The New York Mets will be retiring the number of former star Carlos Beltran, who will be a Hall of Famer this summer.
The New York Mets have announced that Carlos Beltran’s No. 15 will be retired by the team, although a date hasn’t been set for he ceremony. The Mets teased this possibility when Beltran’s induction into the Hall of Fame was announced back in February, and now it’s been confirmed by team sources.
Beltran will be inducted together with center fielder Andruw Jones, who played most of his career with the Atlanta Braves but also spent some time with the cross-town New York Yankees. The Mets outfielder played for six other teams, but he’ll be one of just three Mets to go in wearing a Mets cap, with the others being pitcher Tom Seaver and catcher Mike Piazza.
Beltran’s legacy with the Mets is “complicated,” according to the writers. He played for the Mets from 2005-2011 after signing a seven-year, $119 deal that created high expectations in New York. Beltran struggled in his first season, then rebounded to have one of the best overall seasons in Mets history in 2006.
The season didn’t end the way the Mets and Beltran wanted it to, however. He took a called third strike from St. Louis Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright to end Game 7 of the NLCS that year, which definitely left a bad taste.
His stats certainly didn’t, though. Beltran won three Gold Gloves and appeared in five All-Star games, and his slash line was .280/.369/.500 to go with 149 home runs. His bWar of 31.1 was third in team history, trailing only that of David Wright (49.1) and Darryl Strawberry (36.6), according to the writers.
Beltran was also hired to manage the Mets in 2019, but that move ended up being another black mark on his reputation. He was let go for being part of the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, but amends have been made and Beltran now works in the front office as a special assistant, and he was instrumental in helping outfielder Juan Soto adjust to the high expectation that came with Soto’s huge contract.
The Mets have had the numbers of eight players and two managers retired to date, and Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 has been retired throughout MLB. Beltran becomes the ninth player and he joins an illustrious list that consists of Seaver, Piazza and half a dozen others.
The date still needs to be cleared because of possible conflicts with Beltran’s induction ceremony in Cooperstown this summer, along with multiple team events. It will doubtless be among the best celebrations of the summer, as Beltran has become popular among Mets fans, New York baseball fans and beyond.