Beltrán humbled by inclusion on baseball’s greatest team

Carlos Beltrán is in awe of the company he will soon be keeping in Cooperstown.

“Oh my God!” he said when asked about attending this year’s National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend alongside a record amount of returning electees. “You know what? My wife told me the list of people that are going to be there, and I’ve got to tell you that I’m a fan of those guys that are going be there. And believe it or not, some of them didn’t play in my era. They played before me. But I grew up watching those guys. And the fact that I have a relationship with some of those guys, that’s even better.”

As of Beltrán’s interview with the media on Monday, July 20, 61 of the 77 living Hall of Famers, including the Class of 2026, are planning to return to Cooperstown for Hall of Fame Weekend. The record for Hall of Famers attending a single Induction Weekend is 58 set in 2019.

“So, I’m excited. I’m looking forward to taking a lot of pictures. I want to be like a fan walking around Cooperstown, embracing the legends, because they’re all legends,” Beltrán said. “And the fact that God is giving me the opportunity to be in the same group, I take it very humbly. Sometimes it becomes surreal.”

The Class of 2026 added Beltrán and fellow center fielder Andruw Jones when the results of the 82nd Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot were announced on Jan. 20. The three-member Class of 2026 also includes Jeff Kent, who was elected via the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee vote in December.

With candidates needing to appear on at least 75 percent of all ballots cast to earn election, the switch-hitting Beltrán, in his fourth year on the BBWAA ballot, received votes on 84.2 percent of the 425 ballots cast.

“I would say that when you have to wait for something special, of course, it’s always meaningful,” Beltrán said. “I feel super blessed for the opportunity to join Andruw. I love Andruw very much. Andruw and I have a lot in common. We’re both born in the same year (one day apart in 1977). We played in the same division for a long time. We battled. He made me a better player. So, I’m happy I’m going there with a brother.

“And Jeff, I had the opportunity to play a little bit with him with the Astros when I got traded there in 2004. I know he’s a great competitor and he played very hard. Having us as part of the same class is great.”

The three-member Class of 2026 will be inducted on Sunday, July 26, at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown as part of the Induction Weekend taking place July 24-27.

The 49-year-old Beltrán, born April 24, 1977, in Puerto Rico, played for 20 seasons for the Royals, Astros, Mets, Giants, Cardinals, Yankees and Rangers, retiring after the 2017 season as one of just four players in history with at least 400 home runs, 300 steals and three Gold Glove Awards. His career ended with a .279 batting average, 2,725 hits, 435 homers, 312 stolen bases, 1,582 runs scored and 1,587 RBI.

It was announced earlier this year that Beltrán’s Hall of Fame plaque will feature a New York Mets cap, joining Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza as the only inductees with the logo.

“It means a lot, honestly,” Beltrán said. “When I think about my career and I think about the choices that I had, I remember going through the process of the choices. I had the Royals, I had the Mets, I had no logo. I felt that I wanted to be identified to an organization. And even though with the Royals and the Mets, I have similar numbers, I felt that I was able to grow the most with the Mets…That was the organization where I felt like I became the best version of myself.”

A nine-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Beltrán was also named 1999 American League Rookie of the Year. One of only four players in history with at least 1,500 runs scored, 2,700 hits, 400 home runs and 300 steals (along with Barry Bonds, Willie Mays and Álex Rodríguez), he ranks 25th all-time with 1,078 career extra base hits, 30th with 565 career doubles and 34th with 4,751 total bases.

Bill Francis is the senior research and writing specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum