jock strap from your date last week.

    Little man, Francona has H.O.F. numbers (have someone look them up for you), many have which have been accrued during a near complete turnover of the team he began coaching (some positions several times), so I guess it’s just coincidental that he’s still so successful despite the new staff; a fact which is overshadowed by a much simpler one…he’s the coach of a major league baseball team, and you’re the frustrated little result of inbreeding and drug abuse whose own yankers fan base sent him packing out of shame. Give the 3-year old a year to figure you out and he’ll be doing the same.

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... Tcanau22

    That was fing perfect my friend. BEANTOWN BABY!!!!!!

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... Tcananau22

    That was fing perfect my friend…..BEANTOWN BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... Tcavana

    Bo u no vagina banger ur soft lil man. Trying to log onto boston sports and sound like my elementary english teacher……..hahaha u ny clown go watch the giants game

  • McNab

    Bo knows…..nothing.

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