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Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n
Carlos Beltran can add another honor to his calendar alongside his Hall of Fame induction later this summer. Mike Puma at the Post reports the team will retire the former star outfielder\u2019s No. 15 on May 30 ahead of the team\u2019s game versus the Miami Marlins.<\/p>\n
Mets were originally planning to induct Carlos Beltran into the team\u2019s Hall of Fame with Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine on May 30. The new plan: a separate Beltran ceremony at some point this season to retire his No. 15.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) March 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Beltran debuted with the Kansas City Royals in 1998 and was named American League Rookie of the Year the following season. He signed a seven-year, $119 million deal in 2005, almost Juan Soto-esque. Not only was Beltran\u2019s deal the largest in Mets<\/a> history at the time, but they beat out the rival Yankees for the star switch-hitter\u2019s services.<\/p>\n Beltran never won a World Series with the Mets, but made five All-Star teams and won three Gold Gloves in center field before being traded to the Giants in 2011. In return, the Mets received Zack Wheeler. Beltran also played for the Cardinals, Yankees, Rangers, and had two separate stints with the Houston Astros. He was the designated hitter on the controversial \u201cTrashcan-gate\u201d team that won the 2017 World Series. That connection and ensuing scandal led him to resigning as the Mets\u2019 manager only two months later before spring training had even begun.<\/p>\n But on the whole, Carlos Beltran was a Hall of Fame player worthy of having his number retired. It\u2019s just tough because he was a true journeyman throughout his career in a sport that values consistency above everything. He played long enough to maintain a .279 lifetime batting average with 2,725 hits and 435 home runs. That puts his career WAR at a clean 70.0.<\/p>\n So how do the Mets factor into this when they\u2019re just a slice of Beltran\u2019s long and storied career? Well, the reasons are twofold. On one hand, Beltran played some of the best baseball of his career in Flushing. His 41 home runs and 116 RBI in 2006 were career highs. He only finished fourth because the NL was stacked with hitting that year, with Ryan Howard\u2019s 58 homers carrying him to first place.<\/p>\n But more importantly, Beltran\u2019s Mets tenure is a textbook example of how quickly we forgot just how good the guy was in his prime. His production tailed off a bit after his career season in \u201906, but not to the point of full decline. He just overachieved and regressed to his mean. It happens to players annually.<\/p>\n However, things changed in 2009 and \u201910 when Carlos Beltran missed significant time with knee injuries. He even missed the first half of 2010 after having surgery, leading to some drama with the front office.<\/a> A move to right field further signaled his aging and imminent decline.<\/p>\n Instead, he bounced back to hit .300 with the Mets and Giants in 2011, and played six more years.<\/p>\n Thus, if the Mets want to make their fans happy and give a retired player his day? Let them. It\u2019s Carlos Beltran. Like him or not, he\u2019s a Hall of Fame player and one of the last great switch-hitters.<\/p>\n Raise No. 15, and raise it high.<\/p>\n ![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773343508_218_hqdefault.jpg\")
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