He took advice from former Mets general manager Omar Minaya about the interview process. His family is on board with his desire to manage the Yankees. The last manager he played for gushed about his leadership qualities and he is attempting to move from player to manager without a stop in between. Across the past 20 years he built a Hall of Fame résumé as a player.
Yet, according to Carlos Beltran those two decades weren’t all about hitting, fielding and base running.
“I don’t have the managerial experience, but other than that I played the game for 20 years and my last three or four years and being able to be the DH for the most part, I got to see the game from a different view,’’ Beltran said following a Yankee Stadium interview on Wednesday for the team’s managerial vacancy. “I got to be a like a player-coach in the clubhouse, being active with the younger guys like a coach.’’
Beltran, 40, is the sixth man Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman and his staff have interviewed, joining Rob Thomson, Eric Wedge, Aaron Boone, Hensley Meulens and Chris Woodward. Of the six, Wedge is the only one with major league managing experience.
Beltran, who was part of the World Series champion Astros this past season, started his stellar career at a time when analytics weren’t as prevalent as they are today. Since the Yankees rely heavily on analytics, Beltran was asked how much he was tied to the numbers.
“The three years I was with the Yankees, I have seen the Yankees invest a lot of money in analytics and try to provide the players with a lot of information they can use to try to increase their careers,’’ said Beltran, who praised ex-Mets manager Terry Collins for his managerial style. “This year being able to play in Houston, I got to see very closely, actually the last month of the season when I didn’t play much, I got to see the [analytic] department working with the players and providing information which is very valuable.
“When I look at my career, those 20 years I played naked a lot of them because I didn’t have this information. The fact that teams are investing in analytics is a positive thing for baseball.’’
In their one season together, World Series champion manager A.J. Hinch could see Beltran had a desire to manage.
“Carlos always was curious about managing. He was always watching and asking questions and being curious. In a lot of ways, that is his nature. He always showed a lot of respect for the position, and I could tell it created a little interest in him,’’ Hinch wrote in an email to The Post on Wednesday. “I didn’t think he would be interested so soon, but to know Carlos is to know that he loves players and helping them. He is a natural connector of people, so I can see how he would be drawn to the position.’’
Hinch was impressed by Beltran’s impact on the clubhouse in the final season of a career that ended with a .279 batting average, 435 homers, 1,587 RBIs, and a .837 OPS.
“Beltran did a great job being a very stable person/player for our players. His steadiness and balanced approach to the clubhouse was really good for them. He was able to share a lot of what made him good for so long with our guys,’’ Hinch wrote. “I think the biggest thing our players took from Beltran was his attention to detail in everything. He always encouraged our players to find some competitive advantage or tip. It was fun to watch him connect with everyone on our team.’’
Moving from a player to manager involves a lot of change, but Hinch mentioned Beltran’s role this past season included mentoring.
“I think managing in the big leagues is hard in general, so naturally it would be an adjustment for him. Rarely do you see a player play into his 40s, so he was essentially a player/coach last season,’’ Hinch wrote of Beltran, who batted .231 with 14 homers, 51 RBIs and posted a .666 OPS.
In 10 postseason games Beltran went 3-for-20 (.150) and was limited to three World Series at-bats.
“Making all the decisions and handling the media is different as a manager, but the game has never presented a challenge to Carlos he couldn’t handle,” Hinch continued. “I’ve never been around a player more respected, so he would have the players’ support.’’