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Six years after Carlos Beltrán was supposed to manage the New York Mets, the organization is making him the face of the franchise once again.
The Mets hired Beltrán, recently elected to the Hall of Fame, before the 2020 MLB season to become their next manager after firing Mickey Callaway. However, when the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, in which Beltrán participated, was unearthed, he and the organization parted ways without him even coaching a game.
But on Monday, the team announced that Beltrán’s number 15 will be retired on September 19.
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Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets smiles during a baseball press conference in New York on Nov. 4, 2019. (Seth Wenig/AP)
Twelve Mets have worn the number since Beltrán’s last game with the Mets in 2011; outfielder Tyrone Taylor currently uses it. But Beltrán’s Hall of Fame plaque this summer will feature a Mets cap, making him the third player to represent the Mets in Cooperstown, joining Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza.
When MLB announced its findings into the investigation into the Astros in 2020, Beltrán was the only player named in MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s report.
It has been widely speculated that Beltran, along with Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, the Astros’ bench coach at the time, spearheaded the operation.
While Beltrán’s most memorable moment in a Mets uniform is unfortunate (watching Adam Wainwright’s bases-loaded 3-2 breaking ball to end Game 7 of the National League Championship Series), he’s still easily one of the best players in franchise history. He ranks third in WAR, fourth in OPS and seventh in home runs and RBI.
Carlos Beltrán of the New York Mets is greeted by Ángel Pagán after they both scored on Beltrán’s two-run 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 COACH GETS EXCITED AFTER LEARNING LIVE ON TV THAT HIS TEAM WILL REMOVE HIS NUMBER
The nine-time All-Star was a constant force throughout his career, even reaching 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 RBI.
Beltrán, a switch-hitter, won three Gold Gloves and accumulated 2,725 hits, 435 of which were home runs. He also stole 300 bases in his career, making him one of eight players in MLB history in the 300-300 club. Beltrán has the fourth-most home runs for a switch-hitter, behind Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray and Chipper Jones.
New York Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran dives for the ball during the third inning of an MLB baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, April 22, 2011, in New York. (Bill Kostroun/AP)
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He is also one of 39 players to drive in and score at least 1,500 runs. Thirty-two of those players, including Beltrán, are in the Hall of Fame. The other seven who are not are linked to performance-enhancing drugs (Barry Bonds, Alex Rodríguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield, Manny Ramírez) or are not yet eligible for the Hall of Fame (Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera). In 65 postseason games, Beltrán hit .307 with a 1.021 OPS.
