Beltran played for seven teams during a 21-season career. Most of his time was spent with the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets, but he would also spend time with the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, and Houston Astros.
Beltran spent six-plus seasons with the Mets after spending his first six-plus seasons with the Kansas City Royals. But he played a few more games with the Mets (839) than he did with the Royals (795).
Beltran was a very consistent player and his time split between the two teams is evident of that consistency. With the Royals, he hit .287 with an OBP of .352. He accumulated 899 hits, 156 of them doubles, 45 triples, 123 home runs while driving in 516. He also stole 164 bases and 546 scored runs. After a 90-game stint including an amazing post season run with the Houston Astros. Beltran signed a free agent contract with the Mets where he would hit .280 with an OBP of .369. He accumulated 878 hits, 208 of them doubles, 17 triples, 149 home runs while driving in 559. He also stole 100 bases and 551 scored runs. 324 extra base hits with the Royals during seven seasons and 374 extra base hits with the Mets during seven seasons.
While Beltran had a great career with the Mets, he is unfortunately remembered more for the one time he failed, rather than the multitude of time he was so clutch.
It is unfair and unjust that fans will forever tie Beltran to the “called strike three.”
Beltran hit 41 home runs and drove in 116 runs and scored 127, hitting .275 with a .388 OBP during the 2006 regular season. He also secured a Gold Glove award.
On October 19, 2006, Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, with the bases loaded with Mets and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Beltran faced Adam Wainwright. Beltran had already slammed three home runs in the series.
Wainwright got Beltran on three pitches, the last was a called strike.
If not for Beltran carrying the team on his back for that season, there would have been no circumstance to even have a called strike three. That moment would have never occurred.
But so many great moments did occur and Beltran did it quietly. He wasn’t boisterous, he didn’t go jumping around, ripping teammates’ jerseys off their bodies, doing any over-the-top celebrations. He just went out and did his job and he was clutch.
Beltran could do it all – hit for average, hit for power…from both sides of the plate, he could steal a base, take an extra base, he was an exceptional fielder and covered a lot of ground in centerfield with a strong arm.
Beltran is known for being one of the most productive switch-hitters in Major League Baseball, only Eddie Murray has more extra base hits as a switch hitter. The only other switch hitter in history with the combination of power and speed possessed by Beltran…Mickey Mantle. And Beltran could also play centerfield on par with Mantle as well. Beltran was the dynamic five-tool player teams coveted.
Beltran will now be enshrined this summer in the New York Mets Hall of Fame and the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. All that’s left is for his No. 15 to be retired and immortalized with Nos. 41 and 31 as the other Mets players elected into the Hall of Fame.
