Carlos Beltrán
| Carlos Beltrán | |
|---|---|
| File:Carlos Beltran.jpg | |
| New York Mets – No. 15 | |
| Center Fielder | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
| debut | |
| September 14, 1998, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| Career statistics (through the 2006 season) | |
| Avg | .281 |
| HR | 203 |
| RBI | 763 |
| Former teams | |
| |
- For the article on the Mexican progressive rock musician, see Carlos Beltrán (musician)
Carlos Ivan Beltrán (born April 24, 1977 in Manatí, Puerto Rico) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the New York Mets.
In his youth, Beltrán excelled in all sports, with volleyball and baseball his favorites. At his father's urging, he gave up volleyball to concentrate on baseball when he was seventeen. He graduated from Fernando Callejas High School in 1995 and the widely-regarded five tool player was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 1995 amateur baseball draft.
Beltrán splits his home between Port Washington, New York and Manatí.
Kansas City Royals
Beltrán made his major league debut in 1998, playing 14 games with the Kansas City Royals. In 1999, he won a job in spring training as the Royals' starting center fielder and leadoff hitter. By mid-summer, he was displaying surprising power and moved to the #3 slot in the batting order, and he won the American League Rookie of the Year award.
Injuries caused Beltrán to miss part of the 2000 season and he slumped to .247, losing his center field job to the popular Johnny Damon. After Damon was traded to the Athletics following the season, Beltrán regained his job and recaptured his rookie form, batting .306 with 24 home runs and 101 RBI in 2001, and followed up with .273, 29, 105 in 2002, and .307, 26, 100 in 2003.
Beltrán was known for starting sluggishly every season, like in 2003, when he batted .194 in April. Beltrán was compelled to change that, and he did by hitting .312 and slamming 8 home runs and knocking in 19 RBI's. His fabulous performance led him to be voted as American League Player of the Month for April 2004.
Because Kansas City is a small-market club and Beltrán is represented by agent Scott Boras, trade rumors followed Beltrán through the 2003 and 2004 seasons, as the end of his contract neared and the two sides failed to negotiate a long-term deal. During a press conference following an interleague doubleheader loss to the last-place Montreal Expos, Royals general manager Allard Baird told reporters that he was preparing to dismantle the team and rebuild it for the 2005 season.
Trade to Astros
While Beltrán's name was not mentioned specifically by Royals management, the high-profile player, who was already eligible for free agency following the season, was considered the most likely to garner interest from other teams. On June 24, Beltrán was traded to the Houston Astros in a three-team deal, which sent Beltrán from the Royals to the Astros, relief pitcher Octavio Dotel went from the Astros to the Oakland Athletics, and the Royals picking up 2 minor leaguers from the Athletics (pitcher Mike Wood and third-baseman Mark Teahen) and one from the Astros (catcher John Buck).
Houston Astros
Beltrán was selected to the American League starting outfield for the 2004 All-Star Game, but he was initially denied a place in the game because of his trade to the National League. After NL starter Ken Griffey, Jr. went on the disabled list just before the All-Star break, Beltrán was named his substitute. Beltrán became the first player ever to be selected for one All-Star team but play for the other.
In the 2004 MLB playoffs, Beltrán tied Barry Bonds's single postseason record with 8 home runs. In Game 5 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, he had two home runs, and he had one in each of the first four games of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, including a game-winner in Game 4. This gave him five straight playoff games with a home run, a new record.
New York Mets
Beltrán became a free agent for the first time after the 2004 season and was touted as the biggest free agent on the market, due in part to a dominant showing in his postseason debut. After the New York Yankees decided against pursuing him, he signed a 7 year - $119 million contract with the New York Mets, the biggest contract in Mets history. It was also only the tenth contract in Major League Baseball history to be worth more than $100 million. Coincidentally, the other center fielder in New York City is the aforementioned Johnny Damon, a fellow Royals alumnus and Boras client who signed with the Yankees in December, 2005.
Reaction to the signing was met with enthusiasm by many, though some felt the Mets may have overpaid. Beltrán is what scouts call a "five-tool player," with excellent fielding skills, a good throwing arm, ability to hit for average, power, and steal bases. On August 11, 2005, Beltrán was involved in a serious accident by colliding "head on" with fellow Mets outfielder Mike Cameron when both were diving to catch a ball. Cameron suffered a concussion, temporary loss of vision, and two broken cheekbones, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. Beltrán suffered vertigo for a while, although both players recovered.
Beltrán's 2005 season was perceived as a large disappointment by many. An quadricep injury bothered him most of the season and limited his speed. In 582 at bats, Beltrán's stats were respectable, but career lows in batting average (.266), home runs (16), runs batted in (78), runs scored (83), and stolen bases (17). Despite these career-low stas, he was still voted to his second All-Star team.
Carlos Beltrán played for Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, joining Carlos Delgado, Bernie Williams, Javier Vazquez, Ivan Rodriguez and others on the team managed by St. Louis Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo.
Beltrán's 2006 season started off far better than his first year in New York. Although he suffered a strained right hamstring early in the year, Beltrán remained healthy. Good health and greater protection in the lineup allowed Beltrán to put up better numbers than he did in 2005, helped by 10 home runs in May. By early June he surpassed his home run total from the previous year. Beltrán was named National League Player of the Week for the week of June 5-11 for his performance on the Mets' road trip. During the week, he hit .483 with 3 homers, had 12 RBIs, scored 13 runs, and stole 5 bases.
Beltrán's performance secured him a spot in the 2006 All-Star game, his third overall and consecutively. He was joined by five other Mets, including three other starters, which set a franchise record. Beltrán was a standout for the NL as the only batter with multiple hits to go along with two stolen bases. He scored the go-ahead run that gave the National League a 2-1 lead in the third inning. Beltrán would likely have been the MVP until the American League came back to win in the 9th inning 3 to 2
He hit grand slams on July 16, and then on July 18, tying 21 others as the only players to hit grand slams in consecutive games (the Mets had an off day on July 17). At the end of the month, Beltrán hit his third grand slam in the space of 47 at bats — becoming only the third Met to hit three grand slams in one season, a feat previously accomplished by Mike Piazza in 2000. The slam helped the 2006 Mets become only the third team to hit six grand slams in a month. Beltrán became the ninth player in baseball history to hit three grand slams in a single month, and won another NL Player of the Week award.
Beltrán continued to add to his already-impressive MVP resume with a walk-off home-run against the St. Louis Cardinals, on Tuesday night, August 22nd, off Cardinals' closer and former Mets pitcher Jason Isringhausen. The home-run was Beltrán's second walk-off of the season, his first coming in the 16th inning of a game earlier in the season against the division rival Philadelphia 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 record for runs scored.
Many factors may have contributed to Beltrán's improvement in the 2006 season: being hurt in 2005 but healthy in 2006, being more comfortable in the New York spotlight, and the team's addition of fellow Puerto Rican Carlos Delgado to hit behind him as well as providing camaraderie.
Beltran is now known for looking, yes LOOKING, at three straight pitches delivered by a pitcher who couldn't make the Pittsburgh Pirates rotation.
On October 19, 2006 Beltrán struck out looking on a perfect pitch to hit to end game 7 of the 2006 NLCS.
See also
External links
- Template:Espn mlb
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference
- Carlos Beltrán at IMDb