Cooperstown will welcome three more members into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July. MLB Network announced on Tuesday that Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones will join Jeff Kent as the 2026 HOF class. Beltran played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball for seven organizations (New York Mets, Yankees, Royals, Cardinals, Astros, Rangers, and the San Francisco Giants).
His accolades include Rookie of the Year, nine-time All-Star, 2X Silver Slugger award winner, and 3X Gold Glove. Beltran hit 435 home runs in his illustrious career. He hit a lifetime .279 with 2,725 hits, 1,587 RBIs, and 312 stolen bases. Just a phenomenal career, as Beltran and Andruw Jones both received 75%+ of the votes from the BBWAA.
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Carlos Beltran is a Hall of Famer
Carlos Beltran is now a Hall of Famer. There are just three players in the history of MLB with a higher postseason OPS than Beltran’s (1.021). Those names are Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and George Brett.
The Puerto Rican product Carlos Beltran spent his first seven seasons with the Kansas City Royals. It took him until his seventh season to post his first 30+ home run campaign, but he broke out in 2004 with a 38 home run season.
It is a good cycle to be a centerfielder, as the two premier/dominant captains of the outfield, Beltran and Jones, tore up the early-mid 2000s. Beltran most famously played with the New York Mets from 2005 to 2011.
GettyNEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 04: Carlos Beltran talks after being introduced as manager of the New York Mets during a press conference at Citi Field on November 4, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
He hit 149 home runs in a Mets uniform and posted a 129 OPS+ over 839 games. The New York Mets were very close to hiring Beltran as their next manager before Carlos Mendoza and Buck Showalter, but things fell through.
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Is Carlos Beltran’s Hall of Fame Case Tainted?
Carlos Beltran had an amazing MLB career, and Tuesday could be the time for him and the rest of baseball to put behind his actions in the 2017 sign-stealing scandal with the Houston Astros.
Should his Hall of Fame case be tainted because of his role in that situation?
It’s too late now, as he’s already been elected to Cooperstown. He also had a brief stint with the Yankees (2014-2016), where he clubbed 56 home runs and 180 RBIs.
Here are more of Carlos Beltran’s career statistics (according to BaseballReference.com):
70.0 bWAR, 565 doubles, .837 OPS, 1,582 runs scored, 129.3 games played/season average, 86% successful stolen base rate.
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Carlos Beltran Elected to National Baseball Hall Of Fame