Postseason can leave lasting impressions

DETROIT It’s just a couple of weeks worth of games, a small sampling compared to the grind of the 162game regular season, but what a difference it can make.

It can turn St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran into the new Mr. October, or New York Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher into Mr. May. The glare of Major League Baseball’s postseason stage can do curious things to a player’s value, and no matter how players and agents want to spin it, baseball executives are watching closely.

“I think it’s real important,” Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers said, “because it’s a fresh look, a last look. And those last looks will stick with you all winter.

“You want to see how guys respond with the game on the line, and how they handle that pressure. That’s big.”

Cardinals starter Kyle Lohse, who entered Game 7 of the National League Championship Series with a 2-0 record and 1.96 ERA in three starts, should now be viewed as an ace, agent Scott Boras says.

Detroit Tigers reliever Jose Valverde, who has given up seven runs in his last two outings and lost his closer’s job with a 27.00 ERA, should be remembered for his body of work the last six years with a major league-leading 219 saves and not the rough 10-day stretch, Boras also says, citing his heavy workload.

Beltran perhaps made an extra $40 million for his performance in the 2006 World Series, according to Boras, resulting in a seven-year, $119 million contract with the New York Mets.

Swisher, who’s a free agent, might have badly damaged his value, hitting .167 this postseason.

“I think when players are reaching heights in their career that they’ve never reached before, it helps them,” Boras says.