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90
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#003581
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#ff5731
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white
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white
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Carlos Beltran
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Center field
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New York Mets
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15
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Both
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Right
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September 14
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1998
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Kansas City Royals
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2005
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Avg
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282
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RBI
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647
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HR
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162
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(born
April 24 ,
1977 in
Manatí, Puerto Rico ) is a
Major League Baseball Outfielder for the
New York Mets .
Beltrán made his major league debut in
1998 , playing 14 games with the
Kansas City Royals . In
1999 , he won a job in
Spring Training as the Royals' starting
Center Fielder and leadoff hitter. By mid-summer, he was displaying surprising power and moved to the #3 slot in the
Batting Order , and he won the
American League Rookie Of The Year award.
Injuries caused Beltrán to miss part of the
2000 season and he slumped to .247, losing his center field job to the popular
Johnny Damon . After Damon was traded to the
Athletics following the season, Beltrán regained his job and recaptured his rookie form,
Batting .306 with 24
Home Run s and 101
RBI in
2001 , and followed up with .273, 29, 105 in
2002 , and .307, 26, 100 in
2003 .
Because Kansas City is a small-market club, and Beltrán is represented by agent
Scott Boras , trade rumors followed Beltrán through the 2003 and
2004 seasons, as the end of his contract neared and the two sides failed to negotiate a long-term deal. During a press conference following an interleague doubleheader loss to the last-place
Montreal Expos , Royals
General Manager Allard Baird told reporters that he was preparing to dismantle the team and rebuild it for the
2005 season.
While Beltrán's name was not mentioned specifically by Royals management, the high-profile player, who was already eligible for
Free Agency following the season, was considered the most likely to garner interest from other teams. On
June 24 , Beltrán was traded to the
Houston Astros in a three-team deal, with the
Oakland Athletics getting closer
Octavio Dotel and the Royals picking up three prospects.
Beltrán was selected to the
American League starting
Outfield for the
2004 All-Star Game , but he was initially denied a place in the game because of his trade to the
National League . After NL starter
Ken Griffey, Jr. went on the disabled list just before the All-Star break, Beltrán was named his substitute. Beltran became the first player ever to be selected for one All-Star team but play for the other.
In the 2004 MLB playoffs, Beltrán tied
Barry Bonds 's single postseason record with 8 home runs. In Game 5 of the
NLDS against the
Atlanta Braves , he had two home runs, and he had one in each of the first four games of the
NLCS against the
St. Louis Cardinals , including a game-winner in Game 4. This gave him five straight playoff games with a home run, a new record. It should also be noted that Beltran accomplished this feat in 5 less postseason games than Bonds because Beltran's Astros did not advance to the World Series, while Bond's Giants did.
.]]
Beltrán became a free agent for the first time after the 2004 season and was touted as the biggest free agent on the market. After the
New York Yankees decided against pursuing him, he signed a 7 year - $119 million contract with the New York Mets, the biggest contract in Mets history. It was also only the tenth contract in Major League Baseball history to be worth more than $100 million. Ironically, the other centerfielder in New York City is the aforementioned Johnny Damon, a fellow Royals alumnus and Boras client who signed with the Yankees in December, 2005.
Reaction to the signing was met with enthusiasm by many, though some felt the Mets may have overpaid. Beltrán is what scouts call a "
Five-tool Player ," with excellent fielding skills, a good throwing arm, ability to hit for
Average ,
Power , and
Steal bases. On August 11, 2005, Beltran was involved in one of the worst accidents in recent Major League Baseball History by colliding "head on" with fellow Mets outfielder
Mike Cameron when both were diving to catch a ball. Cameron suffered a concussion, temporary loss of vision, and two broken cheekbones, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Beltran suffered vertigo for a while, although both players recovered.
When compared against his career numbers, Beltran's 2005 season could be labeled a disappointment. In 582 at bats Beltran had a .266 batting average (career-low), 16 home runs (lowest full season total), 78 RBI (lowest full season total), 83 runs scored (lowest full season total), and 17 stolen bases (lowest full season total). Beltran also struggled with a slightly injured quadricep muscle throughout the season, which greatly limited his speed.
Carlos Beltran was one of the Puerto Rican players to agree to play for Puerto Rico in the 2006
MLB World Baseball Classic , joining
Carlos Delgado ,
Bernie Williams ,
Mike Lowell ,
Javier Vazquez and
Jose Vidro amongst others representing the US Territory Island Nation in a team managed by
Saint Louis Cardinals third base coach
Jose Oquendo .
