Carlos Beltrán will be forever enshrined in baseball’s most prestigious club this weekend, becoming the third player to enter the Hall of Fame wearing a Mets cap on their plaque. But even before his induction was announced, Beltrán has—like most Hall of Famers—already been part of some of baseball’s most exclusive clubs, from niche stat leaders to franchise and hometown record-setters.
Here are some of the most impressive, intriguing accolades from Beltrán’s 20-year major league career:
400/300, 20/20,
100/100
Beltrán had a rare combination of power, speed, and longevity. He finished his career with 435 home runs and 312 stolen bases, becoming one of just five players in MLB history to collect 400+ homers and 300+ stolen bases alongside Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez. Beltrán posted seven 20/20 seasons, being one of only six players to do so alongside Barry Bonds (10), Bobby Bonds (10), Bobby Abreu (9), José Ramírez (7), and Eric Davis (7). He is also one of only three players to hit 100+ homers and steal 100+ bases for two different franchises (Royals and Mets), along with Bonds (Pirates and Giants) and A-Rod (Mariners and Yankees). But it’s worth mentioning that there’s one other player in MLB history with 99+ HR and 99+ SB for two different franchises: Francisco Lindor.
Silver and Gold
In both leagues at the end of a season, a Gold Glove Award is given out to the best fielder at each position and a Silver Slugger Award is given out to the best hitter at each position. To win both is one of the more impressive all-around feats that a player can accomplish in a given year. Not only did Beltrán win a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in the same season — he did it in back-to-back seasons from 2006-07. Only nine outfielders have done that since the Silver Slugger Award was introduced in 1980: Ken Griffey Jr., Dave Winfield, Kirby Puckett, Mookie Betts, Barry Bonds, Andre Dawson, Dale Murphy, Tony Gwynn and Beltrán. Beltrán is also one of only two Mets to win both awards in multiple seasons, along with David Wright, who also happened to do it in back-to-back years from 2007-08.
Gamer
By the end of his 20-year playing career, Beltrán had appeared in 2,586 MLB games. Only 46 players have appeared in that many games, and only five (Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., and Beltrán) did so while playing at least 50% of their games at center field.
From ROTY to HOFer
Some Hall of Famers find their stride over time. Others burst onto the scene with a bang. That was the case for Beltrán, who will be the 22nd Rookie of the Year Award winner inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the second former ROTY to be inducted as a center fielder after Willie Mays. Beltrán earned his award by hitting 22 homers and stealing 27 bases in his age-22 season with the Royals in 1999, earning all but two first-place votes (which went to Seattle’s Freddy García and Boston’s Brian Daubach. Beltrán is sure to have an influx of company in the ROTY->HOF club over the next decade-plus as Justin Verlander, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, and Shohei Ohtani eventually hit the ballot and become bound for Cooperstown.
No. 2 to No. 21
It’s that time of the article where we must simply list a bunch of Beltrán’s career stats. But rather than compare him with other Mets, or other center fielders, or other Hall of Famers, let’s do something else. Puerto Rico has one of the richest baseball histories of anywhere in the world. How do Beltrán’s numbers stack up with the all-time Puerto Rican greats? Here are his ranks among players born in Puerto Rico:
2,586 games played (1st)
1,582 runs (1st)
2,725 hits (3rd)
435 home runs (2nd)
1,587 runs batted in (1st)
312 stolen bases (3rd)
And finally…
70.0 bWAR (2nd, behind Roberto Clemente’s 95.0)
Now Beltrán, the 2013 Roberto Clemente Award winner, joins Clemente as the second Puerto Rican outfielder in the Hall of Fame.
