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Carlos Iván Beltrán (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkarloz βelˈtɾan]; born April 24, 1977) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball outfielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.
Beltrán was the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 1999 while with the Royals. He has been named to nine MLB All-Star Games, and has won three Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Slugger Awards. Beltrán is the fifth player to reach both 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases and just the fourth switch hitter with 400 home runs. He is also a member of the 30–30 club, as he has hit 30 home runs and stolen 30 bases in the same season.
Beltrán is among the best all-time statistical hitters in postseason games, which has earned him nicknames such as "the new Mr. October", "Mr. October, Jr.", "Señor Octubre", and "the real Mr. October" from the media. He has broken the 1.000 OPS mark in four different playoff series. Beltrán also has a 100% stolen base percentage (11/11) during the playoffs, which are the most stolen bases without being caught. Despite his individual postseason success, he has never won a World Series, only having reached the 2013 World Series with the Cardinals.
Early life
In his youth, Beltrán excelled in many sports, with volleyball and baseball being his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen. He graduated from Fernando Callejo High School in 1995.
Professional career
Draft and minor leagues
The Kansas City Royals selected Beltrán in the second round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. After he signed, the Royals assigned him to the Gulf Coast Royals of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. In 1996, he played for the Spokane Indians of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, and the Lansing Lugnuts of the Class A Midwest League. In 1997 he spent the entire season playing for the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League. He began the 1998 season with Wilmington, and received a promotion to the Wichita Wranglers of the Class AA Texas League.
Kansas City Royals
1998
Beltrán made his Major League debut on September 14, 1998, playing 15 games. Unlike many players, he never played in Triple-A, the Omaha team. In 14 games of the 1998 baseball year, Beltran got 16 hits, 5 doubles, 3 triples, and 7 RBIs with a .276 batting average during his time in the Majors.
1999
By 1999, he won the job as the Royals' starting center fielder and leadoff hitter. He displayed significant power by midsummer, and was moved to the #3 slot in the batting order. Beltrán won the American League Rookie of the Year award, batting .293 with 22 home runs, 108 runs batted in (RBIs) and 27 stolen bases in 156 games played. On September 27, 1999, Beltran made the final out at Tiger Stadium striking out against relief pitcher Todd Jones as the Detroit Tigers beat the Royals 8–2.
2000–03
Injuries restricted Beltrán to 98 games during the 2000 season and he slumped to .247, losing his center field position to the popular Johnny Damon. After Damon was traded to the Oakland Athletics following the season, Beltrán regained his job in 2001 and recaptured his rookie form. He batted .306 with 24 home runs and 101 RBIs in that season, followed by lines of .273-29-105 in 2002 and .307-26-100 in 2003.
In 2003, Beltrán batted .194 in April. His luck changed in 2004, as Beltrán began the year with eight home runs and 19 RBIs and was selected as American League Player of the Month for April.
2004
In the first 69 games of the 2004 season, Beltrán batted .278 with 15 homers, 51 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. Playing for a small market club and represented by agent Scott Boras, Beltrán endured trade rumors through the 2003 and 2004 seasons. As the end of his contract neared, the two sides failed to negotiate a longterm deal. Following an interleague doubleheader loss to the last-place Montreal Expos, Royals' general manager Allard Baird informed reporters that he was preparing to dismantle the team and rebuild it for the 2005 season.
Houston Astros
On June 24, 2004, the Royals traded Beltrán to the Houston Astros in a three-team deal, which also sent relief pitcher Octavio Dotel from the Astros to the Oakland Athletics, while the Royals picked up Oakland minor leaguers (pitcher Mike Wood and third-baseman Mark Teahen) and Astros' catcher John Buck.
While still a Royal, Beltrán had been selected as an AL starting outfielder for the 2004 All-Star Game. After NL starter Ken Griffey, Jr., went on the disabled list, Beltrán was named his substitute. Beltrán became the first player ever to be selected for one All-Star team but play for the other.
For the rest of the 2004 season with the Astros, Beltrán played 90 games batting .258 with 23 home runs, 53 RBI, and 28 stolen bases. Overall in 2004 combined with both teams he played for, Beltrán played 159 total games with a .267 batting average, 38 home runs, 104 RBI, 42 stolen bases, and 121 runs scored.
In the 2004 MLB playoffs, Beltrán tied Barry Bonds' single postseason-record with eight home runs. He hit one in each of the first four games of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the St. Louis Cardinals, including the game-winner in Game 4. Counting his two home-run performance in Game 5 of the previous playoff round in the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Atlanta Braves, Beltrán clubbed at least one home run in a record-setting five consecutive postseason games, eclipsed only by Daniel Murphy's home runs in six consecutive postseason games in 2015. In 12 games in the 2004 playoffs, Beltrán batted .435 with 14 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
New York Mets
2005–06
Following the 2004 season, Beltrán became a free agent. The New York Yankees were tipped as favorites and Beltrán allegedly offered them a $19 million discount. The Yankees declined and the crosstown New York Mets signed him to a seven-year, $119-million contract, the biggest in franchise history at the time. It became the tenth contract in baseball history to surpass $100 million.
On August 11, 2005, in a game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, Beltrán was seriously injured after colliding head-to-head with fellow Mets outfielder Mike Cameron when both were diving to catch a ball in shallow right center field. Cameron missed the rest of the season with a concussion, temporary loss of vision, and two broken cheekbones. Beltrán suffered vertigo for a while, although both players eventually recovered.
A quadriceps injury bothered him most of the season and limited his speed. In 582 at bats, Beltrán's stats included career lows in batting average (.266), home runs (16), RBIs (78), runs scored (83), and stolen bases (17). Despite the limited participation, he was still voted to his second All-Star team.
Beltrán played for Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, joining Carlos Delgado, Bernie Williams, Javier Vázquez, Iván Rodríguez and others on the team managed by St. Louis Cardinals third base coach José Oquendo. His 2006 season was an upgrade on his first year in New York. Boosted by 10 home runs in May, he surpassed his home run total from the previous year before the season was half over. Beltrán's performance secured him a spot in the 2006 All-Star Game, his third. Five other Mets joined him, including three as starters. Beltrán was a standout for the NL as the only batter with multiple hits, along with two stolen bases. He scored the go-ahead run that gave the National League a 2–1 lead in the third inning, though the American League won the game. He hit grand slams in consecutive games on July 16 and 18, becoming the 22nd player to do so. Another grand slam at the end of July made him only the third Met to hit three in one season. Beltrán continued to produce with a walk-off home run against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 22, off Cardinals closer Jason Isringhausen. It was Beltrán's second walk-off of the season, following a 16th-inning gamewinner against the Phillies.
Beltrán's 41 home runs tied the Mets' single season record for homers, matching Todd Hundley's total in 1996. His 127 runs scored gave him sole possession of the Mets' single season franchise mark. He and teammate José Reyes won the Silver Slugger Award at their respective positions. He also tied for the major league lead in times reached base on an error (13).
Beltrán's defense was also recognized during the 2006 season, as he received his first Gold Glove award. He made only two errors in 372 chances to give him a .995 fielding percentage, and recorded 13 outfield assists and six double plays. He also won a Fielding Bible Award as the top fielding center fielder in MLB. Beltrán came fourth in the National League MVP award voting, behind winner Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, and Lance Berkman. Returning to the playoffs, Beltrán hit three home runs in the NLCS, bringing his career playoff total to 11 home runs in 22 games. However, with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning Game 7 of the NLCS against the Cardinals, Beltrán struck out looking against Adam Wainwright, ending the New York Mets season.
2007–08
In 2007, Beltrán hit below .230 from May to July. However, he improved in August and September, finishing with a .276 batting average and 112 RBIs. Batting .282 in September with eight home runs, 27 RBIs and 22 runs scored, he was not one of the prime culprits in the Mets' painful collapse down the stretch. In July, he made his fourth All-Star Game appearance and upon the conclusion of the season, won his second straight Gold Glove award.
In the final game before the All-Star game Beltrán connected his 15th home run of the season. On August 29, Beltran collected all five RBIs for the Mets including a grand slam with two outs in the 9th to give the Mets a 5–2 lead. The Mets would win this game 5–4. Beltran hit the last and only Mets home run in the final regular season game at Shea Stadium (the last home run would belong to Dan Uggla). The home run was a two run shot that tied the game 2–2 against the Florida Marlins. Beltrán won his third straight Gold Glove award in the outfield for the Mets. He also won his second Fielding Bible Award as the top MLB center fielder in 2008.
2009–11
Beltrán recorded his 1,000th RBI against Scott Olsen (Washington Nationals) with a triple in the third inning on April 24, 2009.
In the voting for the 2009 All Star Game, Beltrán was third among NL outfielders (2,812,295 votes), trailing only Ryan Braun (4,138,559) and Raúl Ibáñez (4,053,355).
On January 13, 2010, Beltrán had surgery on his knee and was originally expected to miss 8–12 weeks. The procedure was performed by Beltrán's personal physician Dr. Richard Steadman. The Mets stated that the surgery was done without their consent, and the team expressed their disappointment with Beltrán's decision. However, Beltrán's agent, Scott Boras, claimed that the Mets consented to the procedure. Beltrán played his first game of the 2010 season on July 15.
Due to his declining defense, in 2011, Beltrán was moved from center field to right field. On May 12, 2011, playing against the Colorado Rockies, Beltrán hit three two-run home runs in a 9–5 Mets' victory. It was the first three-home run game of his career, and he became only the eighth Mets hitter in history to hit three home runs in a single game.
San Francisco Giants
On July 28, 2011, the Mets traded Beltrán to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler. The Mets also sent $4 million cash to the Giants to cover Beltrán's remaining $6.5 million contract, which expired at the end of the 2011 season.
The day after the trade, Beltrán got his first hit with the Giants (an RBI single to left field in the first inning), going 1-for-5 while playing right field against the Cincinnati Reds. The Giants eventually lost to the Reds 4–3 in thirteen innings.
On September 14, Beltrán hit two solo home runs against San Diego Padres' starting pitcher Mat Latos. The shot gave him 20 home runs for the season and 300 for his career. Prior to this game, Beltrán had never hit against Latos. Both home runs were hit to the right side of the field with Beltrán batting from the left side. The 299th hit the arcade, and the 300th landed in McCovey Cove which increased the "Splash Hit" count to 59. Both home runs proved to be crucial, as the Giants swept the Padres in a 3-game series, with a score of 3–1. His home runs in the series accounted for 4 out of the 14 runs.
For the rest of the 2011 season with the Giants, Beltrán played 44 games batting .323 with 7 home runs and 18 RBI. Overall in 2011 combined with both teams he played for, Beltrán played 142 total games batting .300 with 22 home runs and 84 RBI.
St. Louis Cardinals
On December 22, 2011, Beltrán agreed to a two-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals worth $26 million which included a full no-trade clause. After Beltrán signed with the Cardinals, he attained numerous milestones, personal as well other firsts.
On Opening Day, April 4, Beltran recorded the first-ever hit in a regular season game at Marlins Park against Josh Johnson of the Miami Marlins. He was named NL Player of the Week on May 14 after he hit .360 (9-for-25) with six home runs, 13 RBIs, eight runs, 30 total bases for a 1.200 slugging percentage and 1.648 OPS in the previous six games. He hit safely in five of the six games and homered in four of them. It was his ninth career weekly award, and sixth in the NL.
On June 1, in his first game in New York after leaving the Mets, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. In one notable moment, a Beltrán batted ball touched the outside part of the foul line but was ruled a foul ball in a game in which former teammate, Johan Santana, was credited with throwing the first no-hitter in Mets' history.
Two weeks later (June 15), batting against his another former team in the Kansas City Royals, Beltrán stole second base in the second inning to become the first switch-hitter in MLB history to attain 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases. He is the eighth player overall to reach the 300–300 club.
The Mets announced on June 18, 2012, that Beltrán was selected as the starting center fielder for 50th Anniversary Mets All-Time Team.
In a June 29 home game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, Beltrán recorded a single in the third inning for his 2,000th hit, becoming the 270th player in MLB history to do so. The day after he got his 2,000th hit, Beltrán collected his 400th double, becoming the 170th player to do so.
Beltrán played in his 2,000th game on July 11, 2013. In October, Beltrán was the recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award, becoming the fourth Cardinals player to win it, joining Albert Pujols, Ozzie Smith, and Lou Brock.
Beltrán filed for free agency after the World Series ended on October 30. On November 9, Beltrán declined a one-year, $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Cardinals, making him a free agent.
New York Yankees
On December 6, 2013, Beltrán agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal to join the New York Yankees, despite receiving a $48 million offer from another team. The deal became official on December 19, 2013.
2014
On April 13, 2014, Beltrán played at first base for the first time in his professional career after Francisco Cervelli left the game due to a hamstring injury. On the night of May 12, 2014, Beltrán experienced soreness in his right elbow. It was revealed that the elbow had a bone spur and was immediately given a cortisone shot. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 15, 2014. He was activated on June 5, 2014. To prevent any further damage to the elbow, he was used primarily as a designated hitter for the remainder of the season.
On September 16, 2014, Beltrán left the team for an indefinite period of time due to his wife's miscarriage. Limited to 109 games in 2014, Beltrán batted .233 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI. On October 1, 2014, he underwent surgery to remove loose pieces and a bone spur in his right elbow, which required 12 weeks to recover. The procedure was performed by Yankees head team physician, Dr. Christopher Ahmad.
2015
Beltrán got off to a slow start in 2015, batting around .200 through April. He slowly improved throughout the season and in September had a batting average over .280. On August 14 against the Blue Jays, Beltrán hit a pinch hit go-ahead 3 run homerun in the 8th inning. It proved to be the game winner and temporarily put the Yankees back in 1st place. On August 17, he had a game tying home run in the 6th against the Twins. He reached 500 career doubles on August 31 against the Boston Red Sox.
2016
On April 25, 2016, Beltrán became the 84th player to make 10,000 career plate appearances. He collected his 2,473rd career hit on April 27 against the Texas Rangers to pass Ted Simmons for tenth place on the all-time list for switch-hitters. Beltrán hit his 400th career home run against the Chicago White Sox on May 15, the 54th player in MLB history to do, fourth switch hitter, the third Puerto Rican-born player, and the fifth to do so with 300 stolen bases and 500 doubles. On May 28, Beltrán homered for his 2,500th career hit off Matt Moore of the Tampa Bay Rays, joining Roberto Clemente, Ivan Rodriguez and Roberto Alomar as just the fourth Puerto Rican-born player to reach the milestone, and the 99th player overall to reach 2,500 hits. He became the fourth player, after Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Willie Mays, to reach 2,500 hits, 400 homers, 300 stolen bases and 1,000 walks.
On June 7, Beltrán became the 38th player all time to record 1,000 career extra base hits. He was selected to his ninth All-Star Game at Petco Park in San Diego. In a 5−3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on July 15, he became the 55th player, and fourth switch-hitter, to reach 1,500 RBIs for his career.
Texas Rangers
On August 1, 2016, the Yankees traded Beltrán to the Texas Rangers for prospects Dillon Tate, Erik Swanson, and Nick Green. Beltrán hit his first home run for Texas on August 3 against Baltimore, also scoring his 1,500th run on the play.
Second stint with Astros
On December 5, 2016, Beltran signed a one-year, $16 million deal to return to the Houston Astros.
International career
World Baseball Classic (Puerto Rico)
Beltrán has appeared in the four editions of the World Baseball Classic (2006, 2009, 2013, 2017) for Team Puerto Rico. In the 2017 World Baseball Classic, he batted 4th in the lineup as their designated hitter. Following the conclusion of the tournament, he was named to the 2017 All-World Baseball Classic team.
Personal life
Beltrán is married to his wife Jessica, and has two daughters. Beltrán's cousin, Reymond Fuentes, is also a baseball player.
Beltran is also a Christian. While sliding into second base for his 300th steal, joining the 300–300 club on June 15, 2012, a cross necklace popped out of his jersey, and after the game, he told a reporter that "all the glory" was God's. In 2004, Beltran was one of twenty four athletes who endorsed George W. Bush's reelection campaign.
Since establishing his foundation, Beltrán began a fund with part of his salary, intending to establish a high school focused on developing young athletes. Construction of the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy began in 2009, being established in the municipality of Florida, Puerto Rico. Beltran donated over $4 million to the academy, built on 20 acres (81,000 m2) of land donated by the local government. The school opened in 2011, and graduated its first class in June 2013. It accepts students between the ages of 14 to 18 years, with a curriculum that includes instruction by MLB players.
Beltrán maintains homes in Port Washington, New York and Manatí, Puerto Rico.
Beltrán is currently represented by sports agent Dan Lozano.
Awards and accomplishments
| Act of honor bestowed | Dates | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 50th Anniversary All-Time Mets Team Starting Centerfielder | 2012 |
| Name of award | Times | Dates | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| American League Rookie of the Year | 1 | 1999 | |
| Baseball America Rookie of the Year | 1 | 1999 | |
| Fielding Bible Award at center field | 2 | 2006, 2008 | |
| Kansas City Royals Player of the Year | 2 | 2001, 2003 | |
| Major League Baseball All-Star | 9 | 2004−07, 2009, 2011−13, 2016 | |
| Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award | 1 | April 2004 | |
| Major League Baseball Player of the Week Award | 10 | ||
| Players Choice Awards for Outstanding Rookie | 1 | 1999 | |
| Rawlings Gold Glove Award at outfield | 3 | 2006−08 | |
| Roberto Clemente Award | 1 | 2013 | |
| Silver Slugger Award at outfield | 2 | 2006, 2007 | |
| The Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award | 1 | 1999 |
- 1,000 runs scored (August 12, 2008)
- 1,000 RBIs (April 24, 2009)
- 2,000 hits (June 29, 2012)
- 400 doubles (June 30, 2012)
- 400 home runs (May 15, 2016)
- 2,500 hits (May 28, 2016)
- 1,000 extra base hits (June 7, 2016)
- 1,500 RBIs (July 15, 2016)
- Mets single season record holder for runs scored (127) ahead of Edgardo Alfonzo and José Reyes.
- Mets single season record holder for home runs (41) tied with Todd Hundley.
- Tied single postseason record for home runs (Houston Astros, 8)
- 8th player in MLB history to have a 3 2-run HR game (2011)
- 1st switch-hitter and 8th player to attain 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases. (June 15, 2012)
- Highest stolen base percentage in MLB since 2000 (minimum of 250 attempts): 87% (300/344; as of June 17, 2012)