Carlos Beltran will join an exclusive group of New York Mets when he is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26. His Hall of Fame plaque will feature a Mets hat, making him the third Hall of Famer to do so.
Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver are the only others to hold that distinction when they were inducted into Cooperstown. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum revealed the incoming class’ logo selections Tuesday.
“I didn’t do this alone,” Beltran, who played for six other franchises across his 20-year career, said. “Every team I played for shaped my journey, and I’m grateful to all of them.”
“With the Mets, I experienced my greatest individual growth and success. I’m honored that my Hall of Fame plaque will feature the Mets logo, and I’m proud that every team I played for will be listed on the plaque.”
Andruw Jones, who was elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BWAA) alongside Beltran, will have an Atlanta Braves logo on his plaque. Jeff Kent, meanwhile, will have a San Francisco Giants logo on his plaque after being selected to the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.
An All-Time Great Met
Carlos Beltran left his mark at Shea Stadium when he joined the Mets in 2005. He tallied 155 hits, 78 RBI and 16 home runs in his first season. Those numbers helped him make that year’s NL All-Star team. The Puerto Rican outfielder kicked things up a notch in his second season, hitting 41 home runs and 116 RBI.
He spent four more years with the Mets, making three more All-Star appearances during that stretch. Overall, Carlos Beltran had 878 hits, 559 RBI and 149 home runs with the Mets. Additionally, he was a two-time Silver Slugger and three-time Rawlings Gold Glove recipient.
Shutting Down Uncertainty
His Mets tenure came to a close in the 2011 season, when the club traded him to the Giants. There was some uncertainty over whether his Hall of Fame plaque would feature a Mets logo. That is because of his time with the other clubs he played for. His career was also under scrutiny due to his involvement in the Houston Astros‘ 2017 sign-stealing scandal.
However, the BWAA elected him to join the Hall of Fame, and the prime of his career came when he was with the Mets. And many remember his career for that reason. Therefore, Carlos Beltran will become the third Hall of Famer to represent the Mets when he heads to Cooperstown in six months.
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