The Mets could be getting a third cap in Cooperstown this summer, and their first in a decade with the selection of Carlos Beltrán to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The former center fielder was selected by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in his fourth year on the ballot, the Hall of Fame committee announced Tuesday night.
Beltrán and Andruw Jones, the other member of the 2026 Hall of Fame class, also become the first center fielders to become enshrined in the HOF since 2016 when Ken Griffey Jr. became the 24th. It’s a position that requires a certain amount of talent, acumen and gumption, which is why so few have been inducted since the turn of the century.
It speaks to the impact Beltrán made on the field over parts of 20 seasons with the Mets, Yankees, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros. A five-tool player with power from both sides of the plate and speed that made him a weapon on the basepaths and in the outfield, he helped five teams reach the postseason, including the Mets in 2006.
Looking at the JAWS metric, a system created by Jay Jaffe to determine Hall-of-Fame worthiness, Beltrán’s numbers are comparable to others at the same position who have already been elected to Cooperstown. The average WAR of Hall of Fame center fielders is 71.7, while Beltrán’s is 70, his peak WAR was 44.4 (position average is 44.7), and his total JAWS is 57.2, only one point off the average of the enshrined center fielders (58.2).
For his career, Beltran slashed .279/.350/.486 with 2,725 total hits, 565 doubles, 78 triples, 435 home runs, 1,587 RBI, 1,582 runs scored and 312 stolen bases, compiling 70.0 bWAR. The switch-hitter from Puerto Rico was a nine-time All-Star who won three Glove Glove Awards, two Silver Slugger Awards and was named the AL Rookie of the Year in 1999.
In 65 postseason games, Beltrán hit .307 with a 1.021 OPS and 16 home runs. He hit eight home runs and drove in 14 runs in his first-ever playoff run with the Houston Astros in 2004, and drove in 15 runs to help the St. Louis Cardinals reach the World Series in 2013. While the Cards ultimately came up short against the Boston Red Sox, Beltrán finally won a ring with the Astros in 2017, his first World Series title.
Beltrán was eventually implicated in Houston’s 2017 sign-stealing scandal. A 2020 investigation by MLB named Beltrán specifically as one of the leaders of the system.
A special assistant in the Mets front office, Beltrán played 839 games for the Amazin’s over seven seasons from 2005-2011, and spent parts of three seasons with the Yankees as well from 2014-2016. He has previously said he will enter the Hall as a Met.
Beltrán and Jones, along with Jeff Kent, who was selected for entrance by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. Jones spent the final two seasons of his career with the Yankees from 2011-2012, and Kent was part of the Mets from 1992-1996.
