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Six years after Carlos Beltran was supposed to manage the New York Mets, the organization is once again making him a face of the franchise.
The Mets hired Beltran, a recent Hall of Famer, before the 2020 MLB season to be their next manager after firing Mickey Callaway. However, when the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, in which Beltran participated, came to light, he and the organization parted ways without him ever having a successful game.
But on Monday, the team announced that Beltran’s number 15 would retire on September 19.
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Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets smiles during an introductory baseball press conference in New York on November 4, 2019. (Seth Wenig/AP)
Twelve Mets have worn this number since Beltran’s last game with the Mets in 2011 – outfielder Tyrone Taylor currently wears it. But Beltran’s Hall of Fame plaque will feature a Mets cap this summer, making him the third player to represent the Mets in Cooperstown, joining Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza.
When MLB announced its findings on the Astros investigation in 2020, Beltran was the only player named in MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s report.
It was widely speculated that Beltran, along with Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who coached the Astros at the time, had run the operation.
Although Beltran’s most memorable moment in a Mets uniform was unfortunate – watching Adam Wainwright’s 3-2 breaking ball with the bases loaded to end Game 7 of the National League Championship Series – he is still easily one of the greatest players in franchise history. He ranks third in WAR, fourth in OPS and seventh in home runs and RBIs.
Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets is greeted by Angel Pagan after both scored on Beltran’s home run in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 5, 2011 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
WORLD SERIES WINNING MANAGER GETS EMOTIONAL AFTER LEARNING ON LIVE TV HIS TEAM RETIRES HIS NUMBER
The nine-time All-Star has been a consistent force throughout his career, even appearing in the Midsummer Classic in his penultimate season as a New York Yankee, when he hit .295 with an .850 OPS, 35 home runs and 101 RBIs.
Beltran, a switch hitter, won three Gold Glove Awards while accumulating 2,725 hits, including 435 home runs. He also stole 300 bases in his career, making him one of only eight players in MLB history in the 300-300 club. Beltran has the fourth most home runs by a switch hitter, behind Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray and Chipper Jones.
New York Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran throws for the ball during the third inning of an MLB baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 22, 2011 in New York. (Bill Kostroun/AP)
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He is also one of 39 players to have scored at least 1,500 points. Thirty-two of those players, including Beltran, are in the Hall of Fame. The other seven who are not are either linked to performance-enhancing drugs (Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield, Manny Ramirez) or are not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame (Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera). In 65 playoff games, Beltran hit .307 with a 1.021 OPS.
