FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- If baseball has taught Esteban Beltre anything, it's to keep his suitcase packed at all times.
Since being signed by Montreal in 1984, Beltre has been traded, released and loaned to more clubs than he can count. But as one door slams on the slender infielder, another opens.
Sometimes, it just takes a while for the lock to turn.
Three years removed from his last job in the majors, Beltre is competing for a spot with the Orioles. There's a need, with second baseman Delino DeShields headed to the disabled list and Jeff Reboulet headed to another starting assignment on Opening Day. And there's Beltre, unwilling to let go of the dream.
"My situation is, I got invited to spring training and I'm trying to show these people I can play, that I can be a utility player, and then they'll make a decision," he said. "I hope they're looking at me real close."
He was harder to find last year. Beltre, 31, spent all season with Minnesota's Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake. He hit .278 with 84 runs and 26 stolen bases, then waited for a call from the Twins that never came.
"That really was a tough year," he said. "I put up some good numbers. It made me think a lot -- 'Wow, I had a good year and they didn't even want me. What's going on?' At that time, they needed an infielder. But then I said, 'That's OK. I'll just go home and keep working and see who's going to need me for the next year.' I was a little hurt, but that's baseball. You have to keep going."
It took seven years for Beltre, a native of the Dominican Republic, to reach the majors with the Chicago White Sox in 1991. By then, he had been loaned to independent Utica of the Single-A New York-Penn League, toiled in the Florida State League, signed by Milwaukee as a free agent and dealt to the White Sox.
Then it got hectic.
One year after being named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team, Beltre was traded to Texas in 1994 and spent parts of two seasons with the Rangers. He was allowed to become a free agent again in '96, and joined the Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Pittsburgh organizations -- all in the same season.
Released by the Pirates in spring training the following year, Beltre joined another independent team, the St. Paul Saints. But it wouldn't be as a shortstop. Desperate times sometimes call for wacky measures.
"A lot of people were coming to my house, a lot of friends, and they were saying, 'Hey, why don't you try pitching for a little while because you have a good arm?' I said I really didn't want to do that because by that time I was 29. I really didn't have time for that. I was too old," he said.
Beltre didn't take his own advice. He tried to make the switch, but ditched the experiment after walking four batters in an inning.
"It was too difficult. You have to start at the beginning to be a pitcher. It's not easy after you play nine or 10 years at shortstop or whatever. That's for the young guys," he said.
"I did real bad. And the next day, I couldn't move my arm. By that point I said to myself, 'No, that's enough for me.' I went home and called my lawyer and told him I needed a job, and I found one in Minnesota. But I'm not even thinking about pitching anymore."
The Orioles prefer it that way. They've got their own agenda with Beltre, who could fill Reboulet's utility role until DeShields returns. With Reboulet starting at second, manager Ray Miller doesn't have a backup for shortstop Mike Bordick unless he slides Cal Ripken over from third.
Beltre, who has a .237 career average and 410 at-bats over five major-league seasons, has shown a strong arm and good range at short. He's receiving some extra tutoring from coach Sam Perlozzo, who works with the infielders. The request, to Perlozzo's surprise, came from Beltre.
Perlozzo's advice? Slow down and concentrate more on making the routine plays. In this camp, flash is panned.
"I'm just getting him to keep his glove low and quiet," Perlozzo said. "He's got a good arm. When he makes mistakes, it's because he rushes. He gets a little too quick and too fancy.
"When he came to me and asked for help, I said, 'Look, you've been around a long time. Your skill level's there. You just need to slow yourself down, get in a good fielding position and let it happen rather than forcing things.' He's worked at it really well, and I've been pleased the last five or six days. He feels a lot more comfortable. I think if he does that on a regular basis, he can help somebody out."
Beltre, who's 1-for-8 going into today's game against St. Louis, will get some innings at second base later in the month. But it was his experience at short that appealed to Miller.
"I was real happy when we got him because we had a lot of [minor-league] people at second base but we didn't have a safety value for an everyday shortstop," Miller said. "When I saw his name, it was interesting because if he can play consistent defensively, he's a live body."
One whose career had been left for dead.
"Sometimes you get released, sometimes you get sent down, but you have to keep going," Beltre said. "You never look back. You say, 'OK, I have to find out what I have to do to be a better ballplayer and come back to this level again.' That's why I'm playing right now, because I never give up. I have to work hard because I know I can play. I'm just one of those guys who has a hard time sometimes.
"There are times you get confused after getting hurt or released. Sometimes you get screwed up in the mind. That's why you have to be a man in this game. Sometimes things don't go your way and you have to be prepared."
Prepared to move at a moment's notice.
Pub Date: 3/12/99