This past Tuesday marked an anniversary in Mets history. It was ten years ago on January 13th, that the New York Mets made a huge splash in the baseball free agent market and signed outfielder Carlos Beltran.
Prior to his stint in Queens, Beltran had spent seven solid years with the Kansas City Royals before being traded to the Houston Astros in June of 2004 and exploding in the playoffs to earn a multi-year, mega deal from the Mets.
He spent the majority of his seven years with the Mets quietly playing outstanding baseball. He made the game look easy and effortless at times. The latter end of the contract was mired with nagging injuries that prevented him from staying on the field consistently.
No matter what he did in the blue and orange, however, he will sadly be forever remembered for striking out in the 2006 NLCS against Adam Wainwright and the St Louis Cardinals in the 9th inning with two outs and a shot at the World Series on the line.
While it is fair to be frustrated with the team for being so close to glory just to see it slip away, it is completely unfair to entirely blame Beltran for striking out on a curve ball that would’ve most likely buckled Ted Williams‘ knees. It is even more unfair to define Beltran from that one moment.
When comparing his numbers and accolades in his Mets career, he stacks up with almost every offensive player in team history. He was a Rookie of the Year in Kansas City and an eight-time All-Star with five of those appearances coming with the Mets.
He scored 551 runs, ranking eighth in that category. He had 878 hits, good enough for thirteenth best in club history. His 208 doubles, 149 home runs and 559 RBI all rank at sixth best in team history. He ranks higher than all but three outfielders in team history in almost every category. Those outfielders are Darryl Strawberry, Cleon Jones and Mookie Wilson.
Statistically speaking, he belongs on the Mt Rushmore of Mets outfielders. In fact, in a Mets uniform, he scored more runs than Mike Piazza, Keith Hernandez and Lee Mazzilli, hit more home runs than Todd Hundley, Gary Carter, Carlos Delgado or Keith Hernandez and drove in more runs than Edgardo Alfonzo, Rusty Staub, Keith Hernandez or Gary Carter.
If his accomplishments on the field with the team weren’t enough, he gave the team a much needed boost of youth when he was traded in July of 2011. The team acquired Zack Wheeler from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Beltran. The Giants didn’t even make the playoffs that year and Beltran signed with St Louis the following winter. The Mets ended up with a premiere pitcher for their staff.
When his career is finished and all the numbers are final, he may not be MLB Hall of Fame worthy, but the numbers with the Mets tell a different story. He may be Mets Hall of Fame worthy. He was one of the elite superstars of the organization. One that shouldn’t be dismissed so easily due to one great pitch.
In NY it isn’t always about numbers. The guys you mention above were beloved Mets. I never cared for Beltran because I always felt he could have been better. He was lazy and always missing a game or two for some reason. Recalling a Newday article he missed 3 games once because he had bruise on his calf. I could never imagine Mazz, mookie, straw or any of those guys missing a game for that.
Robby, that’s almost word for word the complaint people used to make about Strawberry, who was never appreciated for what he was — a productive, dangerous bat — and always ridiculed for being lazy, a waste of potential, etc.
Letting him go to LA was one of the huge mistakes of the Mets organization.
This is why it’s impossible for players to win the opinion of the fans.
If they don’t play hurt, they’re called wusses.
If they do play hurt and they’re not producing, people get mad because they don’t speak up and rest, ala David Wright 2014.
If they do play hurt, and they produce, but get significantly hurt later (or at least people think it’s because they played), people still are upset ala Johan Santana no-hitter 2012.
No, it seems like the only way to win over fans is to
Play hurt
and
Produce at a high high level
and
Not get “more injured”
Beltran is not one of my favorite Mets, and not because of the K in 2006. He just wasn’t worth the contract. He was great early in games, produced good numbers, but rarely ever clutch late in games. I can easily recall big hits by Keith, piazza and wright. Not Beltran.
According to FanGraphs, Beltran earned $123.9 million with his production over the life of the contract. I’m not sure what the percentage of those who earn $100 million contracts is, but it’s low (I’m guessing under 20%) and Beltran was one of the few who did.
Baseball-Reference has Late and Close Numbers. Here are Beltran’s OPS numbers in late and close situations the years he played exclusively with the Mets, with NL average numbers in parentheses:
2005 – .838 (.723)
2006 – .943 (.735)
2007 – .627 (.725)
2008 – .790 (.731)
2009 – 1.002 (.712)
2010 – .707 (.690)
As for big hits, I always think of his 2-run HR in Game 1 of the NLCS that gave the Mets their only runs in a 2-0 win. In Game 4, he hit a game-tying HR and later scored the go-ahead run.
Baseball is a game of numbers, and numbers are what Beltran out up. I don’t remember clutch situations, but I think he was a good Met and always a class act. Thank you Carlos and we wish you well.
Never got the hatred towards Beltran, and I was at game seven. Sure, he wasn’t looking to be a Met for life or come across as the face of the franchise, but making it look easy isn’t the same as not trying. He had a lot of clutch hits, made a lot of great plays and gave us the best years of his prime. He was an expensive free agent signed to a long-term deal with no loyalty to the club and sadly that’s where MLB has gone in recent years.
But just to be clear, it’s Beltran’s fault we haven’t upgraded shortstop yet. #tedberg
I never recall strawberry being lazy or hated by the fans till he started talking about him and Eric Davis going to LA.
I find the negativity towards Beltran to be distasteful. Give credit to Adam Wainwright for making a great pitch (he’s done that a lot). I think any objective measurement would place Carlos B. as the Mets all-time centerfielder.
Forgive what? He took a wicked curve for strike 3. Give the pitcher his due credit. Beltran was always and continues to be one of my favorite players. Head and shoulders above our Captain K. Simply put, Beltran was the best CF ever in the history of the Mets. A true elite player and a pleasure to watch. Too bad that so many clueless fans continue to blame him for the Mets failures.
I don’t honestly hear too many informed fans blaming Beltran for anything, except for, of course, that stake in the heart vs. Cardinals.
I blame him for taking a FB early in the count.
A great player and an awesome signing by Minaya, worth every penny, and we got Wheeler out of it, too.
Yup, worth every penny.
Granting forgiveness would imply that Beltran somehow intentionally wronged his own team. As Brian points out in the numbers, Beltran was nothing but an outstanding Met, to this day without doubt the best center fielder to wear the orange and blue. Perhaps it’s time for Mets fans to anchor themselves to reality and apologize to Beltran for the preposterous, years-long histrionics pertaining to a single AB.
Heilman lost game seven plain and simple. No one and I mean no one ever mentions his failure to allow a key home run to a guy who hit about .215 with five home runs that season. The challenge Beltran faced in the last at bat was about ten times more difficult than the challenge Heilman faced with Molina. The criticism Beltran faced is typical of the childish notion many fans have that baseball is easy and your guy should always come through when it counts. Grow up people and try and learn something about how this game really works. Beltran was a tremendous player who simply was never appreciated.
Aaron Heilman aka He Who Shall Not Be Named.
I never held anything against him. He played his heart out for the Mets. To me still the greatest CF I ever saw on a consistent Basis (although JL is likely to change that in a few years) He played injured because he signed that big contract. I have all the respect for him in the world.
and, Oh, I would have watched that curveball, too!
Beltran does deserve better. Although I will never forgive him for that strikeout — everybody knew or should have known a curve ball was coming — the Mets would have been nowhere near the team they were without him. He is a Met Hall of Famer!